Marhaba, Istanbul!
The only city on Earth to straddle two continents, Istanbul sits where Europe and Asia collide. Here, you move between civilizations in a couple of steps and transcend cultures in a matter of minutes. BY SHIKHA PUSHPAN
When a young Coco Chanel got down to designing the Turkish military uniforms in the 1930s, Istanbul was undergoing a renaissance of sorts. While the 19th-century Ottoman Istanbul was considered as cosmopolitan as modern London, the city in the 20th century was embracing a miscellany of its Greek, Roman, and Venetian (and Ottoman) influences—a cultural diversity that it retains to this day. Almost a century later, as I sit along the Bosphorus reading about Istanbul’s transition from a strategic Silk Route destination to one of the most glamorous second cities in the world, a timelapse of sorts plays in my head—trading vessels get replaced by superyachts and merchants with binocular wielding travellers; imperial mosques and palaces built by the Byzantines and Ottomans watch glass-walled skyscrapers come up. This is the modern Istanbul— where the Blue Mosque’s domes oversee lively cafes abuzz with young Istanbulus catching up post-work over raki and meze, where the world’s biggest airport makes a dent in global aviation, and boutique fashion brands give the swanky international ones a run for their money.
IN THE OLD TOWN
Bu hikaye Travel+Leisure India dergisinin November 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Travel+Leisure India dergisinin November 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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