Rough Guides - Pocket Rough Guide Istanbul

Few of the worlds cities capture the imagination quite like stanbul,superbly situated at the confluence of predominantly Christian Europe and thelargely Muslim Middle East. It is a booming megalopolis of more than fifteen millionpeople, standing astride both the Asian and European sides of the Bosphorus strait,the vibrant cultural and economic powerhouse of a resurgent Turkish Republic. Ofcourse stanbul has been a major city for over two thousand years, and it isthe incredible legacy of the two great empires which made it their capital, theChristian Byzantines and Muslim Ottoman Turks, that make it so appealing today.

Galata

For most visitors, stanbul is a city of two, albeit rather uneven, halves. Thefirst is the old city, strategically located on a peninsula pointing east across theBosphorus towards Asia, and cut-off from the European mainland to the west by thesubstantial remains of the monumental Byzantine-era land walls. The peninsula is boundto the south by the glimmering waters of the Sea of Marmara, to the north by the curvinginlet of one of the worlds finest natural harbours, the Golden Horn. Likeancient Rome, which Constantinople superseded as the Roman Empires major city,it was built on seven hills. There is so much to see and do in the old city that youcould spend weeks exploring its many sights, but even with just a few days at yourdisposal its possible to get a real flavour of this great metropolis.Fortunately, the majority of the major sights, such as the Haghia Sophia (Aya Sofya),Topkap Palace and Blue Mosque, are located within a short distance of each otherin compact Sultanahmet. By far the best way to explore is on foot, especially as thereare so many smaller, easily missed sights tucked-in between the major ones, fromByzantine cisterns to historic Turkish baths. The buzzing waterfront around the GoldenHorn-spanning Galata Bridge is unmissable, and offers superb views up to the oldcitys exotic skyline of domes and slender minarets. Try, too, to get a taste ofthe conservative parts of the old city by walking a section of the land walls orexploring the backstreets of the northwest quarter. Although the language barrier may beformidable and street signage less than perfect, dont be afraid to wander offthe beaten path and temporarily mislay yourself. After all, with water on three sidesand the towering land walls on the fourth youll eventually reach an unmissablelandmark.