For his people, he was the Sultan of the Sultans. For his enemies, he was a villain Yet, with what he had achieved, everyone knew that nothing would be the same anymore. The son of a Greek mother and a Turkish father, he changed the course of history. But, who was he as a person? What were his qualities and aspirations?
Even though it was built long before, the Russian church Aya Panteleymon is reminiscent of the White Russians who came to Istanbul as refugees after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Most of them left for Paris or the US in a few years time but, some stayed behind and have become Turkish citizens. Their descendents are among us, forever adding a different flavour to the vibrant life of Istanbul as their ancestors have done…