Istanbul

Istanbul – a beautiful ancient city, once the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the place where merge East and West. It is the only city in the world, both located in two parts of the world. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and one of the most populous cities in the world – is home to more than 13 million people.
Description of the city

Majestic Istanbul until 1930 bore the name of Constantinople, located on the shores of the Bosporus, in a place where there are waters of the Black and Marmara seas, and the border between Europe and Asia. Mixing the two cultures and to this day largely determines the appearance of the city, giving it a unique charm and fascination. Probably, the main charm of Istanbul is precisely in his wonderful, sometimes absurd variety. Also known by the ancient chronicles as the Constantinople, the legendary city and is steadily developing rapidly.
Istanbul City is located on two continents, and “cut” the Bosphorus on the European and Asian parts, connected by several bridges. In turn, the European part is divided into two halves of the beautiful Golden Horn, one of the symbols of the city. To the south of the bay is the area Emin?n?, or Old Town, is largely preserved its historical appearance. To the north of the Golden Horn Bay Port is located and business areas of the city. The Asian part of the city is primarily a residential area, however, and there remained a lot of interesting monuments and attractions.
In terms of importance and influence exerted on the formation of the European city of the world, Istanbul can only be compared with Rome. Number of historical values ??stored in the museums of Istanbul and architectural attractions on its territory is half the cultural heritage throughout Turkey. No wonder this city is nicknamed “perfect” and is considered the richest and most beautiful in the region. World-famous Christian churches and Muslim mosques, many museums, monuments of ancient architecture, palaces and castles – all this attracts a lot of tourists to Istanbul. Every year the city on the Bosphorus visited by more than 6 million travelers, and their number is growing steadily.
Panorama of Istanbul

Istanbul today

The convenient geographical location predetermined his fate – a small seaport rapidly developed into a major trading hub, is gradually becoming the largest and richest city in Europe. Today Istanbul – the most important industrial center of the country, which plays a key role in the economy of the state. In addition, the city was dominated in the fields of science, education and culture – there are many universities, the largest of libraries, museums and theaters.
The largest city in Turkey takes a rather impressive area – 2106 square kilometers. The population of Istanbul – 13,483,052 people, according to this indicator, he is even ahead of Moscow. The number of inhabitants is constantly increasing due to migration from other parts of the country.

Security

For such a large city crime rate in Istanbul is quite low, especially when compared with other world tourist centers. However, as in any big city, here you need to be careful and security measures. There are cases of pickpocketing, so large sums of money with them it is better not to take, and documents stored in the hotel safe, while currently having a copy. It should beware of exploring the sparsely populated streets of the Old City at night, as well as possible to avoid visiting such areas as the Laleli, Aksaray, Fatih and Zeytinburnu.
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque)
Istanbul
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque)

Interesting facts about Istanbul

Istanbul – the only city in the world, both geographically located in Europe and Asia
Legendary detective Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” was written in Istanbul, the hotel “Pera Palas”
Istanbul was the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empire during its greatest prosperity
Like the Italian capital this city founded on seven hills, partly hence the nickname of his “Second Rome”
Metro Istanbul was built in 1875 and is the oldest in the world after London and New York
In Istanbul, one in five people living in Turkey
There is a unique temple, made entirely of iron – Bulgarian St. Stephen’s Cathedral
Istanbul is the world’s largest indoor market – a historic Grand Bazaar, where more than 3,000 stores
Attractions (what to see)

Attractions Istanbul impossible to describe in a few words, so focus on the main tourist spots. Undoubtedly, first arrived in Istanbul, it is impossible not to visit the historic city center – Sultanahmet. There are two truly impressive monument of architecture and religion – Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque.
Soboor Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya-)
Hagia Sophia is one of the main symbols of the city. Once it was the main church of the Christian faith in the East and the largest church in all of Christendom, the cathedral and now operates as a museum. A grand building with a dome diameter of 31 meters was a real architectural masterpiece of its era.
Directly opposite the cathedral is the Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmet Mosque – another religious symbol of Istanbul and one of the largest mosques in the world, a beautiful example of architecture of Islam.
Also in Istanbul, you should definitely visit the Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahce Palace, Galata Tower, the Basilica Cistern, Hippodrome.

Istanbul wallpapers for your PC, Iphone, Android Device or Tablet PC. If you want to download Istanbul High Quality wallpapers for your desktop, please download this wallpapers below and click «set as desktop background». You can share this wallpaper in social networks, we will be very grateful to you