"Still Point of the Turning World" Located at what T.S. Elliot called the "still point of the turning world," Istanbul is truly a strategic passageway of history. It was first the Roman capitol Byzantium, then for a millennium the capitol of Christendom, Constantinople. Renamed Istanbul by the conquering Muslim Turks, it became the seat of the Islamic Caliphate and master of the Muslim world. So fearsome was this city's spiritual authority that Martin Luther prayed for God's deliverance from "the world, the flesh, the Turk and the Devil." While the Caliphate was dissolved following World War I, Istanbul is still represented by the emblems of the Caliphate, including Mohammed's cloak and sword, which remain in the city's fabled Topkapi Palace. Istanbul's power is largely derived from its unique geography. The Bosporus strait literally divides the city between two continents, Asia and Europe, a division that is not only reflected in architecture and history, but also in the spiritual and social realms. Modern commentators often observe that the city now represents the cultural division of East and West perhaps more than at any time in history. An Islamic revival is under way, especially influencing the city's poor. At the same time, secularist forces are striving to establish Istanbul as a truly western city. The contrasts and conflicts between old and new, East and West, Muslim and secular are visible everywhere in this vast metropolis. Many residents fear that this conflict will eventually lead to destruction. Istanbul's future is murky. With over 500,000 new residents flowing into Istanbul's shantytowns every year, it will require a miracle for the city to maintain its current level of modernity. Even now, water shortages, power cuts, air pollution and traffic congestion mark Istanbul as a city out of control. Whatever Istanbul's fate may be, clearly the future lies in the hands of the city's most recent conquerors: the poor masses of its shantytowns and slums. Ever the gateway between the Christian and Muslim worlds, Istanbul has proved itself a formidable guardian of Islam. Among its more than 10 million Muslim inhabitants, there are no more than a few hundred Christians converts. Undoubtedly, the bitterness of the Crusades has strengthened this gate of Islam. Incited by the Turkish threat to Christendom, the Crusaders tormented Muslims and Jews in the name of Christ, deeply marring their attitudes toward Him. Through 1999, Istanbul will again be the focal point, as Christians from around the world travel through the Middle East as participants in the Reconciliation Walk. Based in Istanbul, the project aims to heal some of the bitterness caused by the Crusaders. Through the prayers of the saints, the faithful work of missionaries and projects like the Reconciliation Walk, Istanbul could again become a key portal of history.

Home | Reconciliation Walk | Biblical History | People of Anatolia | NewsLinks | Travel