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| Istanbul, Turkey |
Istanbul, Turkey
An imperial capital for more than 15 centuries and situated between two continents, Istanbul combines the heritage of eastern and western cultures.
Capital of Eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantium Empire and the Ottoman Empire. When it became the Republic of Turkey in 1923, the capital moved to Ankara.
Although the region has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, the first people to establish a population were settlers from the Greek city of Megara, near Athens, who named it Byzantium. It was renamed Constantinople in the 4th Century, when it became the capital of Eastern Imperial Rome. In the 15th century it was under the rule of the Ottomans who named it Istanbul.
The Istanbul, or Bosphorus, Strait separates Istanbul on the west from Kadikoy (ancient Calcedonia) and Uskudar (Crisopolis), on the east, which from part of this conurbation despite belonging to a different continent.
Built under the orders of sultan Mehmed II in 1459, this palace has splendid views of the Bosphorus Strait. It combines landscaped areas with a structured complex of buildings which today houses exhibitions of objects and works of art from the Imperial ages.
The central dome, on spandrels which adorn the temple, is 32 m in diameter and 57 m above ground level.
Built on the site of the old Byzantine market a few years after the Ottoman conquest, it is one of the largest markets on the planet. It has 58 streets with 4,000 shops.
Although the region has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, the first people to establish a population were settlers from the Greek city of Megara, near Athens, who named it Byzantium. It was renamed Constantinople in the 4th Century, when it became the capital of Eastern Imperial Rome. In the 15th century it was under the rule of the Ottomans who named it Istanbul.
The Istanbul, or Bosphorus, Strait separates Istanbul on the west from Kadikoy (ancient Calcedonia) and Uskudar (Crisopolis), on the east, which from part of this conurbation despite belonging to a different continent.
