Between East and West
This has been one of the main descriptions of Istanbul for centuries. Looking at the world map, it is easy to understand why. Located between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul has always been a crossroads of worlds, cultures, religions, and trade. The end of the Silk Road, the terminus of the Orient Express, the end of Europe and the beginning of Asia… the end or the beginning? Is 1453 the date of the fall of Constantinople or the conquest by the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II? It depends on which side you stand on—and also on the journey 😊. For us, Istanbul marks an ending: the end of our Turkish and Asian chapter and our return to Europe. Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul—three names for the same city that say a lot about its history. First Byzantium, the Greek city; then Constantinople, renamed by the Roman emperor Constantine; and finally Istanbul, as named by the Ottomans. As one might imagine, its history is long, tumultuous, and sometim...