Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Welcome to İstanbul
This magical meeting place of East and West has more top-drawer at-
tractions than it has minarets (and that's a lot).
Living History
İstanbul's strategic location has attracted many a marauding army over the centuries. The
Greeks, Persians, Romans and Venetians took turns ruling before the Ottomans stormed in-
to town and decided to stay - physical reminders of their various tenures are found littered
across the city. And the fact that the city straddles two continents wasn't its only drawcard.
This was the final stage on the legendary Silk Routes that linked Asia and Europe, and
many of the merchants who came here liked it so much that they, too, decided to stay. In so
doing, they endowed the city with a cultural diversity that it retains to this day.
Art & Architecture
The conquering armies of ancient times tended to ransack the city rather than endow it with
artistic treasures, but all that changed with the Byzantines, who adorned their churches and
palaces with mosaics and frescoes. Miraculously, many of these are still here to admire.
Their successors, the Ottomans, were quick to launch an ambitious building program after
their emphatic arrival. The magnificently decorated imperial mosques that followed are ar-
chitectural triumphs that together form one of the world's great skylines.
Culinary Heritage
'But what about the food?' we hear you say. We're happy to report that the city's cuisine is
as diverse as its heritage, and delicious to boot. Locals take their eating and drinking seri-
ously - the restaurants here are the best in the country. You can eat edgy fusion creations,
aromatic Asian dishes or Italian classics if you so choose, but most visitors prefer to sample
the succulent kebaps, flavoursome mezes and freshly caught fish that are the city's signa-
ture dishes, washing them down with rakı, beer or a glass or two of locally produced and
eminently quaffable wine.
