Istanbul: Lay of the Land

In my travels, I’ve found that some of the world’s most unique and intriguing destinations are located on a crossroads or along borders. Places with a history of touching or overlapping cultures tend to be especially complex and rich—think Croatia or the Alsace region of France. But the most exotic and fascinating example of a city at a crossroads is Istanbul. For centuries described as a heady meeting between East and West, Istanbul has served as the capital of three of the greatest empires in ...