| Destination: | Byzantium, Constantinople, İstanbul: by any name it's glorious. |
| Straddling the Bosphorus, its skyline studded with domes and minarets, İstanbul is one of the truly great romantic cities. Its history tracks back from Byzantium to Constantinople to its place at the head of the Ottoman Empire. Today it hums as Turkey's cultural heart and good-time capital. |
| In this sprawling, continent-spanning city you can tramp the streets where crusaders and janissaries once marched; admire mosques that are the most sublime architectural expressions of Islamic piety; peer into the sultan's harem; and hunt for bargains in the Kapalı Çarşı (Grand Bazaar). |
| Quote: | 'If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul.' - Alphonse De Lamartine |
| Weights measures system: | Metric |
Location and surroundings |
| Population: | 13000000 inhabitants . |
| Surroundings | The Bosphorus, the strait flowing between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, creates a natural north-south divide in İstanbul - European İstanbul comprises the bulk of the city to the west, while Asian İstanbul is to the east. European İstanbul is itself divided by the Golden Horn (Haliç) into the old city to the south, and Beyoğlu and other modern districts to the north.The Old City is where you'll find all the main sights, such as Topkapı Palace, Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii), Aya Sofya (Sancta Continue reading. Sophia), the Atmeydanı (Hippodrome) and the old city walls. The 21st-century version of İstanbul is a short walk north across the Galata Bridge, and is exemplified by bustling Taksim Square, the eye of the city's commercial storm. The Asian part of the city has less of the sights tourists come to see.There are clusters of budget places in the Sultanahmet district of the old city; Akbıyık Caddesi in Cankurtaran is the backpacker hub, other streets nearby are more low key. The heart of modern Istanbul, Taksim Square and Beyoğlu are also good places to stay, with lots of restaurants, theatres and shops nearby. If you want to spend a bit more, head for the luxury hotels of Harbiye and along the Bosphorus. Most cafes are clustered in Beyoğlu, but many are dotted in the suburbs on both sides of the Bosphorus and in other well-heeled suburbs. Kumkapı and Çiçek Pasajı, and Nevizade Sokak in Beyoğlu are home to clusters of meyhanes (taverns). Hide. |
| It's worth travelling to İstanbul just to eat. Good Turkish cuisine is the very heart and soul of eastern Mediterranean cooking, which demands quality ingredients and careful preparation. From delicious mezes to elaborate vegetarian and seafood dishes, İstanbul caters across budgets and tastes. |
| Overwiew | Turkey's Holy Month, Ramazan, sees much of the city's population fasting during daylight hours, although most restaurants and cafes remain open for those choosing not to participate and for non-Muslims. The festival of Şeker Bayramı marks the end of Ramazan and is when the inhabitants of İstanbul embark on a frenzy of socialising, with an emphasis on the sweet tooth. It's one of the city's busiest times; a three-day national holiday when businesses close and public transport is heavily patronised.An Continue reading. equally busy time for İstanbul is during Kurban Bayramı, Turkey's most important religious holiday. The four-day festival celebrates the almost-sacrifice of Isaac by his father Abraham on Mount Moriah and results in hotels being heavily booked and a dearth of space on public transport.As the lunar Hejira year is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year, Muslim events happen 11 days earlier each year.Other special events include the İstanbul Film Festival in April, May's Conquest of Constantinople celebrations, June/July's International İstanbul Music Festival and International İstanbul Jazz Festival and September/October's International İstanbul Biennial. Hide. |
| 23 Apr - National Sovereignty & Children's Day |
| 19 May - Youth & Sports Day |
| dates vary according to the Islamic calendar - Şeker Bayramı |
| dates vary according to the Islamic calendar - Kurban Bayramı |
| 19 May - Youth & Sports Day |
