Istanbul

The big event in my life this week has been a business trip to Istanbul. I was invited to attend a regional client workshop there about Ramadan for the X brand account (probably best not to mention names). There were clients from all over the Middle East in attendance. It was absolutely fascinating to learn about Ramadan and how it is perceived slightly differently in Turkey than in Pakistan. And then again, how there are quite a lot of similarities across all Islamic countries in the way it is observed. Especially the universality of Iftar.




I also had a lovely dinner with the clients that evening and sat next to the brand manager responsible for Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq. He was Egyptian and when I learned that I asked him about the recent Ramadan scandal Egypt has faced. His perspective was priceless: acts of violence against women are as much a product of religious oppression as they are economic factors (ie marriage being nearly as unaffordable as housing in some parts of Egypt).



My only regret was that my trip was too short, I only had 45 mins during a lunch break to get out of the hotel and try to see a tiny bit of the city. So I dashed down the hill from the Swissotel and checked out the Dolmabahce Palace. I will look for any excuse to go back.