Between the Two Continents

STRADDLING EUROPE AND ASIA, ISTANBUL BLENDS IMPERIAL GRANDEUR, VIBRANT STREET LIFE, UNFORGETTABLE CUISINE, AND CENTURIES OF HISTORY INTO ONE ENDLESSLY FASCINATING CITY

- BY SMITA TRIPATHI

AS I STEP into Istanbul’s Basilica Cistern, the first thing that comes to mind is Dan Brown’s Inferno.

Walking through the dimly lit underground chamber surrounded with rows of ancient columns, soft lights reflecting off the water and Medusa’s famous stone heads lurking beneath the columns, I can’t help but recall the novel’s climactic scenes, half-expecting Robert Langdon to emerge around a corner. Later, standing beneath the vast dome of Hagia Sophia, I find myself again thinking of Brown’s descriptions and the sense of history layered upon history that defines Istanbul. Yet no novel, however vivid, can fully capture the experience of being there in person.

Istanbul is not merely a city. It is a crossroads of civilisations and few places on earth can claim a history as rich or as consequential. Founded as Byzantium, transformed into Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Constantine, and later becoming the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul has served as the centre of power for centuries. Little wonder, this is a city where history never feels distant. Today, home to more than 16 million people, it rises across the seven hills overlooking the Bosphorus Strait—the narrow waterway that separates Europe from Asia. Being the only city in the world that spans two continents, its unique geography has shaped its identity for centuries. The city feels simultaneously European and Asian, Christian and Islamic, ancient and modern—truly a bridge between the East and the West.