| Turkey has seven climatic regions. İstanbul is situated in the Marmara region, which includes eastern Thrace and Edirne. It's a countryside of rolling steppeland and low hills with an average yearly rainfall of 668mm (26.3in). Rainfall is highest (between 80mm/3.1in and 100mm/3.9in per month) from November to February; July and August have the least rainfall. Humidity follows the same pattern, with the lowest humidity (under 30%) in July, August and September, and the highest (over 60%) - a bone-chilling damp - in December and January. |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | | Average high temp. | 8 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 11 | | Average low temp. | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 5 | | Average rainfall | 109 | 92 | 72 | 46 | 38 | 34 | 34 | 30 | 58 | 81 | 103 | 119 | | AM Humidity | 82 | 82 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 81 | 83 | 82 | 82 | | PM Humidity | 75 | 72 | 67 | 62 | 61 | 58 | 56 | 55 | 59 | 64 | 71 | 74 | | Average sunshine | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Intro: | | İstanbul offers traditional Turkish experiences like the hamam (steam bath) and a game of backgammon over fragrant tea. If you want a more Western gym-bunny type of experience, you'll have to search it out. Of course, there's always walking: İstanbul is a prime city for strolling and gazing. |
| İstanbul's Atatürk Airport is Turkey's largest and busiest. Any number of popular regular services from the Middle East, the USA, Australia and Europe land here. Although the city's major airline, İstanbul Airlines, went bust, the main domestic carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), has regular flights to major European and Asian cities. Another smaller airport, Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, some 50km east of the Old City on the Asian side, is becoming increasingly popular with cheap airlines. The price of your air ticket will usually cover the airport departure tax.Atatürk Airport is 23km (14mi) west of Sultanahmet. A taxi into the city centre is the quickest option; it takes around half an hour. A cheaper option is to catch the LRT (Light Rail Transit) from the airport to Zeytinburnu, from where you connect with the tram that takes you directly to Sultanahmet. Another cheap option is to take an airport bus, which costs around EUR4.5 and takes 35-60 minutes to get to Taksim Square. If you are heading for Sultanahmet, get out at the Yenikapı stop beneath the underpass.A number of local bus companies service other European destinations, but these services are slower and often more expensive than the equivalent flights. Within Turkey, bus is the most widespread and popular way of getting around; they go literally everywhere, all the time. The main bus station, the otogar, is a town in itself, with 168 ticket offices, restaurants, mosques and shops. Buses leave here for domestic and international routes. There's also a bus station on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus at Harem. Currently train is the least preferred option for international visitors travelling to Turkey, as the services are generally slower, but it's becoming increasingly popular for those with time to burn and a love for a journey. The main station is Sirkeci, and there's also Haydarpaşa station on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus.Driving through Turkey is becoming more popular too. You can bring a car over on a ferry from Italy or Greece; however, you'll find yourself docking in İzmir or Çeşme rather than İstanbul. Car and passenger ferries operate fairly regularly around the Turkish coastline - book your trip well in advance, as they're popular. | |
| İstanbul has a decent public transport network, which you'll appreciate once you get the hang of pre-buying tickets (try an Akbil pass instead, if you're in town for a few weeks), jumping on half-moving vehicles and avoiding armpits in tram jams. And if it all gets too much, a mad taxi driver is always ready to race you to your destination - and you won't pay too much for the thrill, either. But all public transport slows to a crawl around peak hours; this is the time to take to your feet. Walking is the best way to see İstanbul - though the ferries rate a close second.The main bus station, the International İstanbul Bus Station, or more simply, the otogar, is 10km (6mi) west of Sultanahmet at Esenler. Both city and private buses run services in İstanbul. The suburban trains are a bit decrepit but reliable and inexpensive, running from Sirkeci station. İstanbul's metro is under construction, though some lines are already in service; it's inexpensive, with frequent services. There are several tramlines to choose from if you want a ride with a view. Istanbul has a large fleet of yellow taxis. It's an easy matter to rent a car; it's navigating the thing through the insane traffic that might prove to be difficult. Save it for leaving town. Ferries and catamarans can take you along the Golden Horn or up the Bosphorus - an hour-long ferry ride is cheap and fun. | |
