“On the first anniversary of our acquaintance, she gave me the heart of her love. A mother-of-pearl shell from the bottom of the Bosphorus. Bizarrely shaped, with ingrained grains of sand on the rough surface. Shells are usually cool to the touch. Zeynep’s gift filled her clenched palm with warmth, as if a small flame was burning inside it. “I put my love into this piece of the Bosphorus. When you feel sad, squeeze a shell in your palm.” Many years have passed, but the Zeynep talisman still saves me. From despair, lack of faith. My grandmother often repeated: “Bosphorus is a healer. Helps to let go of the past and accept the present. And if love is applied to him, then miracles will happen at every step!“ In the colorful nooks and crannies of childhood, my grandmother’s words seemed to me like just another oriental fairy tale. Now I understand: in the East, all legends and fairy tales are life itself. This book is the best proof of this!” Elchin Safarli