The six-hectare gardens in the center of Istanbul, which are more than 1,500 years old, have helped feed the city's residents over the centuries and are connected with its religious history. But current city management has a restoration project that could disrupt a unique urban ecosystem.
Mideast scholar Cemal Kafadar untangles anti-gay, migrant labor, geopolitical tensions rising as World Cup soccer tournament is set to begin in Arab nation for the first time.