| Pre-20th century history | Prompted by the oracle at Delphi, a man named Byzas established a town on the site of present-day İstanbul around 657 BC. Although conquered by Alexander the Great and eventually subsumed by the Roman Empire, Byzantium fared pretty well until it annoyed a Roman emperor by backing his rival in a civil war, and it was subsequently destroyed. A new city was erected in 330 AD, at first called New Rome but quickly rechristened Constantinople in deference to the new Roman emperor, Constantine.Constantinople Continue reading. was regarded as the capital of the Eurasian world, thanks in large part to its magnificent architecture - many of the Christian churches, as well as the impressive Hippodrome, are still visible today. Embellishments to the city continued as the Eastern Roman Empire grew in strength, reaching its peak in the time of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. Over the next few centuries the city weathered attacks by the armies of the Islamic and Bulgarian empires, but the crusaders finally sacked it in 1204. The city was reclaimed by a rejuvenated Byzantine Empire 50 years later.The fall of Constantinople occurred in 1453 when the Ottoman army of Sultan Mehmet II took the city. It was under the Ottomans that a classic mosque design was established and many other great buildings constructed in the city, which was soon renamed İstanbul. The Ottoman Empire overextended itself militarily in the 18th century and went into a decline, accentuated by the fact that it was well behind Europe in the areas of science, politics and commerce. This led to modernisation attempts and in-fighting, including the eventual slaughter in İstanbul of the janissaries, the sultan's bodyguards and a prominent symbol of the old regimes.Ethnic nationalism ultimately splintered the Ottoman Empire. Greece asserted itself in 1832, with Bulgaria, Romania, Albania and the Arabs primed to follow suit. Meanwhile, other European powers were getting ready to squabble over the geographical pickings. Russia tried to pressure the Ottomans for control of the faltering empire's subjects, but the unfortunate result was the Crimean War, fought in 1853-56 with British and French support for the Turks against encroaching Russian power. Hide. |
| Modern history | | The turn of the 20th century was greeted with more nationalist uprisings in Macedonia, Crete and Armenia, and Turkish stability hit a new low after the country opted to side with Germany during WWI - the result was the British occupation of İstanbul. The Turkish War of Independence, during which revitalised nationalist forces fought off invaders from Greece, France and Italy, finally led to the birth of the Turkish republic in 1923.The seat of the new nation was established in Ankara, and İstanbul, no longer regarded as a political or cultural powerhouse, was relegated to a back-seat role in terms of its prominence as a city. |
| recent history: | | However, recently İstanbul has undergone a renaissance, with its infrastructure being upgraded, its cultural life emphasised and its political tenor increasingly influenced by the West. Indeed, Turkey's bid to join the EU is underpinned by the fact that these days its major city is a cosmopolitan and sophisticated megalopolis more than ready to reclaim its status as one of the world's truly great cities. |
 |  |  | | An evil eyeful on facade of Kybele Hotel, Sultanahmet | Dance of the Whirling Dervishes, to cleanse and bring union with Godd | Emperor's Chamber in Harem at Topkapı Palace: for royal lovin' | | Dallas Stribley | Hanan Isachar | Anders Blomqvist | | | | |  | | Forgotten 6th century underground cistern, rediscovered 1000 years on | | Christopher Groenhout | | |
| Galata Bridge | | | | Nothing is quite as evocative as walking across the Galata Bridge. At sunset, when the Galata Tower is surrounded by shrieking seagulls and the mosques atop the seven hills of the city are thrown into relief against a soft red-pink sky, the view from the bridge is spectacularly beautiful. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | Pera Museum | | www.peramuzesi.org.tr | | Category:art-related/museum | | | |
| | Direccion: Meşrutiyet Caddesi 65 | | | | tram: Karaköy then funicular to Tünel | |
