Turn off the main highway onto the access road leading to the international departures wing of Istanbul’s long-decommissioned Ataturk Airport, and the clatter of construction drills mixed with bold new red signage above the entrance immediately sparks nostalgia for the site’s storied past. For more than six decades, from the 1950s through its full commercial closure in 2018, this sprawling aviation hub anchored Turkey’s connections to the world, welcoming and sending millions of passengers to every corner of the globe. Today, after sitting dormant for years at the core of Istanbul’s urban transport network, the empty terminal complex is undergoing a radical reinvention.