Although displaced from its role of capital by Ankara in 1919, Istanbul nevertheless remains the cultural, intellectual, artistic, economic and social heart of Turkey. This city, which has known two great empires, the Byzantine and the Ottoman, is home to a great diversity of people and a wealth of architectural treasures.

Straddling two continents, Asia and Europe, this megalopolis of some ten million inhabitants is a cultural bridge between the East and the West. Bordered by the Sea of Marmara, the Golden Horn and the straits of the Bosphorus, the crossroads of ancient peoples always moving according to the vagaries of history, the centre of trade from western Europe, the Middle East, central Europe, Russia and Asia, Istanbul enjoys a pivotal position on the world map. It leaves its visitors dazzled at the incredible beauty of its history and its past. Click here to find out more

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