Istanbul

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Istanbul has been the setting for some of the world's most significant history. It was a small town for a thousand years before Constantine decided to make it the "new Rome" in 326 AD and turned it into Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire and the largest city in the world for hundreds of years. It was sacked during the crusades and then conquered by the sultan of the Ottoman Empire in the 1450s, who turned it into his capital city and renamed it Istanbul, "the city of Islam." I read two books before my trip, one set in Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire period and the other set in the modern-day city, which helped give me a sense of the city's rich history and current events.

The city's culture is just as fascinating as its history, and its beauty rivals both. Straddling Europe and Asia, it is a true port city, with a bustling harbor and ferries shuttling people to and from the various neighborhoods. The juxtaposition of old and new, tradition and modernity is visible everywhere, with monuments from 500 AD alongside modern office buildings, hammams (group bathhouses with attendants that scrub you down and massage you - I went on my first night)operating in the same buildings from the Ottoman Empire next door to modern day-spas, women in the latest designer fashions passing others in full burkha, and all male tea cafes with backgammon sets on every table next to some of the trendiest nightclubs I've ever seen. With intricately woven carpets and colorful tiles and pottery on display everywhere, the Bosphorous river cutting through the heart of the city, the hauntingly beautiful call to prayer echoing from minaret to minaret five times a day, and thousands of tulips blooming throughout its many parks, the city is enchanting.

The best part about my trip was just wandering, stumbling upon ancient monuments, beautifully preserved mosques and churches, sidewalk cafes, and people going about their daily lives. And it should be no surprise to anyone that as I walked, I ate my way through the city! The street food was incredible, with freshly grilled fish and fried mussels along the river, bins of olives and cheeses in the bazaars, roasted chestnuts and pistachios sold by vendors on the street and tiny pastry shops selling freshly made baklava! It has definitely had the best food of anywhere I've traveled.

A few highlights of the historical sites I visited:

Aya Sofia, built 1500 years ago by Emperor Justinian of the Byzantine Empire to be the grandest place of worship in the world, (which it was until St. Peter's was constructed in Rome 1,000 later). It is so immense that when the city was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, the sultan decided not to destroy it but to turn it into the city's central mosque, plastering over the Christian mosaics on the walls. It functioned as a mosque until the mid 1900's, when the Turkish government converted it into a museum and removed the plaster to display the Islamic and Christian elements of the church/mosque together.

The Blue Mosque, built in the 1600s across from Aya Sofia with the goal of surpassing its beauty and grandeur. The walls are covered with over 20,000 blue-green tiles - it is beautiful!

The work part of the trip was exhausting, but really good. I was there for a workshop along with 60 others from all over the world. But it left way less time for touring than I was hoping for - I'm definitely going back, with Josh in tow, to explore the city some more and the rest of the country as well!