November 12, 2025

There is a lot to get used to being in Istanbul.

The President of Turkey is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan became Prime Minister of Turkey in 2003, a position he held until 2014. In 2014, he was elected President of Turkey and has held that office since August 28, 2014. After the attempted coup in July 2016, a state of emergency was declared, followed by widespread purges of military, civil servants, journalists and academics. It was at this time that Erdoğan began the process of cementing his power.

Under his presidency, a 2017 referendum approved a switch from a parliamentary system to a presidential system, expanding the powers of the presidency. The concentration of executive power, and the abolition of the Prime Minister role means the presidency now holds both head of state and head of government roles. Media freedom, rule of law, independence of judiciary and academia are cited as under pressure. The President holds significant powers — appointing ministers, issuing decrees, and leading the executive branch. The judiciary is officially independent, though in practice, it is often seen as being influenced by the executive branch. The bottom line is Turkey is a presidential republic with a unitary state structure, where Erdoğan has extensive powers.

This national influence is seen as you walk throughout the city and see Turkish flags and images of Erdoğan everywhere, including on the entry to the University.

This influence creates a little since of paranoia. Erdoğan’s image is not only on public buildings, but in local business establishments as seen by his photo staring at me in the hotel’s business center. Chongae and I teased that we were being watched and that thought was exaggerated by waking up one morning and seeing these shady characters peering in our bedroom window.

Turkey is a Muslim country. According to official registration data, about 99.8% of the population are registered as Muslim. Erdoğan also has tremendous religious influence in Turkey. He attended an İmam‐Hatip religious school. As a young man he was involved in the Islamist‐oriented student movement. In 1998, he was convicted for “inciting religious hatred”; he subsequently served time in prison and was temporarily banned from politics. Some say his involvement in politics is to establish his strong religious convictions. With that said, there are 3,459 mosques in Istanbul! The most famous being the Blue Mosque officially called the Sultan Ahmed Mosque built by Sultan Ahmed I of the Ottoman Empire between 1609-1616.

Istanbul does have a vibrant street scene. Flowers, Fruit and Food Stands are found everywhere. And the prices are good. Those oranges about 12 cents each, the grapes about 37 cents a bunch, corn on the cop 25 cents and a bag of roasted chestnuts 50 cents.

Even in the hotel the food was unique. Honey is not served in jars but directly from the hive. The Turkish tea is hot and refreshing and the food in the concierge lounge was delicious and plentiful.

Like most major cities around the world, Istanbul did have some oddities. Walnuts are sold not only to eat but are selected by men who will choose two walnuts to keep in their pocket for good luck. I am not sure of the Turkish origin, but in ancient Rome, walnuts (the “nut of Jupiter”) were associated with fertility, marriage and luck. Walnuts were thrown at weddings as a symbol of good luck and abundance. Also, there are cats everywhere in Istanbul. One source estimate about 125,000 cats in Istanbul. Many neighborhoods actively feed and take care of street cats, making them a well-integrated part of the urban ecosystem in Istanbul. And finally, there was one image I tired of seeing in Istanbul. Drivers in Istanbul spend an average of 105 hours stuck in traffic-the highest among major cities worldwide. Istanbul residents spend about 5.5% of their daily lives in taxis — roughly 80 minutes per day on average!

Thanks for travelling with us.