“The god and human, nature and art are together in there, they have created such a perfect place that it is valuable to see."
Lamartine’s famous poetic line reveals his love for Istanbul. Because Istanbul is the only city which connects two worlds; Asia and Europe and seperate them with a narrow strait. It is a historic city which is situated on a peninsula; flanked by the sea of Marmara, Bosphorus and Black Sea. It has also a natural harbour called Golden Horn (Haliç), which seperates the old city center from the new one.
Istanbul has been the capital of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empire throughout it’s 2500 year old history. And during it’s history, many emperors, sultans ruled the world from here. You can see the most beautiful masterpieces of Turkish art in Istanbul like ancient mosques, palaces, towers, museums and bazaars. Also there are natural beauties like the Princes Islands. For entertainment and shopping Istiklal Caddesi and Taksim in the European part, Bagdat Caddesi in the Anatolian part are the most visited places.
As a capital of empires, the city was not only an administrative, but also a religious center. During the Roman and Byzantine times, the city has the largest churches and monasteries of the Christian world. After the invasion, it was restructed with the most beautiful mosques, palaces, schools, baths and other architectural monuments of Turkish art. Some of the churches have been turned into mosques and palaces during the Ottoman Empire time. Hagia Sophia is the most impressive example of this transformation. Also after the 15th Century the Jews coming from Spain has built synagogues in several places of Istanbul. Istanbul has always been a city of tolerance where mosques, churches and synagogues existed side by side. Also the influence of European art can be seen in the new centers of Istanbul like in Beyoglu, Golden Horn and Galata. Because of the beauties and the potential it has, the city has also been selected for the European Cultural Capital of 2010.
As the famous Turkish poet Orhan Veli says: Istanbul a city which you can listen while your eyes wide shut, because Istanbul is not only the city of emperors, sultans, religions, and cultures, it’s also the city of dreams, the city that never sleeps, the city of sea, the city of seven hills and the city of that we’ll all meet...
We will gladly welcome you to Istanbul in 2010...
As a capital of empires, the city was not only an administrative, but also a religious center. During the Roman and Byzantine times, the city has the largest churches and monasteries of the Christian world. After the invasion, it was restructed with the most beautiful mosques, palaces, schools, baths and other architectural monuments of Turkish art. Some of the churches have been turned into mosques and palaces during the Ottoman Empire time. Hagia Sophia is the most impressive example of this transformation. Also after the 15th Century the Jews coming from Spain has built synagogues in several places of Istanbul. Istanbul has always been a city of tolerance where mosques, churches and synagogues existed side by side. Also the influence of European art can be seen in the new centers of Istanbul like in Beyoglu, Golden Horn and Galata. Because of the beauties and the potential it has, the city has also been selected for the European Cultural Capital of 2010.
As the famous Turkish poet Orhan Veli says: Istanbul a city which you can listen while your eyes wide shut, because Istanbul is not only the city of emperors, sultans, religions, and cultures, it’s also the city of dreams, the city that never sleeps, the city of sea, the city of seven hills and the city of that we’ll all meet...
We will gladly welcome you to Istanbul in 2010...
