Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul is the perfect expression of the power of the old Ottoman empire, a sprawling confection of architectural styles designed to represent the grandest seat of government in the entire Mediterranean.
Built for Abdulmecid I, last week it hosted a gathering that the 31st sultan could never have envisaged, a press conference of “first ladies” from around the world, all of them determined to make a decisive impact on the most pressing of world events, the war in Gaza.
Prominent among the 15 presidential and prime ministerial spouses was Nadia el-Nakla, a “lifelong activist”, in her own words, and the wife of Humza Yousaf, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister.
The conference featured women from countries including Qatar, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Lebanon