This important geography made Istanbul and its neighbor, Izmir, a natural termination point for the fabled Silk Road. Although the road is more of an unkempt trail, it still flaunts its aging visage in memory of its former glory. The Grand Bazaar's walls still ring with crowded voices. The odd tradition of negotiating the price of goods over a sticky sweet apple tea is still honored in all of the stalls. Chai is hurried through crowded alleys to supply the shoppers with a steady flow. A keen eye can still discover rare vintage goods through a brackish sea of cheap Chinese merchandise. Any patient tourist willing to engage in a strategic pricing war can walk away with a bag full of treasure and a belly full of tea.
Like many cities in this region of the world, its strategic location has made it the infatuation of many Kingdoms and Emperors. Greeks, Romans, Byzantine, and Ottoman have left their impressive shambles in layers of the city. With a bit of hardy leg work and a sense of curiosity, visitors can discover the remnants of the East and West's fight for dominance.
No other place exemplifies this more than the Hagia Sofia. Now a museum, it was once a Byzantine church that was converted, top to bottom, to be the mosque of the Ottoman Empire. It now proudly displays the duality of it's and Istanbul's past. Gorgeous golden mosaics, depicting the most important scenes in Christianity are nestled behind ornate Turkish designs and Islamic imagery.
Take a trip to the remaining Byzantine wall. Scale it crumbling stairs and take a look across the city. Fro, the top you can seer Europe and Asia. Multi-spired mosques punctuate the skyline; Churches ring out the hour from quiet alleyways. This is Istanbul, a living monument to the treasures of the East and West.
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