Istanbul: Love at First Sight

Parik explores Istanbul adjacent the Blue Mosque.

Istanbul is an enigma.

At antithetic moments, it near maine wondering whether I was successful Europe, Asia, oregon North Africa. I americium fascinated by places that are somewhat confusing, challenging, and mysterious. And Istanbul was each this. Capital of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires for implicit 1,500 years, it has tremendous humanities significance. It was the halfway of trade, politics, and religion, and during the Ottoman era, besides a halfway of science, culture, and arts. Geographically, Turkey (or Türkiye arsenic it is present known) is astatine the halfway of the world. Partly successful Europe and partially successful Asia, Istanbul straddles 2 continents and, due to the fact that of its agelong history, is simply a existent melting cookware of assorted cultures and civilizations from Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Travelling from the airdrome into the city, my archetypal content of Istanbul was of a precise organized metropolis with European infrastructure. But erstwhile I got to the Old Town, I saw a batch of thoroughfare beingness and thoroughfare nutrient reminiscent of Asian cities.

A classical Istanbul thoroughfare nutrient experience.

One of my favourite things to bash erstwhile I question to a caller spot is to spell for an aboriginal greeting run. On my archetypal travel to Istanbul successful August 2024, I was up astatine 6 americium and ran from my edifice past Taksim Square down to the slope of the Bosphorus Strait. I could perceive the hauntingly beauteous ezan telephone to supplication emerging from assorted mosques, drafting maine into the bosom of the culture. At the waterfront, I stopped to look around. I watched the prima dilatory rising implicit this metropolis with truthful overmuch past and listened to the alluring ezan successful the distance—it each felt truthful precise peaceful. As I ran backmost to my hotel, I witnessed the metropolis dilatory waking up.

View from the Bosphorus Strait, with the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque visible.

The Bosphorus Strait divides Istanbul into the European and the Asian sides and connects the Black Sea successful the northbound to the Sea of Marmara successful the south. On the European side, the aged Sultanahmet territory has immoderate of Istanbul’s astir celebrated sites. Most important are the marvelous Hagia Sophia, erstwhile a religion and present a mosque, the Blue Mosque, renowned for intricate mosaics, graceful arches, stained glass, domes, and minarets, and Topkapi Palace, the opulent location of Ottoman sultans for 400 years. Another time, I went to the Bosphorus and took a ferry from the European to the Asian side. My usher and I walked connected the Asian waterfront and stopped astatine a section java store for accepted Turkish java made connected blistery sand, often served with Turkish delight candy. Unlike successful the West, Turkish java is not filtered. The mentation and brewing techniques and affluent communal civilization of Turkish java are listed nether UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Once you decorativeness drinking your coffee, you crook the saucer implicit your cupful and marque a privation portion rotating the cupful and saucer clockwise 3 times. The cupful is past flipped over, and a falci (fortuneteller) reads the dregs and offers insights oregon guidance. This acquisition made maine consciousness similar I could easy person been successful North Africa oregon Central Asia.

Interestingly, though, I discovered that contempt java being an important portion of Turkish culture, çay (chai) oregon beverage is the astir commonly consumed blistery drink. I saw achromatic beverage served successful tulip-shaped glasses (not cups) everywhere. While walking done Istanbul’s architecturally mesmerizing Grand Bazaar, for instance, tons of locals were sipping beverage and chatting, portion shoppers roamed the maze of streets and stores. Rize beverage from Turkey’s eastbound Black Sea coastal state is the astir fashionable tea, with a sweetish fruity flavor. But what was wide to maine is that beverage and java are much than conscionable drinks and are integral to Turkish taste traditions and societal interactions.

A cupful of beverage with a mates affable locals.

One evening, we ventured to Çiçek Pasajı, an elegant arcade successful the courtyard of a 19th-century gathering filled with beauteous Turkish taverns. We ate astatine Sevic Restaurant, which serves mezze alongside music, festivity, and a precise societal atmosphere. I highly urge eating family-style astatine a section establishment. In the aforesaid neighborhood, you’ll find the Galata Istanbul Hotel M Gallery, successful a beauteous gathering dating backmost to 1836, with a Turkish hamam connected site. There are galore different character-filled hotels I urge for a unsocial enactment successful Istanbul, from the Pera Palace Hotel, opened successful 1895 to big passengers of the Orient Express, to the Ciragan Palace Kempinski, occupying a erstwhile Ottoman palace.

Diners and tourists astatine Çiçek Pasajı.

I judge Turkey has an important relation to play successful the satellite contiguous due to the fact that of its unsocial presumption and the past of its civilizations. Not lone is it a predominantly Islamic nation, it is besides precise European successful nature, and it displays a beardown contented of spiritual tolerance that is truthful important successful today’s world. There’s overmuch to larn from this equilibrium and mix. Istanbul was emotion astatine archetypal show for me, and I americium definite I volition support going back.

Enchanting Travels’ Co-Founders Alex and Parik instrumentality successful Istanbul’s past and civilization together.

The station Istanbul: Love astatine First Sight appeared archetypal connected Enchanting Travels.