Istanbul: A Cultural Crossroad

Welcome to Turkish Airways flight number 6, to Istanbul. I close my eyes, let my shoulders down and take a slow, deep breath as my lips curl up in the unfailing smile that always surfaces when the cabin door closes. I’ve been dreaming of this vacation, and after several exhausting days of trying to anticipate the needs of my three children and husband for the seven days I’ll be away, I am finally at a point of no return, on my way to unknown territory. And, somehow, this gives me tremendous calm.

It would have been easier to choose a destination that felt closer to home, or at least one whose language I could communicate in. And there were plenty. But in honor of my approaching 43rd birthday, I wanted something different. I was getting close to the age known as “second adolescence” which, at least to me, meant that, now more than ever, I felt the need to explore both my inner and outer worlds; and it had to happen in a far away and exotic place.

That’s when Istanbul started following me like a lost puppy needing my attention. It would come up in conversations with friends and beckon to me from magazine pages in doctor’s offices. I am convinced that if I had spun the globe and randomly stopped it with my finger, it would have landed on Istanbul.

Whether it was I who had chosen Istanbul or Istanbul that had chosen me didn’t seem to matter. I was on my way there, ready for everything I instinctively knew this fascinating city would have in store – or in its Grand Bazaar – for me.

I’m getting there the easy way, I think from my window seat as my mind drifts back to illustrations of Byzantines, Crusaders and, later, Ottomans, forcing their way in by land and sea, and shaping not only the identity of this nearly 20-century-old imperial capital, but also the entire history of the New World. Before falling into Ottoman hands, Istanbul was once the city of Constantinople – the glamorous capital of the Byzantine Empire– strategically situated at the most important crossroads between Europe and Asia. Controlling this area meant controlling the major international trading route between the East and West.

If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul.

Which makes you wonder...would the royal patrons of Christopher Columbus have been so eager to support his idea of finding an alternate route to the Indies had Constantinople remained in the safe hands of Christian Byzantium?

Now, flying to Turkey felt nothing short of a great expedition. One in which I was sure to find a New World during my personal unveiling of a timeless and intriguing city, divided both historically and geographically, straddling the winding Bosphorus strait, one leg in Europe and the other in Asia. A lively and complex metropolis, old and new, where opulent palaces and mosques nestle in a rich mix of religions, art, colors and flavors. Like a child, I
wanted to feel, touch, hold it all in my own hands. So I could really see.

“If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul.” The words of nineteenth century French poet and historian Alphonse De Lamartine must have been his reaction to standing on Çamlica, Istanbul’s highest hilltop, in a clear summer morning when he declared his love for the city. Or he might have climbed the Galata tower, built in 1348 by the Genoese at a time they dominated Constantinople, some 200 years before it fell to the Turkish Ottomans becoming “Islamboul” – the City of Islam.

I pull out my Insight travel guide and revisit the first section: History. It’s optimistic to think I can digest all the complex facts, so I focus on the details that intrigue me; like the life of the slaved women kept in harems, where the Sultan’s mother was highest ranking, followed by his daughters, then wives and concubines. And the drastic rule that forced an ascending sultan to execute all of his surviving brothers – to avoid family squabbles – later replaced by a decision to keep all heirs to the throne under lock and key, for life. And although I know these practices lack major historical importance, I find it interesting to think about how our darkest side as humans never fails to awaken our curiosity.

Just as interesting, are the massive and abrupt changes that modern Turkey has undergone – laying aside odalisques and turbans – with the westernization brought on by the Turkish military hero known as Atatürk, or “Father of all Turks.” Ataturk not only succeeded in regaining territory lost to bordering countries, but also in abolishing the sultanate in 1922. Once in power, he officially separated religion and state, replaced the Arabic alphabet with a Roman one, gave women the right to vote, forbid the use of religious headgear and encouraged western dressing, among other drastic political and social changes.

Only by trying to imagine the amount of resiliency needed for a country to undergo such radical changes without breaking, could I begin to understand the strong contrasts that are so visible in the city of Istanbul today. Five daily calls to prayer against a rigidly secular government, ancient monuments opposite avant-gard architecture. Similar contradictions, I guess, to those we so often coexist with in our own individual lifetimes.

Trying to grasp Istanbul only drove me further into this pluralistic city, not as much by what I knew about it, as for how much more I was convinced I would find. Beyond the magnificent edifices, the energetic night life, the variety of merchandise at the Grand Bazaar, exquisite cuisine and other expected delights that attracted me, there was the certainty of the many encounters I would have with the unexpected.

The same “surprise factor” that can make a movie unforgettable applies to traveling, and it’s the scenes that no one has told you about that are destined to stay with you forever. I was out to find those scenes in Istanbul, determined to go beyond the pages of travel books. And, as usual, I had purposely left room in my trip for the unforeseen events (which I was secretly looking forward to).

There was something inexplicably delicious about the possibility of being lost in an ancient and exotic city. Maybe it was the feeling that getting lost was the only way to find myself.

But to get into this Zen zone, I felt compelled to follow some of the mandatory sightseeing routes. With more than 100 places worth visiting in Istanbul, there’s an overwhelming pressure to cram too many different sights into days of herded tourist activities.

I gave into this pressure only enough to feel I had earned a right to my own agenda. And so I scheduled visits to the staggering 1,400-year-old church-turned-mosque of Haghia Sophia, and to the sumptuous Topkapi Palace, built by Istanbul’s first Sultan’s Mehmet II as his principal residence. I decided to take a quick view of the famous Blue Mosque and spend more time at the lesser known Süleymaniye Mosque, said to be more beautiful and an architectural wonder. And in between these visits, I would walk the city, take a water taxi to the Asian side, and a boat ride along the Bosphorus.

As I review my travel plans, the Turkish man sitting next to me comments that October is the best month to visit Istanbul, and I’m happy that he agrees with my choice.

Spring would have been an equally good time, past the wet winter months and before the overcrowded summer, but I had chosen an autumn visit not just in honor of my birthday. As a photographer, fall had always been my favorite season. The days are still long and the sun travels lower along the horizon, granting the most saturated colors and subtle reflections. I induce myself to sleep with a mental image of this perfect light over the almost theatrical Istanbul scenery.

The captain announces our approach into Atatürk International Airport and I recognize the aerial view from Google Earth. It’s been more than 20 hours since I’ve left my home in Los Angeles, and as the perfect touchdown is celebrated with enthusiastic clapping from the passengers, I realize I’ve seen nothing yet of this puzzling city. And I couldn’t be more ready to finally step outside and make Istanbul a little bit mine.