Five Days in Istanbul, Turkey

Strategically located between the Black Sea to the northeast, and the Sea of Marmara to the west, which opens up into the wider Mediterranean, Istanbul is a thriving urban center with a rich history dating back to the Roman imperial era.

Istanbul, known as Constantinople before 1453, served as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire until the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476. After the fall of Rome, Constantinople continued to thrive as the capital of the Byzantine Empire for the next 1,000 years until being conquered by the Ottomans in 1453. After 1453, Constantinople was renamed Istanbul, and served as the capital of the Ottoman Empire for the next 465 years until its collapse in 1918.

Since 1923, Istanbul no longer serves as the center of a great empire, but Istanbul continues to its tradition as a thriving commercial and cultural center.

During my five-day tour of this legendary city, I toured the great bazaars, including the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar; walked the historic grounds where the hippodrome once stood, which hosted chariot races in front of 100,000 spectators during the Byzantine era; looked in admiration at the beautifully decorated mosques; and stood in awe at the massive historic and architectural wonder, the Hagia Sofia.

Preparing to land in Istanbul, the city's strategic importance throughout its history is apparent. The land mass to the bottom right is Asia, the land mass to the top left is Europe.

Overnight Excursion to the Fire Crater, a.k.a "Hell's Gate," Karakum Desert, Turkmenistan

Situated approximately 260 km north of Ashgabat in the heart of the Karakum Desert is the fire crater, also known as "hell's gate."

The crater resulted from a cave-in during a natural gas drilling operation in 1971. At the time, those at the site believed that they could burn off the poisonous gas in a few days by lighting it on fire. Instead, they exposed and set fire to a huge natural gas reservoir, turning the site into a massive, raging fire pit that has been burning for over 40 years.

Today, few signs remain suggesting that the fire crater was a drilling site. Instead, one sees a massive fire pit in the middle of a vast, open desert. A few fellow tourists, the raging flames, and the intense waves of heat between high cold winds seem to be the only life for as far as the eye can see. A few dozen feet beyond the fire crater, nothing is visible in the pitch black of night, but occasionally, packs of desert foxes can be heard calling out to each other. I can definitely say that the fire crater earns its nickname, "Hell's Gate," and is one of the strangest sites I have visited to date.

Soon after leaving the city limits of Ashgabat, the highway narrowed, and traffic dissipated as we drove into the Karakum Desert. Occasionally, we passed small villages, and domestic animals such as these cows crossing the highway was not uncommon.

Cable Car Ride into the Foothills of the Kopet Dag Mountains

I recently took the cable car up into the foothills of the Kopet Dag Mountains. The cable cars can be accessed at the bottom of the foothills, which rise to the terminal approximately 3,000 feet up the side of the mountain.

As the car climbed uphill, the winds increased and the air became increasingly cool. After 20 minutes riding uphill, the terminal grounds offered great views of the Kopet Dag Mountain range and the entire city of Ashgabat.

Relative Field of View

The foothills of the Kopet Dag Mountains facing East.