| | The most beloved painting in the Turkish canon - Osman Hamdı Bey's The Tortoise Trainer - sold at auction in late 2005 for a massive US$3.5 million. Turks were worried that the painting might be lost to the nation, so there was rejoicing when this new, privately funded museum announced that it had been the successful bidder and that the painting would be the focal point of its wonderful Orientalist painting collection. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | Mevlevi Monastery | | | Category:museum/religious/spiritual | | | |
| | Direccion: Galipdede Cad 15 | | | | bus: T4 | | Horario: Wed-Mon 09:30-16:30 |
| | The Museum of Court Literature in the Mevlevi Monastery, is one of only a handful of functioning tekkes (dervish lodges) remaining in İstanbul. It's a slightly run-down compound and is really only worth visiting if you're here to see the sema (ceremony), and/or you feel like catching respite from the hubbub of Beyoğlu in the pleasant, shady gardens. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | Şehzade Mehmet Camii | | | Category:religious/spiritual | | | |
| | | Süleyman the Magnificent built this mosque between 1543 and 1548 as a memorial to his son, Mehmet, who died of smallpox in 1543 at the age of 22. It was the first important mosque to be designed by Mimar Sinan. Although not one of his best works, it has two beautiful minarets and attractive exterior decoration. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | Arap Camii | | | Category:religious/spiritual | | | |
| | Direccion: Galata Mahkemesi Sokak | | | | underground rail: Tersane Caddesi | |
| | This mosque is the only surviving place of worship built by the Genoese; it was the largest of the Latin churches in the city. Dating from 1337, it was converted to a mosque by Spanish Moors in the 16th century. It has a simple plan - long hall, tall square belfry-cum-minaret - with ornate flourishes such as the galleries added in the 20th century. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | İmren Lokantasi | | | Direccion: Kadırga Meydanı | | | | tram: Sultanahmet | |
| | We've eaten here many times and have always been the only non-Turk doing so (something that's bound to change now that we're listing it here). A neighbourhood lokanta with only five (shared) tables, it's a fab place to grab a delicious quick lunch. You can order a portion of döner kebap or choose from the range of hot dishes on offer - the guveć (stew) cooked in a terracotta pot is our favourite. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | Hamdi Et Lokantasi | | | Direccion: Kalçın Sokak 17, off Tahmis Caddesi | | | | tram: Eminönü | |
| | It's a hard call to make in a city with as many fabulous eateries as İstanbul, but if forced to list our top five Turkish restaurants, Hamdi would certainly be one of them. Its setting (on a rooftop with panoramic views across to Galata, down the Golden Horn and back to the Old İstanbul skyline) is wonderful, and its food is among the best in town. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | Banyan | | | Direccion: Salhane Sokak 3 | | | | bus: Ortaköy | |
| | The menu here travels around Asia, featuring Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. There is even the occasional fusion number: why not try the grilled vegetables and warm goat's cheese with pea paratha and green mandarin and ginger-infused olive oil and see if it works for you? | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | Büyük Londra Oteli Bar | | | | | | tram: Kabataş then funicular to Taksim | |
| | This is a true time-warp experience. We'd hazard a guess that the décor at this historic hotel has remained untouched for close on a century, and we're pleased to report that the prices haven't hiked up much during that time. The gins and tonics are pricey but lordy, they're strong! | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | Jazz Café | | | Category:bar/jazz/blues/food onsite/live music | | | |
| | | | | tram: Kabataş then funicular to Taksim | |
| | Bathed in mood lighting, this mellow place boasts expat hosts and loads of 30-something jazz-heads. Live music kicks off at 22:00. The programme changes and isn't always jazz. Beer costs around 6.00. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | James Joyce Irish Pub | | | Category:bar/theme/speciality bar | | | |
| | Direccion: Balo Sokak 26, off İstiklal Caddesi | | | | tram: Kabataş then funicular to Taksim | |
| | The only authentic Irish bar in town, this popular place is a good spot to enjoy a pint and a craic. There's a mixed crowd and a popular all-day breakfast. It occasionally organises live sessions of traditional Irish folk music and performances by Irish singers. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ |
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