Episode 3

In the final episode, Rageh Omaar explains how the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following the First World War left problems that still exist in Europe and the Middle East. Rageh also reveals how struggles at the heart of the Ottoman story have recently been reignited on the streets the Ottomans once ruled, from Syria to Turkey. From its capital in Istanbul, the empire matched the glories of ancient Rome. Yet its achievements have been largely lost in the trauma of its last few years. Brutality, massacres and the carve-up of former Ottoman lands created a lasting legacy of tension and conflict. The heartland of the former empire - modern-day Turkey - turned its back on its Islamic, Ottoman past. It underwent a social revolution led by military commander and secular visionary Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. So why is Ottomanism back on the political agenda? And why are many politicians in the West hoping that Turkey can provide a role model as a modern, Islamic democracy?