Istanbul Tourist Attractions

Istanbul, though not the capital is the major city of Turkey .Formerly known as Byzantium and later on as Constantinople, is a city with a lot of history. If you are in to history, then you will be amazed by the glorious building of Hagia Sofia (Hagia=Saint , Sofia =Wisdom in byzantine language which was a form of ancient Greek).This magnificent structure was a Christian church of the Byzantine empire, to be converted  into a mosque after the Ottomans-Turks conquered the city at  the 29^th of May 1453.The new owners of the city, applied their culture on the building, putting Islamic art over the Christian mosaics.Hagia Sofia is currently a museum hosting both influences  of the two empires in artwork and architecture.

Equal to Hagia Sofia in brilliance and pride stands the enormous Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or simply blue Mosque, where you can find the tomb of its founder.Yeah, you guessed right, Sultan Ahmed.

You can also admire the Roman influence in some sightseeings,as the Valens Aquedant,a water carrying  construction with all the typical roman arches one can observe all over Europe, another is the Hippodrome and its obelisks, where horse races took place, and since you are there, you can also see the Column of Constantine which is near the Hippodrome. Of course not to forget and miss the impressive 22km-14mi long Walls of Constantinople, raised to protect the city of intruders by land and sea.

Besides gigantic mosques, Istanbul also has palaces, with the most significant one being the Topkapi Palace, house of the Sultans for 391 years. Near theTopkapi palace, are two places that you must not miss the Istanbul Archaeology Museums and the Gülhane Park. We suggest that  you first visit the Archaeology Museums(there are three of them in the certain area) to see more than a million artifacts from the three empires, from coins to medallions, fragments of old temples and statues, and many sarcophagus, with the most important of them being the Alexander Sarcophagus, which was once believed that it was manufactured to sleep the body of the Macedonian conqueror of almost all the known world map of his time, whose name I suppose you have heard and is Alexander the Great. Another significant exhibit is the oldest peace treaty that has been yet discovered, between the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II and Hattusili III of the Hittite empire. So after the long standing in the museums, take a rest and then a walk in order to stretch your legs and breathe fresh air under the trees in the famous Gülhane Park.Exotic Car Rental seo agency

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Istanbul- General Facts

A bit of history

Istanbul is Turkey’s biggest city. It is a city of great historical importance that has been the capital of three empires and now modern Turkey. It carried different names during the ages- Byzantium, Constantinople, Tsarigrad, and Istanbul. The city was named Constantinople after Emperor Constantine the Great- one of the last great emperors of the Roman Empire. He built the city as the new Christian capital of his newly Christianized empire. Later, the city became the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which was the successor of the great Roman civilization. For many centuries under the Byzantine rule it was the most magnificent and developed city in the known world. That city was the envy of all other states up to the late medieval times. After a period of decline the Byzantine Empire and the city of Constantinople were conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 15^th century and renamed Istanbul. The city was the capital of this huge empire for the next 5 centuries. After the proclamation of the Turkish republic the capital was moved to Ankara. Nonetheless, Istanbul remained the most important cultural, historic and economic city in the country.

Geography

Istanbul is the only city in the world that is situated on two continents. The two parts are divided by the Bosporus which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. The European side holds the historic and economic part of the city and the Anatolian (Asian) has the rest. A very prominent feature of the city is the Golden Horn. That was a famous harbor guarding the ancient cities of Byzantium and Constantinople. The old part of the city is historically considered to be built on seven hills. On each one of them there is an imperial mosque from the time of the Ottoman Empire.

Climate

Istanbul has a Mediterranean climate with a very strong influence of the two seas nearby. The Black Sea from the north brings in cooler air and the Sea of Marmara brings in the much warmer air from the Mediterranean. The summers in Istanbul are hot and dry with very few rain falls and the winters are cold and wet with rains. The average temperature in the summer does not exceed 23 °C and in the winter 10 °C. A very common occurrence in the city is fogs.

Transport

The city has a very well developed transportation system. There are two international airports that serve the city- the Ataturk International Airport and the Sabiha Gokcen International Airport. Ataturk Airport is a very modern airport that is among the busiest ones in the world.

Sea transport is very common and has good traditions in the city. It helps connect the two parts of the city. Those ferries are famous touristic attractions as well.

A well developed highway system connects Istanbul with the other Turkish cities and Europe. The city has an extensive network of motorway roads that span inside the city and through its surroundings. Famous bridges that are part of this network are the Bosporus, Ataturk, Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Galata bridges.

Moreover, the city has a good system of trains, light rails and metro trains that help alleviate the traffic and transport the daily commuters from the neighboring cities and the two parts of the city.

Car hire companies that operate in the city limits are Europcar, Filo Cars, Aga Oglu Rental and Miller Car Rental.