Citywith ahistory ofthousands ofyears hasmade manypeoplefall in lovewithits charm. Napoleonwhoonce ruledhalf ofEuropehaddubbedIstanbulas the capital ofthe world. OrhanParuk, Nobel literaturelaureatesin 2006to dedicateaspecialbookforher hometown.Even thelatestJames Bondmoviereportedlyscheduled to bere-filmed in thiscity, following twonew filmFromRussia WithLoveandTheWorldisnotEnough.Historicaland culturalwealth ofIstanbul's specialsummarized, as toldbyHaniSulastriHamid, Executivesummarybydarmansjah
Istanbulis one ofthe largest city inTurkey. Althoughnolonger functioningas the capital ofIstanbulsince 1923butremains themost importantin this country. Everyyearmillions of touristsvisitthiscitybecause of the manyinteresting places thatare not ownedbyanotherState. Ifyoulovetravelingandare interested to learnthe history, background ofIstanbulwho was formerlyByzantiumandConstantinople, and thelong history ofthe Ottoman Empirethatmake this cityhas manyinterestingrelics, youhavebeen toIstanbulasits history is richdo notbe surprised ifIstanbulis crownedEuropeanCultureCapitalin2010.Another thing thatmakesthis cityinteresting isit liesontwocontinents, AsiaandEurope.
Regionisthe first time IvisitedSultanahmet, themostfuturisticin Turkey. Herethere aremany buildingsthat must be visitedby touristssuch asHagiaSophia, TopkakiPalace, BlueMosque, BasilicaCisternandGrandBazaaar. Because of its locationadjacent to, anybuilding can bevisited inonedaywkatufull. By the timeI visited theHagiaSophia, the queuetobuyticketswaslongsnakingbecausemany wanted tosee first hand thecharmof thishistoricbuilding. HagiaSophiais theredbuildingwith a lot ofthe dome. At firstIstanbulwasanicon ofachurch foundedbyEmperorJustinianinthe 6th centurytoreplace thepreviouscathedraldestroyed by fire. In1453SultanMehmedIIconquered ConstantinopleHagiaSophiachangedintoa mosque. Substitution ofthe functionsofthe churchinto a mosqueseenonvarioussides ofthismagnificent building. Among themosaic-mosaic depicting theVirgin MaryandJesusChriston the wallsvisitors canseeand writtenin ArabiccalligraphyAllahandMuhammadinbigletters. The interesting thinghereisastonethat has aperforationin the middlecalled thewishstone. When visitorsenterandconductanother round ofthumb, it ishopedwill be achieved. Ohyes, theHagiaSophiato entervisitorsmustpay 20lira for a ticket.
After visiting the Aya Sofia, I headed Topkaki Palace. Not too far away from Hagia Sophia, enough to walk about five minutes. After paying $ 20 lira admission, I then entered the gates of the magnificent Palace Topkaki like a palace in a fairy tale. There is a large door and two buds dome on the right and left. The palace was formerly the residence of the Ottoman dynasty sultan. Here visitors can see the Harem, the palace which is where the sultan to various activities. I can feel the grandeur of being a sultan when I saw this place. Topkaki also save a lot of historical objects such as jewelry, clothing and tools of war legacy of the Ottoman Empire that ended at the beginning of the 20th century. This palace also save a lot of Muslim heritage artifacts, among which is one of the swords of the Prophet Muhammad SAW.
Having exhausted the magnificent surrounds Topkaki Palace and very wide, I went to the Blue Mosque. Blue mosque is said to be due to the blue dome is very beautiful when viewed from a distance. Historic mosque is a place to rest and worship for those who are Muslims. Because it is still used as places of worship, visitors do not have to pay admission like other historic buildings. Interestingly the mosque does not prohibit non-Muslim visitors to enter. They can go as long as it uses decent clothes that cover arms and legs. Board may lend the mosque fabric covering the arms and legs when a visitor needs it.
![]()
