Istanbul

Istanbul, a fascinating city built on two Continents, divided by the Bosphorus Strait. This is one of the greatest cities in the world where you can see a modern western city combined with a traditional eastern city, it's a melting pot of many civilizations and different people. Istanbul was also announced by the European Union as the 2010 European Capital of Culture.

 

  • Istanbul is the only transcontinental city in the world located on two continents, Europe and Asia. With a population of 13.9 million, Istanbul is one of the largest urban agglomerations in Europe and is the 2nd largest city in the world by population within city limits.
  • Istanbul is home to the most mosque in Turkey. It has 3,113 mosques, including the historical Sultanahmet Mosque and the Süleymaniye Mosque.
  • In its thousands of years of history, it has been the capital of three great empires – Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. However, the modern-day capital of Turkey is Ankara.
  • Istanbul is the fastest-growing tourism destination in the world. According to a study by MasterCard Worldwide Index in the world tourist destination, Istanbul will surpass New York and Amsterdam in terms of a number of visitors in 2011. 9.5 million people visited in 2012 and the Istanbul Cultural and Tourism Directorate recorded 10,474,867 visitors in 2013.
  • Sultanahmet or the Old City is where most of the famous historical sights of Istanbul are located.

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About Destination

Istanbul is a major city in Turkey that straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. Its Old City reflects cultural influences of the many empires that once ruled here. In the Sultanahmet district, the open-air, Roman-era Hippodrome was for centuries the site of chariot races, and Egyptian obelisks also remain. The iconic Byzantine Hagia Sophia features a soaring 6th-century …

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Istanbul

Special Food

ADANA KEBAP My favorite of the kebap family: ground lamb (and lamb fat) with spices and red pepper, grilled and served with lava…¸. Here it’s accompanied by grilled hot peppers and tomatoes, and sumac-ed slivers or red onion and parsley. Build your own bite. dSKENDER KEBAB It’s not an Istanbul specialty‚it was invented in Bursa‚and the family restaurant where it …

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Istanbul

Do’s & Dont’s

Istanbul Do’s Do remove shoes or sandals before you go inside any of the mosques in Turkey. Do wear modest clothing, meaning no shorts or strappy tops for women and no shorts for men either. Do cover your head if you are female. Do wear conservative clothing when visiting anywhere outside of cities. Short sleeved shirts are acceptable. Do remember …

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Istanbul

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