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A Week with Istanbul

The view from the top of Galata Tower.
The view from the top of Galata Tower.

One of the amazing things about my abroad program is that twice during the semester all 19 of us pick up and travel to another country for a week. This past week I spent my time in Istanbul, Turkey and it was incredible.  Our time consisted of lectures from impressive university faculty, tours of the historic areas and free time to explore on our own.

Inside the Hagia Sophia - a building that has served as both a mosque and church over the centuries. It has been a museum since the 1920s.
Inside the Hagia Sophia - a building that has served as both a mosque and church over the centuries. It has been a museum since the 1920s.

Istanbul is one of the most different places I have ever been.  In the moments when the entire city was engulfed by the call to prayer being played from each of the more than three thousand mosques I felt the need to stop, listen and absorb the environment around me.  The uniqueness of Istanbul's complex history was especially apparent when I was standing in a Greek church and the call to prayer began, echoing off the walls and highlighting one of the things that makes Istanbul so intriguing and beautiful.

It's a cosmopolitan center where religion, culture and history have overlapped for centuries.  The depth of Istanbul's past is almost unfathomable. Walking through the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sofia and old, but operating, bazaars puts you directly in contact with Istanbul's history, but it's still hard to comprehend that this is a place that has functioned as a city since the 600s BC and served as the capital for three empires - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman.  Clearly with so much history and so many sites to see I was happy to have an entire week to explore, but my time here could have easily been extended.

Intricate tile domed ceiling of the Blue Mosque.
Intricate tile domed ceiling of the Blue Mosque.

Now it's time to return to normal class schedules after a week of midterms and a week of adventuring.  While this would normally be the moment to interject an objection to returning to school, homework and extensive reading requirements, I'm surprisingly excited to continue my schedule.  All the classes offered aim to relate, compare and discuss common ideas and principles between metropolitan centers.  After this week I definitely have a lot I'd like to discuss.