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Well preserved The library of the ancient city of Ephesus

Looks like Turkey is nothing but a land of contradictions. Is it in Europe or Asia? Will it eventually belong to the EU or end up as part of the Middle East? Is it Muslim or Christian? Is it modern or traditional? Will it be good or, will it make sure that we don’t experiment while choosing our destination next time?

We must’ve been nomads in our previous births. Which is why, we decided to avoid doing the Indian thing of going to Switzerland in the summer, and booked tickets to Istanbul on a whim. No information about the country, no recommendations from friends, no package tour. We left with just hope, expectation, thrill and apprehension. And, a copy of the Lonely Planet.

One fine sunny morning, we landed at Kemal Ataturk Airport. Istanbul buzzes with activity, and looks like it hasn’t slowed even for a moment since Roman Emperor Constantine moved his capital there nearly 1,700 years ago. A maze of roads, streets, walkways and canals run like veins through this throbbing heart of modern day Turkey.

A heart that’s divided. By the beautiful Bosphorus — a strait between the Black and Maramara seas that is punctuated on either end by welcome signs to Europe and Asia. This is where the two continents meet. Or part, depending on whom you ask.

Istanbul’s skyline is marked by several domes that look like heads bowed in devotion, with innumerable minarets rising into the sky like hands raised in prayer.

The Sultan Ahmet Camii or the Blue Mosque is a spectacular 400-year-old structure which doesn’t really look blue from outside. It takes its name from the colour of the tiles inside. The inside succeeds in imparting a serene and spiritual shroud to one’s soul even as the eyes take in the marvellous architecture and intricate designs.

Not far from the Blue Mosque are several interesting sites — the centuries-old underground water cistern, obelisks that are thousands of years old, and museums.

And, the famous Topkapi Palace, which wouldn’t really impress an Indian who has seen Rajasthan. The Palace is notable for its 400-room harem section and a treasury that has several items from India, including a diamond taken by Nadir Shah.

And, then there is a gold casket that holds the relics of the Prophet.

But the most amazing sight is that of the magnificent Hagia Sofia or the Aya Sofya. It started off being a church and then became a mosque.

Today, it stands as a unique and fascinating monument to the glorious and chequered history of modern Turkey. Where else in the world would you get to see Mary and Jesus in peaceful coexistence with the Koran?

From the ancient, sail into the most modern sea-side homes straight out of the French Riviera. A cruise on the Bosphorous is a must-do. So is a trip to the Grand Bazaar, so full of colour, trinkets, glass, gold, carpets, light, men, smells, burqas and kitsch. The very Turkish ‘evil eye’ that is watching upon you, sheeshas, whirling dervishes, garish belly dancer ensembles, Turkish Viagra … delightful.

In the evening, get down to Istiklal Caddesi, the Champs de Elysees of Istanbul, where the fennel-based drink Raki can be great company as you watch people go by. Just when we think we’ve seen a lifetime’s worth of sights and experience in Istanbul, we land at Kayseri airport to drive to Goreme in the Kapadokya region.

As you drive into the area, your jaws start to drop. It is rock country — soft and malleable, it undulates across the landscape. In the olden days, people dug the rock with their bare hands and made caves and homes. Now, they make hotels! Check out the conical chimney formations made out of volcanic rock.

We drive at 5 on a breezy morning to the “airport” for a balloon ride. We rise along with the Sun over Kapadokya.

Buried many feet below are the ancient cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli, where people hid from invading armies. Dark winding passages connected these cities, and the people feasted, prayed, mourned and buried the dead, away from the invaders.

Miles away and close to Kusadasi (the Cannes of Turkey), are the astonishing and well preserved ruins of Ephesus —Athens’ rival in grandeur and the capital of Asia in Roman times. The grandeur lives on in the remains of the Arcadian way, the Great Theater, the Temple of Hadrian and the Fountain of Trajan. Local lore has it that Antony and Cleopatra honeymooned here.

What you can do is sip wine at one of the numerous restaurants by the Kusadasi port in the evening when the sea is all lit up. As you look into the moon stretch over the sea, it dawns on you that Turkey is all about coexistence and confluence.

Where the hijab co-exists with the bikini, Europe embraces Asia, modernity does not trample upon heritage and history, and where ancient culture strolls on the sidewalks, watching globalisation zoom past.

May the evil eye protect Turkey. Forever.

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