ISTANBUL - A new book titled ''Istanbul According to Foreign Journalists '' and consisting of the impressions and observations of journalists from Britain, Israel, Palestine, South Korea, Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Italy and many other foreign countries, was published in Istanbul.
In the book, whose preface was written by the Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Kadir Topbas, there are articles of 23 journalists from different countries who have lived in Istanbul or visited the city.
Gulara Yenisey, a journalist from Azerbaijan describes as follows Istanbul in her article:
''An Istanbul story is hidden in the heart of every individual who visited the city once. Though stories are full of sorrows just like the real life, they have another characteristic: each of them has a magical side since Istanbul is a city with a magic. It charms and attracts everybody in spite of its complexity and confusion.''
Asude Abdul Kocan from Macedonia, whose initial plan was to stay in Istanbul for 4 years ended up in an 11-year adventure, has different things to tell in her article titled ''Istanbul, : An Undecipherable Puzzle'':
''I know well that Istanbul is the reason that prevented me from going back to my hometown in spite of all the difficulties I faced as a result of motherhood and journalism. Istanbul still stands like a puzzle in front of me and I cannot imagine myself leaving this city without solving this puzzle.''
Moreover, a Palestinian journalist, Bashar Qadomi emphasizes the similarities between Istanbul and Jerusalem in the book:
''Jerusalem and Istanbul are very similar; they are like the sons of the same mother. Streets, architecture, people, places of worship are similar.''
Indra Bojadzic from Bosnia and Herzegovina explains in her article ''Istanbul, Our Saver'' , that Istanbul was a saver for her people, as the city opened out its arms to the ones in need, when her people ran away from the disastrous war and looked for a place to shelter.
A french journalist, Jerome Bastion, comments that all the cities in the world had been constructed by people, however Istanbul is a city that gives shape to its people. Bastion adds that people living in Istanbul are ''citizens of the world'', in his article titled '' I shiver for you Istanbul''.
Sandro Tucci from Italy says that there is a cultural revival in Istanbul helping the city to be aware of its own heritage, on the contrary to the years when self confidence and improvement meant the same thing with 'westernization'.
Furthermore, there are several articles from other journalists in the book such as, '' The World's Most Beautiful Open-Air Museum'' by Muhammed Adel from Britain; '' Going Back To The Homeland? Not Yet...'' by Yoray Liberman from Israel; '' From Amsterdam to Istanbul: An Unfinished Road Story'' by Wilco Van Herpen from the Netherlands; '' Istanbul in the center of the East and the West'' by Taha Mi Ouda from Kuwait; and '' My Beloved Istanbul'' by Muratali Umarov from Tajikistan.