Istanbul

In that last post I suggested the blog was going to be dormant until we landed back in USA. Change of plans due to the blogger app for iPad that will allow pictures to be uploaded.

We had a 30 hour journey to Istanbul that included layovers in Sydney and Abu Dhabi (which has an over the top airport that also is home to all the luxury shopping stores you could imagine).

Istanbul has the energy and crowds of a massive city, plenty of historical sites, great food, and a different religious culture from anywhere I've ever been.

The history of Istanbul is key to understanding what it is today. It was formerly the eastern half of the roman empire (known as Constantinople then) and continued it's control over the region until the 15th century. The Muslim Ottomans took over and expanded the empire to much of eastern Europe, northern Africa and the middle east. It was the greatest world power with the peak in the 16th century. The Ottomans ruled this region until WW1 when they fought with Germany. The loss had their territory reduced to what Turkey is today.

This history of housing two world powers, one Christian and the other Muslim, makes Istanbul both amazing and unique. One of the main tourist sites is the Hagia Sofia, built as a massive church to rival those in Rome by the Byzantines and later converted into a Mosque when the Ottomans took over. The restored walls have mosaics of the Jesus and the virgin Mary as well as Islamic symbols praising Allah.

Today Istanbul is a huge city with crowded streets and a general feel that is different then the 'western' cities. There aren't many high-rises, the streets in the city seem impossible to drive in due to congestion, and there are virtually no street signs. There are an overwhelming amount of shops (basically everywhere) so it seems like everyone is making their way as a retail merchant (though that probably isn't true). The diversity of dress is much different as well. Have not seen one suit, and rarely what we would call 'business casual', men are primarily in pants and short sleeve polo shirt, women ranging from conservative Islamic black garb where only their eyes are visible to contemporary.

As Turkey is 98 percent Muslim, you can feel the religious influence. At various points in the day chants ring out over loudspeakers calling worshippers to the mosque to pray. We are here during the month long Ramadan. The Muslims fast during day with celebrations at night. That has made the restaurants fairly quiet during the day, but the streets lively at night. Everyone speaks English and in a couple cases where we clearly looked lost, Turkish people were eager to help point us in the right direction.

The US press can at times give the impression that all Islamic countries are dangerous. That couldn't be farther from the truth in Istanbul. The city feels as safe if not safer than New York City. However we have seen very few US tourists here. If Istanbul is the type of place you'd like to visit, don't hold back over fear of safety.

Istanbul is truly the city where east meets west (literally and figuratively). It's where eastern culture and religion blend with democracy. Plus half of Istanbul is in Europe and across he Bosphorus, the other half lies in Asia.

There is a ton more to say about our time here, but it will have to wait for a future post. The visit to Istanbul has been an inspiring eye-opening peek into a different culture!

Pictures are from The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent.