A student's impressions of Istanbul

Corey Franklin who went on a UIW Turkey Tour in 2011

wrote his impressions of Istanbul, “I remember first walking through the city and noticing all the mosques everywhere. It seemed that every other corner had one! They made the skyline quite unique and beautiful! During my stay in Turkey I felt like Istanbul became our home. It was the first place we came to from America and the last place we visited on our way back. The city of Istanbul has had 22 different names in its history. The city was the capital of several empires including the Ottoman and Holy Roman Empires. It has been influence by many different cultures in the past and has been the point of trade between the western and eastern civilizations. Istanbul’s population is the largest in Europe. During our time in Istanbul we visited many different places and met many people. The Grand Bazaar was an amazing experience. The only thing I might be able to compare it to is a flea market. But even calling it a flea market doesn’t do it justice. It was enormous and seemed to never end. There are different sections to it were you can go depending on what you need. We entered the spice bazaar and we were overwhelmed with smells of all the different spices and teas combining. There were buckets and barrels filled with raw spices and powdered spices. When walking around the Grand Bazaar there is merchandise everywhere! Every corner and crevice was cluttered with every item you can think of, from jewelry, to food and even furniture! There were also parts of the Bazaar that sold rugs from all over the word. They were all very beautiful and felt amazing. Textiles are also something Turkey is known for. There were so many different scarves, rolled fabric, and anything else you can imagine made of some type of cloth. I finally found a music section with tons of instruments, music, and supplies!”