ISTANBUL

• “ If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital. ”• —Napoleon Bonaparte

• Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. Istanbul population of 13.9 million

• Istanbul is Europe's most populous city (the world's 3rd largest city proper and 20th largest urban area) and Turkey's cultural and financial center. 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, 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 East Roman (Byzantine) Empire (395–1204 and 1261–1453), the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922). 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.

Historic Areas of IstanbulThe Blue Mosque

• The Blue Mosque in Istanbul was built by Sultan Ahmet I (first) to eclipse the grandeur of the Christian church of Haghia Sophia across the way, and grand it most certainly is. During the years of its construction from 1606-1613, the Iznik tile producers were kept extremely busy creating 999 shades for 20,000 blue tiles with which to decorate its interior and nearly 300 stained glass windows were made to allow natural light to percolate through to the rug-filled floor below.

Grand Bazaar

Istanbul's Grand Bazaar (Kapali Çarsi, or Covered Market) is Turkey's largest covered market offering excellent shopping: beautiful Turkish carpets, glazed tiles and pottery, copper and brassware, apparel made of leather, cotton and wool, meerschaum pipes, alabaster bookends and ashtrays, and all sorts of other things.

HAGHIA SOPHIA

• The first church to be built dedicated to the Divine Wisdom, was officialy opened in 360 during the reign of Constantius, son of Constantine the Great. Sultan Mehmet the Conquerer he entered the city in 1453, converted it into a mosque and served as such for nearly five century. In 1935, by the will of the Founder of the Turkish Republic, Ataturk, it was declared a National Museum.

Hippodrome - Sultanahmet 

• Istanbul's Byzantine Hippodrome was the heart of Constantinople's political and sporting life, and the scene of games and riots through 500 years of Ottoman history as well.

It's now a calm city park called the At Meydani (Horse Grounds) because of its function in Ottoman times. Facing one another across the park are the Blue Mosque and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art.

Rumelihisari• Rumelihisari, looking out over the Bosphorus.The Rumelihisari is a fortress located

between Sariyer and Bebek districts of Istanbul. It was built by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, in 1451, before he conquered Constantinople, to prevent Crusaders coming from the Black Sea. The land that the castle was built upon was technically Byzantine territory and when the Byzantine emperor Constantine XI sent an embassy to Mehmed to protest the sultan had the ambassadors seized and executed. Constantine then knew the construction of the castle was the prelude to an attack on his city which followed two years later.

Turkish Bath - HAMAM

The tradition of the Turkish bath extends far back, to a time before Turks had reached Anatolia. When the Turks arrived in Anatolia, they brought with them one bathing tradition, and were confronted with another, that of Romans and Byzantines, with certain local variants. The traditions merged, and with the addition of the Moslem concern for cleanliness and its concomitant respect for the uses of water, there arose an entirely new concept, that of the Turkish Bath. In time it became an institution, with its system of ineradicable customs...

The BASILICA CISTERN (Yerebatan)

One of the magnificent historical constructions of Istanbul is the Basilica Cistern, located near south-west of Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia). This cistern that was laid on an area of total 9.800 m2 has the capacity to store 100.000 tons of water.

TOPKAPI PALACE• It is located on the promontory of the historical peninsula in Istanbul

which overlooks both the Marmara Sea and the Bosphorus. The walls enclosing the palace grounds, the main gate on the land side and the first buildings were constructed during the time of Fatih Sultan Mehmet (the Conqueror) (1451 - 81).

Galata Tower

Galata Tower has dominated Beyoglu's skyline since 1348 and still offers the best panoramic views of the city. Originally named the Tower of Christ, it was the highpoint in the city walls of the Genoese colony called Galata.The walls are long gone, but the great tower remains.Until the 1960s it was a fire lookout tower. Now the upper floors hold an uninteresting restaurant-nightclub, and a panorama balcony.

The Maiden's Tower

• The Maiden's Tower (Turkish: Kız Kulesi), also known as Leander's Tower (Tower of Leandros) since the medieval Byzantine period, is a tower lying on a small islet located at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait 200 m (220 yd) from the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul,

• Today, there is a restaurant in the first floor and a café at the top of the tower.

Thanks For Listening Preapered by :• Sevinç Alptekin• Nazlı Turna