Istanbul - a metropol between the orient and the west

Located at the center of the old world, Istanbul is an important megapol, famous for its historical monuments and beautiful natural scenery. It is the only city on two continents where Asia and the European Continent are separated by a narrow seaside "Bosphorus". Having a history of more than 2500 years, Istanbul became an important trading center following the establishment of this strategic region embracing the sea and the land.

The historical city of Istanbul is located on the three sides of the Sea of ​​Marmara, the Bosphorus and Haliç's half island. This became the capital of three world empires, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Turks, and over a period of 1600 years more than 120 emperors and sultans reigned here. It is the only city in the world with this feature.
In the course of development, the city was expanded four times by constructing the city walls to the west each time.
Surrounded by 5th century Roman monuments, Istanbul built on 7 hills is adorned with Sultan mosques, like the masterpieces of Turkish art, the "crown" of the city.

The silhouette of the city is beautiful, magnificent and peaceful in every direction.
The Halic Horn, a very sure harbor, played an important role in the development of the city.
The fact that the main roads are located at the crossroads reaching to the sea, the easily defended half island, the ideal climate, the rich and generous nature, the control of the strategic Bosphorus and the geographical position in the center of the world are the essence of Istanbul.

If the empires are the capital, became the administrative center, and from the time of the establishment of the East Christian Patriarchate, the first churches and monasteries of the Christian world have been raised above the pagan temples. Following the conquest of Istanbul, artworks, palaces, schools, baths and other facilities were restored to Turkish character and ruined churches were repaired and converted into the community.

In a hundred years after the conquest of Istanbul, the Ottoman Sultans were the caliphs of the Islamic religion. The first year of the Republic from the 16th century until 1924, this symbol is the center of Istanbul. Judaism settled more in Istanbul than in every port city, and in the 15th century the Turks rescued them from Spain and started a happy, new lifestyle in this city. Istanbul has become a center of tolerance where mosques, churches and synagogues continue to exist side by side.

During the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the city could be adorned with many rich and colorful works; the palaces were made under the influence of European art; the northern slopes of the Golden Horn were decorated with European identities of Galata and Beyoğlu districts. The empire, which is a party to World War I, collapsed and replaced the capital of the young Republic, which was established in Ankara, and it did not diminish the importance of Istanbul.

Unplanned development, which started in the years following World War II and accelerated after 1950, influenced the texture of the old city, unfortunately the wooden settlements were rapidly destroyed and everywhere filled with concrete buildings.
Istanbul, which was exploited by outward migration, was soon overtaken by historical walls and the main arterials that had been subjected to the invasion of workshops, factories and workplaces could not provide solutions for traffic and the Golden Horn was the first place to get polluted due to lack of infrastructure. With the rescue operations that began in the 1980s, a restructuring process, which he did not see in Istanbul's history, enters the process.

Thousands of buildings have been expropriated on the shores of the Halic Horn and the coastline is surrounded by a green belt and the banks of the Sea of ​​Marmara are filled with parks and gardens.
The drainage systems have been completed and the wastewater has been physically and biologically refined and pollution of the seas surrounding the city has been prevented and the air pollution has been reduced due to the use of natural gas.
Roma city wall restorations have been started and center of it, Beyoğlu has been liberated with a newly opened street.
Maintenance, garbage business have caught up with European standards.

Peripheral roads connect the Bosphorus with 2 suspension bridges connecting the continents, speedy trams and finally the subway system and sea bus terminals built on the coast have provided speed and comfort in sea transport.
While all industrial facilities on the historic peninsula are being transported to modern sites built outside the city, new towns and the international bus terminal relieve traffic intensity. The old prison building and the city's first large concrete structure were converted into 5-star hotels for tourism. The city continues its dynamic growth all along the Marmara coast along the east-west axis.

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_{source of informations are different wiki-türk indexes
source of pictures are google image search & printerest}