Istanbul is a unique city, besides one of the oldest on Earth. Many times it passed from hand to hand, it was inhabited by representatives of different peoples and cultures, so it is not surprising that there is an incredible number of different monuments and interesting places. And the locals differ in friendliness, which also can not but rejoice.
Istanbul (or Constantinople) for its history managed to visit the capital of four empires.
In fact, the city has never been renamed – the Turks who captured it have always called the city of Istanbul (the russified version is Istanbul), and the Greeks even now refer to it as Constantinople.
The oldest settlements on the site of modern Istanbul date from about 6700 BC.
Istanbul is extremely popular with tourists – only the St. Sophia Cathedral and Topkapi Palace annually replenish the Turkish treasury by $ 30 million.
The six-story shopping center “Jevahir” in Istanbul is the biggest store in Europe. Its area is 420 thousand square meters.
The main palace of the Ottoman Empire Topkapi, which is now turned into a museum, is one of the largest palace complexes in the world. The palace, together with the accompanying buildings and parks, is a separate area of Istanbul with an area of more than 700,000 squares.
A large Istanbul bazaar, famous for the whole world with its scope and assortment, consists of 66 streets, where about 4000 stores are located.
Istanbul is located simultaneously in Europe and Asia.
In the history of Constantinople, 10 emperors of the Roman Empire, 82 Byzantine rulers and 30 sultans of the Ottoman Empire lived and ruled in it.
The length of Istanbul is 150 kilometers, width is 50 kilometers.
Istanbul is second only to Las Vegas by the number of marriages registered annually in it.
Every fifth inhabitant of Turkey is registered in Istanbul.
St. Sophia Cathedral for almost a thousand years was the largest temple in the world.
Istanbul St Stephen’s Church is the only whole iron church on Earth that was built from this unusual material in order to avoid arson.
Istanbul’s metropolitan is in third place among the world’s oldest subways. It is second only to the metro of London and New York.
Already in the XIV century in Constantinople there were about one and a half thousand public toilets, although at that time latrines did not suit even the most luxurious palaces in Europe.
The Bosporus bridge connecting the Asian and European parts of Istanbul is one of the longest suspended bridges in the world. Passage on it is paid, and pedestrians pass is forbidden because of the popularity of the bridge for suicides.
During the filming of the James Bond film “Coordinates Skyfall” the English spy drove on the roof of the Istanbul big bazaar on a motorcycle. The work of the market at the time of filming was stopped on steel, and people had no idea what was happening over their heads. In Istanbul, another film of the “Bondiana” was also filmed: “From Russia with Love.”
From Istanbul to Paris from the end of the XIX century one of the most luxurious trains in the world – the “Orient Express” – runs.
In the Istanbul Miniatür park you can see all the sights of Turkey at once, only in miniature. Visitors can also try themselves in the role of the train driver or the captain of the ship.
The luxurious hotel Chyrgan in Istanbul is one of the most expensive desserts in the world – a golden cake. Fruits for a filling for several years stand in a special composition, and a finished cake from above is covered with 24-carat gold.
