Istanbul: Where Two Continents Meet Over a Cup of Çay
Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two continents, and the Bosphorus that divides them is one of the world's great waterways — a constant procession of tankers, ferries, and fishing boats.
Istanbul has been the capital of three empires — the Roman, the Byzantine, and the Ottoman — and the layers of history are visible in every neighbourhood. The city was founded as Byzantium by Greek colonists in 657 BC, refounded as Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 330 AD, and conquered by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in 1453, when it became the capital of the Ottoman Empire for the next 469 years. Today, with a population of over 15 million, it is the largest city in Europe and one of the most historically rich in the world.
The Hagia Sophia, built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian between 532 and 537 AD, was for nearly a thousand years the largest cathedral in the world and is still one of the greatest architectural achievements in human history. Its central dome, 31 metres in diameter and 55 metres above the floor, appears to float on a ring of light from the 40 windows at its base — an effect achieved by the Byzantine architects through a system of half-domes and pendentives that transfers the dome's weight to the walls without visible supports. The building was converted to a mosque after the Ottoman conquest and to a museum in 1934; in 2020 it was reconverted to a mosque, though it remains open to non-Muslim visitors outside prayer times.
The Blue Mosque, built between 1609 and 1616 by Sultan Ahmed I, faces the Hagia Sophia across the Hippodrome — the ancient chariot-racing track that was the social centre of Byzantine Constantinople. The mosque's interior is lined with over 20,000 hand-painted Iznik tiles in shades of blue, white, and green, and its six minarets — an unusual number that caused controversy when it was built, as only the mosque in Mecca had six — are visible from across the Bosphorus. The mosque is still in active use, and the call to prayer from its minarets echoes across the old city five times a day.
The Grand Bazaar, established in 1461 by Mehmed II, is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops selling everything from carpets and ceramics to gold jewellery and leather goods. The bazaar is a labyrinth — getting lost is inevitable and part of the experience — and the best approach is to wander without a specific destination, following the smell of spices or the sound of a craftsman at work. The Spice Bazaar, near the Golden Horn, is smaller and more manageable, with stalls piled high with dried fruits, nuts, teas, and the vivid colours of Turkish spices.
The Bosphorus, the 31-kilometre strait that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and divides Istanbul between its European and Asian shores, is one of the world's busiest waterways — an estimated 50,000 ships pass through it each year, including supertankers carrying oil from the Black Sea ports. The ferry crossing from Eminönü to Kadıköy on the Asian shore takes 20 minutes and costs less than a cup of coffee, and the view from the ferry — of the minarets and domes of the old city receding behind you, and the hills of Asia rising ahead — is one of the great urban panoramas.
The neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, on the northern side of the Golden Horn, was the European quarter of Ottoman Istanbul — home to the embassies, banks, and trading houses of the foreign powers that competed for influence in the declining empire. The Istiklal Caddesi, the main pedestrian street, is lined with 19th-century apartment buildings housing bookshops, music stores, cafes, and restaurants, and the historic tram that runs its length is one of the city's most photographed sights. The side streets of Beyoğlu contain some of Istanbul's best restaurants, bars, and live music venues.
Turkish tea — çay — is the social lubricant of Istanbul, consumed in small tulip-shaped glasses at every hour of the day in tea houses, shops, and offices. The ritual of tea-drinking is an invitation to slow down and talk, and accepting a glass of çay from a shopkeeper or a stranger is one of the most reliable ways to have a genuine conversation in a city that can otherwise feel overwhelming in its scale and intensity. The best çay is brewed in a double teapot — the lower pot boiling water, the upper pot steeping the tea — and served strong, with sugar on the side.
