Istanbul

Istanbul embraces two continents with one arm reaching out to Asia and the other to Europe. Through the city’s heart, the Bosphorus, course the waters of the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara and the Golden Horn.The former capital of three successive empires, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman, Istanbul today honors and preserves the legacy of its past while looking forward to a modern future.

It is Istanbul’s endless variety that fascinates its visitors. The museums, churches, palaces, grand mosques such as the great Sultanahmet Mosque with six minarets ,and The Hagia Sophie Museum(St. Sophia Museum) which is a structure that was formerly a church during the Byzantine era, and was later converted to a mosque after the turkish conquer in 1453. In addition to this, bazaars and sights of natural beauty seem innumerable.

Reclining on the western shore of the Bosphorus at sunset contemplating the red evening light reflected in the windows of the opposite shore you may suddenly and profoundly understand why so many centuries ago settlers chose to build on this remarkable site. At such times you can see why Istanbul is truly one of the most glorious cities in the world. Istanbul is also famous for its magnificent palaces.One of land at the confluance of the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara stands the Topkapı Palace, that maze of buildings that was the focal point of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and 19th centuries. In these opulent surroundings the sultans and their court lived and governed. For example the Goksu Palace, also known as Kucuksu, takes its name from the streams which empty into the Bosphorus near the tiny palace. Built by Abdulmecit I in the middle of the 19th century, it was used as a summer residence.

The ancient Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races and the center of Byzantine civic lfe, stood in the area that is now in front of the Blue Mosque. The area is now named for the mosque, Sultanahmet. The Istanbul city walls, once an impenetrable fortification, stretch seven kilometers from the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn. Recently restored, as also many times before, thes walls date from the fifth century and the reign of Emperor Theodosius II. UNESCO has declared the walls and the area which they enclose to be one of the cultlral heritages of the world. In addition to this, other main places to visit are as follows

The Galata Tower, a Genoese construction of 1348, rises 62 meters above the Golden Horn. From the top there is a marvelous panorama of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. In the evening you can enjoy its popular restaurant, nightclub and bar.
Rumeli Hisarı, or European Fortress, was built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 prior to his capture of İstanbul. Completed in only four months, it is one of the most beautiful Works of military architecture in the world. In the castle is the Open-Air Museum amphitheater that is the site for some events of the Istanbul Music Festival.
Kiz Kulesi, also known as Leander’s Tower, is one of the most romantic symbols of Istanbul. On a tiny island at the entrance to Istanbul’s harbor, the first tower was consructed in the 12th-century. The present building dates from the 18th-century.