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| ABOUT ISTANBUL |
“If the Earth was a single state, Istanbul would be its capital” -Napoleon Bonaparte
"The Hagia Sophia, built by Justinian between 532 and 537,
The masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. It was the largest ever cathedral built in the world for more than a thousand years."
Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul, historically Byzantium and later Constantinople) is Turkey's most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. Its population is between 11 and 15 million people, making it, by some counts, one of the largest cities in Europe. The city covers 25 districts of the Istanbul province. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait, and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) side of the Bosphorus(but is generally considered European), and is thereby the only metropolis in the world which is situated on two continents. In its long history, Istanbul served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330-395), the Byzantine Empire (395-1204 and 1261-1453), the Latin Empire (1204-1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453-1922). Once the worlds largest cathedral : Hagia Sophia, the seat of the Patriarch of Contantinople, spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Church is located in Istanbul until our days.The city was chosen as joint European Capital of Culture for 2010. The historic areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/İstanbul
Straddling the Bosphorus, its skyline studded with domes and minarets, İstanbul is one of the truly great romantic cities. It is one of the richest cities in historical background, as well as one of the most beautiful, enchanting and alive cities of the world. It has an atmosphere of its own with its life-style, people and numerous attractions. In Istanbul you will have to be generous with time since it has so much to show. The old palaces, the great mosques with soaring minarets, ancient churches, museums, bazaars, the Istanbul Strait and others are wonderful sites worth seeing.
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Bosphorus Bridge; connects Asia and Europe
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| PLACES TO VİSİT |
Arap Mosque
Basillica Cistern
Blue Mosque
Dolmabahçe Palace
Grand Bazaar
Galata Tower
Golden Horn |
Hagia Sofia
Istiklal Avenue
Prince’s Island
Spice Bazzar
Suleiman Mosque
Taksim Square
Topkapi Palace
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"Night View of Istanbul"
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