OverviewIstanbul
To attempt to describe this magnificent city is a near impossible task. The most vibrant and inspiring European city – for make no mistake, Istanbul is very much Europe – defies definition and it is this quality that bewitches the visitor.
In an age where homogeneous high-streets and cloning urban regulations are turning our European cities into easily recognizable if not over-familiar environments – Istanbul stands with all its chaotic splendour as one of the few urban wonders of our age.
It's in its layers of History, its modern day idiosyncrasies, its sublime panoramic views and its welcoming people that one will find the essence of Istanbul.
Bathed by the calm waters of the Bosphorus strait, the Sea of Marmara and the Golden Horn, Istanbul is a sprawling city of approximately 15 million people.
A landscape of domes and minarets, of old Ottoman wooden houses and modern apartment buildings, of wide avenues and small cobblestone lanes, of traditional wares stores and swanky designer shops, of tea houses and modern cocktail bars, of XVI century hamams and luxurious spas, of mouthwatering turkish cuisine lokandas and modern fusion restaurants, of traditional turkish music bars and cutting edge clubs, of jazz festivals and street festivals, of cozy cafes and minimalistic bars.
A place where, following its age-old hospitality, everyone is welcome and seemingly opposites, the secular and religious, mystical and earthly, modern and traditional, coexist in harmony.
Once termed as a wonder of the world, for all its Historic richness, it is a refreshingly candid and unpretentious city guaranteed to satisfy all tastes.
Situated in an enclave of outstanding beauty, Istanbul is the latest incarnation of old Byzantium and Constantinople. Many remnants of its ancient times are still standing making its historic quarter a UNESCO Heritage site.
Here you will find awe inspiring buildings. Santa Sofia, the Blue Mosque – named after the thousands of blue Iznik tiles used to decorate its interior – and Süleymaniye mosque or the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent, both sublime architectural expressions of Islamic piety.
Cemberlitas Hamam, a XVI century hamam designed by the great architect Sinan, the Roman Hippodrome with its Egiptian obelisk , the Grand Bazaar, still holding on to the title of the biggest covered market in the World, the Spice Bazaar and the Topkapi Palace the magnificent home to Sultans, their concubines and eunuchs, a complex made up of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings.
Its construction was ordered in 1459 by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Byzantine Constantinople and it was built in what is, without a doubt, one of the most privileged enclaves on Earth – the famous Seraglio – sitting in a promontory in Europe, its shoreline washed by the waters of the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara and looking into Asia – this is romantic Istanbul.
Just across the Galata Bridge, on the northern shore of the Golden Horn and testament to Istanbul's cosmopolitan legacy, we find the neighbourhood of Galata – a former Genoese colony whose inhabitants built one of the most striking landmarks on the Istanbul skyline. The Galata Tower, almost 700 years later, continues to be the unrivalled vantage point from where to enjoy a 360 degree panoramic view of Istanbul and experience first-hand what it feels like to see the continent of Asia from Europe.
This most contemporary part of town known as Beyoglu also includes the neighbourhood of Pera, which was developed from 1889 as the Orient-Express brought wealthy visitors from London, Paris and Vienna who, attracted by the en-vogue Orientalist current, travelled to and sometimes settled in Constantinople, a 'de rigueur' destination on the grand tour of the Continent; this eastern-most continental European city regaled the visitor with an inspiring mix of exoticism and wonder. In a reciprocal exchange and true to its openness, Constantinople acquired a Parisian taste, a want for the architecture, 'modes' and customs and even for the language of the French capital and it is in this constant melange of eastern and western flavours that one can begin to glimpse at the soul of Istanbul.
