Istanbul: Crossroads of Epochs, Religions and Cultures

Styles and eras, traditions and destinies, the past, the present, and the future intertwine in this city in a whimsical and unpredictable way—like the pattern on the carpets of its mosques. As in several centuries ago, here they drink tea from glass cups and fry mackerel at the piers. In the flow of cars, traders maneuver with wooden trays of goods balanced on their heads. People mix into a colorful, many-faced stream flowing through the streets like blood through veins. This is Istanbul’s loud breathing, its uneven heartbeat, its ragged rhythm, and its unquenchable inner fire—alive and hot. If its stones could speak, they would tell hundreds of legends of love and hatred, friendship and betrayal, glory and shame. In this mighty, bustling city, boiling like a cauldron of chorba—Turkish soup—it’s tempting to enjoy every minute, squint against the Bosphorus wind—and believe that all roads lead… to Istanbul.

Maria Kicha is a PhD candidate, a teacher, and the author of the book “Mecca. Biography of a Mysterious City.” She speaks Turkish, Armenian, English, Italian, Arabic, and Hebrew. For many years she has traveled across the Middle East and neighboring regions, studying local history and culture. She has visited Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Azerbaijan, and Iran. She runs a public page about the culture and history of the Middle East, “The First Middle East,” which has more than 35,000 subscribers.