Eastern Wealth

In 1810, Lord Byron, expressed his deep admiration for the city of Istanbul, stating that if he had seen the wonderful cities of Athens, Ephesus, and Delphi, none of the above could be equal to the wonderful blend of nature and art that the city of Istanbul saw, from seven towers until the end of the Golden Horn. Today, Istanbul is the same place with charm that attracts millions of visitors each year.Located on the Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul extends both at European (Thrace) and on the Asia (Anatolia) in the Bosporus, being the only city in the world located on two continents.Istanbul is one of Europe’s largest cities, although it is not the capital of Turkey, Ankara that be from the year 1923, when the Republic of Turkey was taking shape.The most interesting is the fact that until 1923, except during the period of the Crusaders invasion, Istanbul has continually been an imperial capital of 1610 years. The Roman Emperor Constantino I founded this city like Constantinople, after himself, on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium.Became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1453 after the fall of Constantinople is the third capital of the Empire.Istanbul was and still is the nickname of the city of seven hills because the historical peninsula which is the oldest part was built on seven hills and each has a mosque at the top.By many years of prosperity, with names such as Byzantium or Constantinople, Istanbul was the urban centre of the worlds of East and West, with a population of almost 1 million.Today, Istanbul has an official population of 8,000,000 (unofficial 13 million) and although it does not have the same status, remains a city rich in history.It has a lot to tell and tourists continue to arrive in Istanbul. What there is to see in Istanbul, the city of the sultans?One of the main attractions is the Blue Mosque, named after the Iznik tiles glowing of its inside.It is one of the most spectacular sites in Istanbul and the legend says that it was built in order to face and overcome to Constantino the great triumphant Church of Hagia Sophia.Hahia Sophia is a magnificent Byzantine Church and is considered one of the best works of largest architecture and art in the world, not just in Istanbul.Some historians claim that Sophia might even be the 8th wonder of the world.