Overview

Irresistible Istanbul

It has the distinction of being the only city to be spread across two great continents, it is chaotic, confused, muddled and splitting at its seams, it has been coveted by everyone down the centuries, it is a layering of civilization on civilization; an empire built upon another empire. It is the glorious Istanbul – the one city that straddles Asia and Europe with aplomb and the one city that is on the top of most tourists’ wish list.

Istanbul is an irresistible city. It pulls tourists like a magnet to its opulent culture and traditions; to the legacy of its 2,500 years of history and to its maddening ocean of humanity speaking in a hundred languages. Once known as Constantinople, Istanbul was the capital of the Byzantine and then the Ottoman Empire and has for centuries been a bustling and cosmopolitan crucible of cultures on the Bosphorus.

The marks of its history are most evident in the Old City, known as Old Stamboul or Sultanahmet. This historic peninsula on the Bosphorus is home to ancient Roman hippodromes, peristyles, and aqueducts, the greatest excesses of the Byzantine Empire and the mystique and power of the Ottoman Empire. Across the Golden Horn is the modern heart of the city, heir to the future of the country, pulsating and throbbing like a living being; just like any other metropolis in the world. It may not be the political epicenter of the country, but is for sure Turkey’s ambassador of art, entertainment, music, and education.

As the undisputed cultural, economic, and historical capital of Turkey, Istanbul has enough monuments and attractions (as well as enticing restaurants and shops) to keep you busy for days. The Byzantine-built Aya Sofya and the Ottoman-era Blue Mosque (pic above) and Topkapi Palace are within walking distance of each other, while other historic mosques and churches are sprinkled throughout the city. Wonderful museums, covering the spectrum from archaeology to modern art, are also here. The sprawling Grand Bazaar is the shopper’s paradise as are the trendy new boutiques. Foodies can go berserk with the city’s top-notch restaurants, from simple kebab joints to swank rooftop restaurants and laidback fish restaurants along the shores of the Bosphorus strait….there is everything in this compact world that makes it a distraction hard to resist for a tourist who wants to be surprised.

The Story of Istanbul

Map of Istanbul by Piri Reis, 1525

What is now called Asian Istanbul was probably inhabited by people as early as 3000 BC. However, it was left to Greek colonists led by King Byzas to establish the colony of Byzantium, the Greek name for a city on the Bosphorus, in the 7th century. Byzas chose the spot after consulting an oracle of Delphi and gave his name to the city: Byzantium.

In the early 100's BC, Byzantium became part of the Roman Empire and in 306 AD, Emperor Constantine the Great made Byzantium capital of the entire Roman Empire. From that point on, the city was known as Constantinople. AD 400 was turbulent times for the empire, as the Barbarians conquered the Western Roman Empire while the Eastern, also called the Byzantine Empire, kept Constantinople as its capital. In 532 during the reign of Justinian I, antigovernment riots destroyed the city. The subsequent rebuilding of the city saw the construction of landmarks such as Hagia Sophia. This was the time when the Byzantine Empire was at its height.

Mehmet II Storms into Constantinople

However, the very attributes that made Istanbul so desirable were also the reason it had to face waves upon waves of attacks in next several hundred years, from Persians, Arabs, nomadic peoples, and members of the Fourth Crusade. This constant battling took its toll on Constantiople, as it was then known and the Ottoman Turks lead by Sultan Mehmet II conquered Constantinople in 1453. Renamed Istanbul, it became the third and last capital of the Ottoman Empire and the epicenter for military campaigns that helped expand the Ottoman Empire.

By the mid 1500's, Istanbul, with a population of almost half a million, was a major cultural, political, and commercial center. Ottoman rule continued until it was defeated in WWI and Istanbul was occupied by the allies. When the Republic of Turkey was born in 1923 after the War of Independence, Kemal Ataturk moved the capital to the city of Ankara. The move, however, did not rust Istanbul’s claim to being one of the most coveted cities in the world and it continued to expand dramatically.

Today Istanbul attracts immigrants, businesses and tourists to its many interesting museums, castles, palaces, mosques, churches, and historic hammams.

The best season in Istanbul

Istanbul on the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus is a temptation hard to resist for tourists from any walk of life. although, following the “Do it when you can” adage, most tourists visit Istanbul at all times of the year, the best time to be in the city of Minarets is perhaps during Spring and Autumn. This would roughly be from April to June and from September to October, when the weather is usually mild and the humidity is bearable. The crowds are thinner than during the summer months and it isn’t too difficult to find good places to stay.

The winter months from November to February are the ones you want to avoid. This is the time when the city sees the ‘dogs – and – cats’ type of rains and the maximum humidity that makes you keep wiping your forehead – not much fun!