"Istanbul – The Authentic Global City
Posted: 10/20
From: Islamic Tourism
Istanbul is the only city in the world that was a capital of two major empires: the Byzantine and the Ottoman. The simplistic idea that Istanbul is a city where “West” meets “East” does not take into account that two major Mediterranean world cultures had their centers in the city. Istanbul is the “root” and the “authentic centre” of multiculturalism and hybridity. Only a few cities in the world may genuinely claim historical and cultural multi-layers: Jerusalem and Damascus - although they are not on par with the Greek-Turkish Constantinople-Istanbul."
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