The Fascinating City of Istanbul

Where The Old World and New World Find Harmony

Istanbul, Türkiye.

This city’s reputation precedes itself.

The stronghold of the Ottoman Empire. Long before that, the Roman Emperor Constantine’s prized possession.

Sidney and I underwent a transformative experience during our two weeks in this fascinating cultural epicenter.

I have looked forward to this newsletter for a very long time! Of all the places we have been, I think we will always look back on Istanbul as the moment we crossed over into a completely new world of possibilities.

To fully understand the significance of our experience, let me give you a little more background on what makes Istanbul so damn captivating!

The history of this place goes back thousands of years. To this day, Istanbul remains one of the most important cities in the entire world from a geopolitical perspective.

The mega-metropolis is home to over 16 million people, and serves as one of the largest transportation and trade hubs in the world.

Perhaps the best microcosm of Istanbul’s significance is that it is the ONLY city in the entire world that spans across two continents!

While everything to the west of the Bosphorus Strait is still considered Europe, the east side of the city is where Asia begins!

The exact border between Europe and Asia is far from a straight line, and many geographers simply refer to the entire bordering area as “Eurasia” because of how much the two continents intertwine.

However, there is not a single other point along this winding border that cuts through the middle of a city!

Far more than imaginary lines on maps, Istanbul is a perfect representation of where Europe and Asia meet. It has a rich fusion of Western and Eastern culture.

I would actually describe it as European, Middle Eastern, and Western all at once!

While that may sound complicated, Istanbul finds a perfect harmony between the predominant cultures of the world.

Because of its geopolitical significance, Istanbul has become a very international city, with both permanent and temporary residents from all over the globe.

With that internationality comes brand names, shopping malls, Starbucks, and shiny office buildings.

However, the historic districts of Istanbul remain very true to their original form!

We were absolutely blown away by the narrow alleys full of spice merchants, tea houses, and of course, the incredible architecture and landmarks!

Istanbul has a way of stimulating the senses and awakening curiosities.

We just couldn’t get enough of the city’s history and culture!

It was incredibly fascinating being in a predominantly Islamic environment for the first time since Bosnia last year.

What we didn’t see in Bosnia, however, was the juxtaposition of Islamic tradition with the bustling modern life of a major city.

It was SO cool to hear the Muslim call to prayer echoing through the streets five times a day. While some people put their day on pause to pray, most of the city just continues to move along with the hauntingly beautiful melodies in the background.

There is something about the call to prayer that feels reminiscent of a different time period. It is not hard to imagine what Istanbul must have looked like at the height of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century.

In fact, many areas have barely changed at all!

The most iconic landmarks of this great city are the Galata Tower, the Hagia Sophia Mosque, the Sultanahmet “Blue Mosque”, and the Ancient Roman “Basilica Cistern”.

Despite being budget travelers, we actually managed to see them all! We were amazed to learn that entry to the mosques was completely free!

They had very strict attire guidelines that we made sure to respect. There are absolutely no shorts allowed, and Sidney was required to cover her hair.

We were just so pleased that as non-Muslims, we were permitted to visit such historic structures!

The Hagia Sophia in particular is regarded as one of the most historically significant religious structures in the world. And it was nothing short of STUNNING!

It was originally built as a cathedral almost 1,500 years ago, but it was converted into a mosque by the Ottoman Empire.

This was yet another moment where we realized how far from home we were. We had NEVER laid eyes on anything even remotely similar to this. The high ceilings, the striking symbols on the walls, the low-hanging chandeliers. Just breathtaking.

The Sultanahmet Mosque was just as beautiful, but completely different in design. There is definitely a reason why it is often referred to as the “Blue Mosque”.

The interior walls have a light blue geometric pattern that forcefully catches the eye, along with a striking red carpet that creates an awesome contrast.

Truth be told, we had never been inside a mosque before getting to Istanbul! After seeing so many incredible cathedrals in Europe, it was fascinating to explore the architecture of another one of the world’s most influential religions.

While Türkiye is a secular country with no religious influence in law, it is a predominantly Islamic society. Around 85% of the country’s population practices Islam.

While many Islamic countries have strict laws regarding modest attire in public, premarital cohabitation, and alcohol consumption, Türkiye is not one of them.

There are bars and clubs serving alcohol all over Istanbul and the rest of the country. Istanbul actually has quite a vibrant nightlife scene, and there are also several nightlife hotspots along Türkiye’s gorgeous Mediterranean coastline that attract young travelers from all over.

Even though it is perfectly acceptable to wear t-shirts and shorts in public, I definitely noticed that most men wore long pants and long sleeves.

There were also many women wearing hijabs and burqas.

We welcomed the experience of being cultural minorities with open arms. It was really exciting figuring out life in a society that we didn’t necessarily fit into.

I think Türkiye was the perfect place to take our first step into the Muslim world. It was undoubtedly a culture shock even for experienced travelers, but it is also a very open-minded society where we felt completely welcome.

In between the two iconic mosques lies the Basilica Cistern, a fascinating relic from the Roman Empire.

Despite the name, the Cistern is not a basilica or cathedral. It was actually an underground water filtration system that was directly beneath a basilica.

Sidney and I are truly enthralled by the history of the Romans! Even after traveling to Istanbul FROM Rome itself, we still couldn’t get enough.

The Cistern is absolutely enchanting!

One thing that stood out to me about this particular UNESCO World Heritage Site is that they didn’t seem to be as hellbent on preserving the original form as others we have seen.

There are colorful lights under the water that illuminate the entire chamber in a rotation of orange, green, and white! Personally, I’m all for it. There is no doubt that it enhances the experience, and I actually think it helps convey the incredible scale and design of the structure.

For all of your sakes, I’ll restrain myself from embarking on yet another Roman rant. But DANG, they were so ahead of their time!

The final must-see icon of Istanbul is the medieval Galata Tower. Historians have crowned the Galata as the oldest tower in the entire world (that is still standing).

It was originally constructed in the year 507 😳🤯

Its original purpose was as a watchtower, mainly for spotting fires before they spread.

Nowadays, it is a symbol of Istanbul’s eternal spirit.

It is also open for tourists, and the observation deck provides incredible views in every direction.

Sidney and I went to the top to take in the sunset, and it was everything we could have hoped for.

Even when admiring it from such a majestic vantage point, it is almost comically challenging to comprehend the size of Istanbul.

It is larger than New York City, London, and Paris. Both in population and total area.

An absolute BEHEMOTH of an urban area packed with life, wonder, and oh yeah, amazing food!

Now, we ended up staying in Türkiye for quite a long time after having to change plans due to the horrifying events of October 7th and everything that has followed.

I am working on a newsletter recapping our entire month-long Turkish adventure, and I will save most of the food talk for that one.

For now, I’ll just say that Istanbul is absolutely one of the world’s great food cities! Turkish cuisine is a delightful mix of the typical Mediterranean diet along with succulent roasted meats and signature spices.

Türkiye is a very large country, and the cuisine does vary quite a bit by region. But, you can find it all in Istanbul!

Visiting this city is definitely an intense experience, and it was a little more challenging than anything we experienced in Europe. It took us a few days to truly settle in.

Once we let our guard down and fully immersed ourselves in everything that makes Istanbul special, it quickly became the most enriching travel experience we had ever encountered up to that point!

Istanbul will always hold a special place in our hearts, as will the entire country of Türkiye! It was our bridge into a new region of the world. New foods, new cultures, fascinating history, and amazing people.

More on that in the next one!