Istanbul, Turkey Travel - Guides
Whether looking for a luxury vacation or a romantic getaway, Turkey has it. Throughout Turkey there are many choices for travel activities, tours, lodging (popular hotels, villa stays and vacation rentals), and big & small cruises in the Aegean Sea and the Mediteranean Sea that travel in Turkey promises to be an unforgettable travel experience. You can build your personal trip planning itinerary online and choose to explore the area on your own or take our travel theme tours that make it easy to experience travel as you like it.
Turkey Guide - to help with your travel planning, find valuable details on the area including local activities & attractions, recommended restaurants, favorite shopping areas, walking tours, suggested itineraries and events.
Istanbul Introduction
First-time visitors to Istanbul often leave home with foggy yet preconceived notions about what this storied and mysterious destination will be like. And while visitors will have their own opinions and ideas on what to look forward to, in Istanbul, they all have a ring of truth. Istanbul, like Turkey, is simultaneously many and often bewilderingly contradictory things: ancient and modern, western and Oriental, religious and secular, conservative and progressive, wondrous and ordinary, familiar and exotic. But there is one undeniable common denominator among all of these disparate and contradictory traits: Istanbul is growing more and more interesting by the day. Juxtaposed against the unstoppable machine of progress are layers upon layers of ancient civilization, where housing renovations or urban renewal projects invariably uncover groundbreaking evidence of Istanbul's stature throughout the centuries. If you need proof that Istanbul is as momentous as Rome, as captivating as Paris, and -- if you know where to go -- as exotic as Bangkok, then you've picked up the right book.
A city that straddles Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a symbol of greatness, coveted historically by everyone from Xerxes all the way down the historical dateline through World War I, when Russia was green with envy over the possibilities of what free passage through the Bosphorus Straits could do for its economy.
The traditions inherited from the past 2,500 years of history (although recent discoveries backdate the city by thousands of years) are most evident in the Old City, known as Old Stamboul or the Historic Peninsula. A stroll through this open-air museum reveals ancient Roman hippodromes, underground cisterns, and architectural icons, all representing the greatest excesses of the Byzantine Empire and the mystique and power of the Ottoman Empire. As a religious center (the heart of the Greek Orthodox Church as well as the Islamic faith for centuries), this old section of Istanbul is the custodian of two of the world's most important cultural heritages and home to some of the world's most opulent displays of art and wealth. Early Greek civilization left us the building blocks for Rome and Byzantium, which swathed these earlier foundations in rich mosaics and left their mark in monuments such as the Hippodrome and Ayasofya. Even Sultan Fatih Mehmet II was astounded at the beauty of the city he had finally conquered. The Ottoman dynasty redirected the city's fortunes into the imperial majesty of undulating domes and commanding minarets, and the sumptuousness of Topkapi Palace.
Across the Golden Horn is the modern heart of the city, custodian of the latter centuries of the Ottoman Empire and heir to the future of the country. This, the "modern" city, pulsates with all the electricity of a cutting-edge international metropolis. Although the political capital sits safely in the heartland, this part of Istanbul projects itself into the world as Turkey's ambassador of art, entertainment, music, and education. Meanwhile on the Asian side of the Bosphorus sprawl residential neighborhoods and commercial centers more reminiscent of Europe than the area's counterpart on the European side.
Together, these and Istanbul's other neighborhoods provide a home to 23 million-plus of the 74 million people living in Turkey, many of whom are modest village folk who've migrated to the big city out of economic need. Over pricey brunches, the residents of the more prosperous neighborhoods along the Bosphorus revile the poor wedged into the squalid back streets of Süleymaniye, Çarsamba, and Tarlabasi, while the religious fundamentalists of the Fatih and Üsküdar neighborhoods stare out through their veils in disapproval.
As a complex society in transition, and a microcosm of the tug-of-war between East and West, Istanbul is still a work in progress. It is a work of monumental proportions. Istanbul is so exotic, wonderful, complex, and utterly captivating, that once experienced, it'll be impossible to break free from its spell.
Content provided by Frommer's Unlimited © 2010, Whatsonwhen Limited and Wiley Publishing, Inc. By its very nature much of the information in this travel guide is subject to change at short notice and travellers are urged to verify information on which they're relying with the relevant authorities. Travmarket cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or inconvenience to any person as a result of information contained above.Event details can change. Please check with the organizers that an event is happening before making travel arrangements. We accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person resulting from information published on this site. |
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