The present city of Istanbul is widely considered to have been built around the metropolitan area of old Constantinople. According to records the region encompassed all the major districts in the 19th century. Today too, Istanbul is a pretty large city that consists of 27 districts and is one of the most populated parts of Turkey.
travel.mapsofworld.com provides complete online information on Istanbul.Istanbul is the cultural and financial center of Turkey. Located on the Bosphorus Strait this city in Turkey has a rich cultural history. In its long history, the city has served as the capital of the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Byzantine Empire as well as the Latin empire. Istanbul has been chosen as the joint Cultural Capital of Europe for the year 2010. All the major cultural and historical sites of Istanbul made it to the list of World Heritage sites of UNESCO.
Palaces, mosques, synagogues, churches castles and towers that dot the city illustrate the ethnicity and culture inherent to Istanbul. Even today Istanbul houses many ancient Greek and Roman monuments. A couple of the famous artifacts that fall under this category are:
Maiden's (Leander's) Tower- Built by Alcibiades in 408 BC, this tower is dedicated to Apollo, commemorating the victory over the Persians at Plataea.
Column of Constantine Built in 330 by Constantine the Great, it marked the declaration of the new Roman capital and was rumored to contain the holy fragments of the True Cross.
Hippodrome of Constantinople This structure was modeled on Circus Maximus in Rome.
At Istanbul in Turkey the tourists will also come across edifices that reflect the Byzantine culture and styles. Te famous water trench and the Walls of Constantine are the true epitomes of the Byzantine architecture. The sea walls in the Seraglio Point area are the best examples of the Byzantine art. Tourists also admire the Column of Marcian which was erected by Marcianus. Hagia Irene, a church built in the 4th century by Constantine, is also the oldest church in the city. Most of the churches in the Istanbul city belong to the Byzantine mode of artistry. The Hagia Sophia is a masterpiece in instance.
There are several Ottoman monuments in the city of Istanbul too. Some of the important monuments built during the Ottoman reign are:
Topkapi Palace
Fatih Mosque,
Dolmabahçe Palace
Ortaköy Mosque
Bosphorus Bridge and many more
The edifices and the monuments in the city form the crux of the tourist attractions in the region. Since Istanbul is so rich culturally it has become the hottest and most coveted tourist destinations in Turkey.
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