That is the question that the kids, especially Jibran, keep on asking me. He's been to quite a few countries, from US to Europe to Australia. But never he ask us to go back to any of those countries except Istanbul! We went there last August and did the Idul Fitri prayer at the Blue Mosque. We spent more than a week in the city, staying at the old town and the Istiklal area and explored the city by foot so much. I understand why he was so captivated by the city. It is indeed beautiful. It had been on my wishlist for quite a while and I was glad I got to go there with the family. And I was lucky to go there twice last year with the second visit for Endeavor ISP.

Istanbul is beautiful for a lot of things: the landscape, the architecture, the sightseeing, the history, the culture, the people, the park and the million things you can do there. It has a unique mix of modern and traditional, eastern and western, nature and structure.  One minute you can be in Asian continent and the next minute you'll arrive in the European continent. Only in Istanbul! It's a busy city yet it's so welcoming that even Jib said he didn't feel like a stranger there.

One of my favorite moments was when we climbed up Galata Tower right before sunset. Not only did I saw a 360 panoramic view of the city, I also witnessed how the sky turned beautiful reddish orange and the sun slowly set behind the Marmara Sea. Then when it started to get dar, lights started to sparkle from the buildings around and I could hear the sound of Adzan maghrib from every corner of the city. It was sooo beautiful it's magical.  I couldn't stop admiring and being grateful to be there to see one of Allah magic works.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said: "If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital."

And I couldn't agree more.