“And these dips in the floor were worn down by the Emperor’s guards as they stood watch,”
said the guide at the Hagia Sophia. That really sums up the story of Istanbul – where history is
so deep that there are worn floor spaces deep enough to trip over from generations of
emperors, kings, and sultans being guarded during their worship.
The walls of Constantinople still exist in places, alongside snazzy new eateries and even under
state-of-the-art transportation bridges. It provides an excellent metaphor for Istanbul culture –
where the old and new exist side-by-side.
