Turkey

Istanbul's strategic location has attracted marauding armies for centuries. Greeks, Romans, Venetians - they took turns ruling the magnificent city until the Ottomans invaded and decided to stay for good. The city's location between two continents wasn't its only attraction - it was the last stage of the legendary Silk Road linking Asia to Europe, and many of the merchants who came here loved it so much that they decided to stay too. In doing so, they gave the city a special cultural diversity that has survived to this day.

Instead of adorning the city with art treasures, the conquering armies of antiquity usually plundered it. That all changed with the dawn of the Byzantine Age, which saw the creation of churches and palaces decorated with mosaics and frescoes. Miraculously, many of them have survived to this day. The Ottoman successors quickly embarked on an ambitious building programme, resulting in the magnificently decorated imperial mosques - a real architectural triumph, together forming one of the world's greatest skyscrapers. In recent years, local banks and business dynasties have once again realised the Ottomans' grand ambitions, and have presented an impressive number of galleries, museums and festivals for all to enjoy.

Some ancient cities are just a collection of their monuments, but Istanbul is so much more. Its main attraction is its locals, who have an infectious love of life and generosity of spirit. This vibrant, inclusive and growing community is home to people who work hard and have fun, and who have no problem combining tradition and modernity in their daily lives. A visit to their favourite places - tea gardens, cafés, Turkish eateries and kebab shops - will be the highlight of your visit.

"What about food?" - you ask. We are happy to report that the city's cuisine is as varied as its heritage, and delicious to boot. The locals are serious about eating and drinking, with some of the best restaurants in the country. If you like, you can eat flavoursome Asian dishes or Italian classics, but most visitors prefer the city's signature dishes of succulent kebabs, flavoursome mixed dishes and freshly caught fish. Drinks are dominated by the national drink, raki (aniseed brandy) or locally produced wine.

Places to visit:

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque - is one of the best surviving architectural wonders of the Byzantine era. This religious landmark, located in the heart of central Istanbul, remains an important symbol of power even today. Commissioned by Emperor Justinian and consecrated as the Hagia Sophia (Church of Divine Wisdom) in 537, it was converted into a mosque by Sultan Mehmet II (Mehmet the Conqueror) in 1453, declared a museum by Atatürk in 1935, and converted back into a functioning mosque in 1935. In 2020, this changing status of Aya Sofia reflects the history of Istanbul, tracing its period as the capital of Constantinople, first Byzantine and then Ottoman, to the modern era, when this vast metropolis remains the main guardian of Turkish history. Witness the audacity of Justinian's vision, which raised the first hanging dome in history on a church so large that it would not be surpassed in size for almost 1 000 years. Experience how the design of this venerable structure has over the centuries combined Byzantine splendour with Ottoman grandeur, and experience how its religious significance is undiminished today.

Topkapi Palace - Topkapi Palace has more colourful stories to tell than most museums combined. In the 15th and 19th centuries, when it was an Ottoman court, life was like a movie: sultans, courtiers, harem, war. Visit the palace's sumptuous pavilions, the jewel-filled treasury and the harem for a glimpse of fascinating Ottoman life.

Suleymaniye Mosque - crowns one of Istanbul's seven hills and is the city's dominant landmark by the Golden Horn Creek. Although it is not the largest of the Ottoman mosques, it is undoubtedly one of the largest and most beautiful. It is also unusual in that many of its original külliye (mosque complex) buildings have been preserved and adapted for re-use.