Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Land of the Turks. As his leadership became syndochic for his nation, he was proud to style
himself, Atatürk, as Father of the Turks. The officer corps of Turkey's army continues to
be inspired by Atatürk's leadership, and over the years, as periodic attempts are made to
Islamicize Turkey, the army has intervened to keep the country faithful to Atatürk's vision
of Turkey as a secular Republic.
HOW STANDS ISTANBUL TODAY?
Despite the loss of its capital-city status, Istanbul thrives. Its population stands at more than
fourteen million and continues to expand. Like all great cities, it is a population pump,
pulling people from the countryside to the city's opportunities and the promise of a better
life. Much of that pull lies in Istanbul's location: an historic crossroads of trade and com-
merce. Europe lies at its doorstep, and the Bosphorus waterway is a direct route from the
Mediterranean to the Black Sea. By water to the south, the Suez Canal links Istanbul to the
Indian Ocean. And by land across to Iran and Iraq, India and China beckon by way of the
old Silk Road.
TODAY'S ISTANBUL: WHERE ARE ITS HISTORIC DISTRICTS?
As a thriving, bustling city, Istanbul keeps changing and refashioning itself. The new over-
lays the old. As the cruise ship makes port on the south side of the Golden Horn (within
sight of the Galata Bridge), the traveler enters the stream of contemporary commerce:
trams, trains, buses, and ferries are within walking distance of the ship. This is Eminonu,
the ancient and modern crossroads of commerce. This peninsula on the south side of the
Golden Horn is shaped like a scimitar. On its way to its harbor, the ship will have passed
the Sultans' Imperial Palace, Topkapi. On the far southern shore of the peninsula is Con-
stantine's city, Sultanahmet. The site of the hippodrome is now a public park graced by
three ancient monuments. The fifteenth-century BCE obelisk was brought by Constantine
from Egypt. The base of the obelisk displays Constantine's successor, Theodosius I, and
family watching a race. The Serpentine Column was brought by Constantine from the
Temple of Apollo at Delphi. And a third monument, thought to date from the 900s, is the
Column of Constantine VII.
WHERE IS THE ISTANBUL OF MEMMET AND SULIMAN?
The Galata Bridge beckons; at its southern end lies the Egyptian (spice) Bazaar, and just
beyond is the Yeni Cami (the New Mosque). As a Muslim, Memmet transformed many of
Istanbul's Byzantine churches into mosques, Hagia Sophia being the most spectacular. Its
great dome and four minarets rise tall against the sky, one of Istanbul's most celebrated
sights. More than two dozen mosques follow the example of Hagia Sophia. Two of them
are especially noteworthy for their size and the beauty of their interiors, the Blue Mosque
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