The gilded doors of the grand vizier’s council room at Topkapi Palace

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- With two great empires behind it, and a history reaching back to the dawn of time, Istanbul can only be a cultural tourist’s place of infinite wonder. Stumbling through the 20 galleries of classical antiquities at the Archaeology Museum alone is an education in itself, to say nothing of beholding the splendors of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern and Topkapi and Dolmabahce Palaces. Yet, as Turkey gains ground as an emerging power this century, its premier city, while steeped in the grandeur of its Byzantine and Ottoman pasts, also moves with a bold and confidently modern gait. Increasingly hailed as one of Europe’s most dynamic cities, Istanbul is becoming known for its urban sophistications, from its contemporary art to its vibrant nightlife.

In fact, the recent Global Metro Monitor by the US-based Brookings Institute and the UK’s LSE Cities project ranked Istanbul  number one of 150 metropolitan economies in strong post-recession performance, based on employment and income growth, ahead of Asian dynamos like Shanghai, Singapore, and Beijing (interestingly, Manila is ranked ninth). “Istanbul takes the top ranking for economic growth in the past year,” writes Alan Berube, senior fellow and research director of the Brooking Institute’s Metropolitan Policy Program. “Its economy expanded by 5.5 percent on a per-capita basis, and employment rose an astonishing 7.3 percent between 2009 and 2010. Turkey’s banking sector, which was less invested in risky financial instruments, became a safe haven for global capital fleeing established (and exposed) markets during the downturn. Together with the metro area’s increasingly diversified set of trading partners, the metro bounced back very strongly after being hit hard in the recession.”

Such dynamism has made it Europe’s new “party capital,” according to the UK newspaper The Guardian, the place where young Europeans decamp after graduation and where the international art community increasingly has been setting up shop due to a market renaissance.  “If emerging markets are kick-starting the global economy, creative dynamism is ebbing away from the old centers to the new,” says The Guardian. “Istanbul is fast-resembling Henry Miller’s Paris or the post-Soviet city-wide party in Prague where Western twenty-somethings can spend that critical time between university and life.”

“The vibrancy is palpable,” says Arleen Go See It-Erdem, originally from the Philippines, now a Turkish citizen and Istanbul resident. “The people are taking partying seriously. At dawn, you can see the line of taxis snaking all around Taksim Square to the Marmara Hotel, Ataturk Center and cultural monument, all waiting for clubbers going home after a night of hard partying.

“Once, I went to the salon and I couldn’t believe it was standing room only, with so many clients waiting to be dolled up for the night’s partying. I was told to return the next day, there was simply no chance I could be accommodated.”

Perhaps, Erdem says, Istanbul is making up for lost time, and now that Turkey is emerging as a global power, it is more than ever eager to join Europe and its sophisticated way of life. “There is a distinct Parisian vibe throughout the city,” she notes, “with all those outdoor cafes evoking the ambience of a great European city.”

The nightlife is dense and ranging, from the superclubs between Ortakoy and Kurucesme, like Reina, Sortie, and Angelique—all notoriously expensive and celebrity-ridden-- to the panoramic rooftop bars like the 360 (with its sweeping views of the city), to the numerous jazz and rock clubs, like Indigo and Mojo, off the main pedestrian thoroughfare Istiklal Caddesi, to quaint alleys like the French street, full of cafes and bars with a French theme. To take in all the energy and revelry is to wonder if the huzun, or melancholy of the city that Nobel laureate and Istanbul son Orhan Pamuk poignantly describes in his Istanbul memoir still exists.

Istanbul, last year, was in a celebratory mood, to be sure, as it pulled out all the stops to showcase its selection as European Cultural Capital of 2010 by the European Union. Apart from the rehabilitation of many of its historical sites, its lively arts scene was especially energetic, with numerous projects and exhibits animating the cultural calendar throughout the year.

Contemporary art is one of Istanbul’s cosmopolitan attractions. Since the opening of the Istanbul Modern (patterned after Britain’s Tate Modern) in 2004, the visual arts has become the epicenter of cultural life, with the richest of Istanbul’s families vying with one another to become the ultimate arts patrons. The benefits to the population are clear: the number of museums and galleries with progressive, provocative exhibits has multiplied in recent years.

Art is incredibly accessible, the Arter gallery on Istiklal Caddesi shopping street hosts world-class exhibits for free, for instance.  Its inaugural exhibit, Starter, was an intriguing, exhilarating exercise for any pedestrian who just happened by: on the ground floor was a life-size, green inflatable T-72 tank by the artist Michael Sailstorfer, its periodic deflations and inflations—including the training of its artillery gun on viewers—a mesmerizing performance. On five floors, a walk-in could soak up 160 works by 87 artists, Turkish and international, including luminaries such as Joseph Beuys, John Cage, Rebecca Horn and Naim June Paik.

Arter is bankrolled by the industrialist Koc family, which also finances the nearby Pera Museum, another multi-level gallery hosting both traditional and avant-garde art. Among the year’s arts offerings was an exhibit by Turkish native and celebrated British fashion designer Hussein Chalayan as well as international jewelry shows and the construction of public art in plazas.

Istanbul, then, is not just East and West, but a delicious melding of sensibilities and confrontations, a "young” city with an old soul. For the tourist with a keen cultural impulse, it is a place to go back to, again and again, for the wonders of both old and new.

Turkish Airlines flies from Hong Kong to Istanbul five times weekly. For more information, call 864-0600 or 864-0598. For guided tours in Istanbul, contact Aristo Tours, one of the most expert travel agencies in Turkey. Aristo Tours, Inonu Caddesi, Opera Palas Apt. No 55 to 6, 34437, Taksim, Istanbul, www.aristotours,com. Email them at filiz.basaran@aristotours.com or muge.hasdal@aristotours.com. Special thanks to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Turkey, and Third Secretary Tuna Atala, Turkish Embassy, Manila.