Eurasia

The Bosphorus bridge

Connection between Europe and Asia

The bridge on the Bosphorus, this strategically important link reconnects Eurasia not only physically but also symbolically. If we took a look on the giant supercontinent of Eurasia from above, we would see Europe just as a western peninsula. For a long time it was in the position of technical and cultural dominance, and such, like the head of a giant animal made move the whole. From the beginning of times, and through all the history, Europe and Asia were in close connection. Even though the focus moved towards Europe for an extended period, the two continents were continuously in relation, with strong mutual influences - on the culture, economy and history of each other. A characteristic representation of this interconnection is the Bosphorus, this strait which crosses the headland between Europe and Asia, making the shipping between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea possible. It is the geographic border between Europe and Asia, and as such it separates and connects these giant territories. The crown of this strait is the city which is built on it, a remarkable example of history and of layering of cultures: Byzantium, later known as Constantinople and today as Istanbul.

The gate to Asia

Constantine I, the then emperor of the Roman Empire positioned the second capital of the Roman Empire in 330 AD on the top of an ancient Greek city: Byzantium. Because the empire had already grown too big, it overgrew itself, and so it became ungovernable from a single center. Constantinople, as the city was newly named, became the center of the Eastern half of the great Roman Empire, and after the fall of the West, it was the natural inheritor and successor of the Roman Empire. It was the Byzantian Empire, with a unique culture with influences from the east and the west, and it made several attempts in order to reestablish the great empire trying to reconquer the European dominium. Finally the Turkish conquest put an end to the Byzantian dreams when the Turks occupied Constantinople in 1453. Then it was the turn of the Ottoman empire to expand from this area. The empire swallowed the Balkans, and the changing borders sometimes reached as far as Austria, exerting a significant impact on the whole Balkan region for hundreds of years.

Istanbul is the symbol, a magnificent example of the relationship between Asia and Europe.

Today, when the development of Europe is constantly facing challenges and internal divisions, problems are arising from all directions, we look east. Currently the noteworthy economic development does not happen in Europe and also prospects indicate that the Asian countries would regain that prosperity and influence which was theirs for a large part of history. As things stand, the connection between the two continents might be more important than ever and perhaps it will really get closer too. For that reason, it is beneficial and substantial to understand the economy of Europe and of Asia, the interconnections, contradictions and so on. And because everything is rooted in culture, even the economy, it is equally interesting to understand cultural differences.