The Marmara Region occupies the northwest corner of Turkey, and being a point of juncture between Europe and Asia, this area has seen thousands of tribes and their civilizations passing through, from one continent to the other.
The famous city of Istanbul stands in the center of the region, with all its magnificence, and signs from its far-reaching past. Its location constitutes not only a city of history, but also one of natural beauty. Located on two shores of the Bosphorus and bordered by green groves, it also has lovely shores along the internal Marmara Sea. Facing the city there are several small, pretty islands.

Uludag is the most prominent mountain in the region, and at its foot lies the green city of Bursa. It is an important historically center with its rich past kept alive in its mosques and tombs of unsurpasses architectural design. Ancient Iznik (Nicea) is another historical city, as are the charming Edrine in Thrace.

Bordering Greece and Bulgaria, the land of Thrace is covered by wide fields of sunflowers and vineyards, while olive groves are found extending all over the region, like the gardens in Balikesir and the Anatolian side.

Istanbul is as momentous as Rome, as captivating as Paris, and as exotic as Bangkok. The city is chaotic, confused, messy, muddled, and glorious, where one civilization is layered upon another, and where one empire's ruins are foundations for the next.
A city that straddles Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a symbol of greatness, coveted historically by everyone from Xerxes all the way down the historical dateline through World War I and Russia's envy over the possibilities of what free passage through the Bosphorus Straits could do for its economy. Even today, foreign commerce gets a free ride as hundreds of thousands of ships stream up and down this epic waterway.

The traditions inherited from 2,500 years of history are most evident in the Old City, known as Old Stamboul or Sultanahmet. A stroll through this historic peninsula will reveal ancient Roman hippodromes, peristyles, and aqueducts, the greatest excesses of the Byzantine Empire, the mystique and power of the Ottoman Empire, and the relentless hassling by the merchant class. As a religious center (heart of the Greek Orthodox Church as well as the Islamic faith for centuries), Istanbul is the custodian of one of the world's most important cultural heritages and home to some of the world's most opulent displays of art and wealth. Early Greek civilization left the building blocks for Rome and Byzantium, which covered these earlier foundations in rich mosaics and left its mark in monuments such as the Hippodrome and Ayasofya. Even Fatih Mehmet II was astounded at the beauty of the city he had finally conquered. The Ottoman dynasty redirected the city's fortunes into the imperial majesty of undulating domes and commanding minarets, and the sumptuousness of Topkapi Palace. 

Across the Golden Horn is the modern heart of the city, heir to the future of the country, pulsating with all the electricity of a cutting-edge international metropolis. Although the political capital sits safely in the heartland, this part of Istanbul projects itself into the world as Turkey's ambassador of art, entertainment, music, and education.

Today Istanbul is home to 14 million people. It may be nonrepresentative of Turkey as a whole, but the city is so exotic, wonderful, complex, and utterly monumental, that once seen, it's impossible to break free from its spell.

Topkapi was the first Ottoman palace to be built (1466-1478) by Mehmet II in the newly conquered capital of the Empire. Located on the spot where the foundations of the city were first laid in ancient times by Megarian Chief Byzas in the 7th century BC, the palace boasts one of the most beautiful views of Istanbul, incorporating the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, the two shores and the Sea of Marmara. Unlike the European palaces, Topkapi is not a single monumental structure but a more organic complex made up of various buildings, gardens and areas spread over the tip of the historical peninsula at the entry to the Golden Horn. Topkapi Palace served as the residence of Ottoman sultans for about 400 years, until Abdulmecid built the Dolmabahce Palace. In its hey-days, there were between 8-10 thousand people living in the palace, mostly the Jannisaries.

In 1924, it was turned into a museum and became one of the most attractive palace-museums in the world. The most inspiring exhibition halls of the palace are the Treasury, Islamic holly relics, costumes of the sultans, divan, harem, kitchens, Chinese porcelains and buildings such as the Baghdad, Revan, Sofa and Mecidiye. 

This 17th century mosque, near Haghia Sophia, is famous for the beautiful blue tile work ornamenting its walls. Its surrounding six slim minarets distinguish it from other mosques which normally have two or four minarets. It was built by architect Mehmet Aga by the order of Sultan Ahmed I as a complex in seven years and became the most important mosque of the city, right in Sultanahmet square.

The ancient Byzantine church, built by Justinian I between 532-537 AD after the Nika Riot, was later converted to a mosque with the addition of minarets in mid-15th century. The remarkable structure with its immense dome is a museum today in which you can see both Christian and Islamic art. There are good examples of the Byzantine mosaics as well. For about 1000 years this was the largest church in the world, and glory of the Byzantine Empire.

It was originally erected in the 16th century B.C. by the Pharaoh Thutmosis III in honor of the God of Sun Amon Ra in the city of Teb, Egypt, in front of the temple of Luxor. Brought to Istanbul by emperor Theodosius I in 390 A.D. for the decoration of the ancient Hippodrome. The approximately 19 meter high obelisk is covered on all four sides with hieroglyphic pictograms and stands on a marble base with many friezes depicting the Emperor and his family in the Hippodrome. After decoding the hieroglyphs it has been discovered that last 5 or 6 meters of the Obelisk is missing from the bottom.

This was the scene of horse and chariot races and the center of Byzantine civic life. It was the place where the Nika Riot started in 532 AD. There are an Egyptian Obelisk, a stone obelisk and the Serpentine Column which were originally brought by the emperors and used for the decoration of the Hippodrome. At the other side of the Hippodrome the German Fountains still function today. The imperial lodge was located to the west of the Hippodrome where Ibrahim Pasha Palace stands now.

 Aegean Cost | Ephesus | Izmir | Pergamon | Bosphorus | Cappadocia | Turkish Art | Turkish Baths | Turkish Baazars | Trivia | Turkish Cuisine | Books and Movies
Tour Insurance | Travel Insured | Travel Guard | MedJet | Travel Checklist | Pack This! | Flight Search | More Travel Tips