An encounter with the stern visage of Caracalla is one of many rewards of travel in the eastern Mediterranean. This particular statue of the bearded Roman emperor, who reigned 18 centuries ago, has a unique and genuinely worldwide audience. It is one of the exhibits on display at the excellent museum at Istanbul airport – which dispenses culture in transit to arrivals from, and departures to, more than 350 destinations across the planet.
“Turkey is the bridge between Europe and Asia and Africa,” says Kadri Samsunlu –who became chief executive of the new Istanbul airport in 2017. That was two years before it took over fully from Ataturk airport. I was a big fan of the previous “IST”: while it had grown awkwardly, its location on the Sea of Marmara provided easy access to one of the most glorious cities in the world.
