Istanbul, the Sublime Porte, the Second Rome, Gateway to both Europe and Asia, controlling the entrance to both the Black Sea and the Mediterranean from its unbeatable position on the Golden Horn. The city’s foundation as Byzantium by Greek settlers in the 7th century BC is still shrouded in mystery. Under the Romans it was […]
As the saying goes: “Turkey is too middle-eastern for a westerner, too western for a middle-easterner”. Nowhere does this proverb ring truer than Istanbul. This proud megalopolis (15 million inhabitants as of 2019), is literally split in half by the Bosporus strait, with footholds in both Europe and Asia. Not many cities can boast such […]