LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Istanbul
built 207 days ago
Istanbul has been proclaimed a European Capital of Culture for 2010. Many Istanbullus must feel that the recognition is long overdue, for, ever since Constantine the Great made it his capital in AD 323, Istanbul has been a vibrant cultural centre and one of the worlds great meeting places. The imperial patronage of Byzantines and Ottomans, its superb location beside the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus, guaranteed this. As its wealth and splendor grew, its fame spread far and wide. In the 9th century the Vikings began to head south in search of the fabled city they called Micklegard. They found it and were amazed.
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Due to her geographical location, Istanbul has always been a settlement area from prehistorical times to present days. The city bears the characteristic of being capital city of two Great Empires like Byzantium and Ottoman. Therefore, she is one of the few cities which hold diverse cultures rich from the standpoint of historical values. Prehistorical settlements in Istanbul start with the Chalcolithic period. However,the Paleolithic culture has been rendered in the Yarimburgaz Cave of Kucukcekmece. In Kadikoy (Chalcedon) there are remains of buildings from Phoenicians.
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Among the host of hotels at all price ranges in Istanbul, one has a particularly affinity for mystery: the Hotel Pera Palace. Built around the turn of the century, it boasts an over 100-year-old elevator. But that's not the mystery. The mystery lies in the fact that it hosted mystery-writer Agatha Christie who may have written Murder on the Orient Expressthere. The rooms have the names of celebrities who stayed in them on the door, including, in addition to Christie, such luminaries as Ernest Hemingway. There is a story that, during WW II, spies from the US, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Italy lived on separate floors but ate together in the hotel dining room.
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Istanbul has 31 districts. However, these can be divided into three main areas: the historic peninsula, the areas north of the Golden Horn, and the Asian side. The Historic Peninsula of old İstanbul comprises the districts of Eminönü and Fatih. This area lies on the southern shores of the Golden Horn which separates the old city center from the northern and younger parts of the European side. The Historic Peninsula ends with the Theodosian Land Walls in the west. The peninsula is surrounded by the Sea of Marmara on the south and the Bosphorus on the east.
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Contemporary art lovers who like to deconstruct globalization and who ... want to get far off Istanbul's beaten path should not miss the 10th Istanbul Biennial, which opens September 8 and runs through November 4. San Francisco-based Hou Hanru (recently interviewed in the Wall Street Journal), curated "Not Only Possible But Necessary: Optimism in the Age of Global Wars," which explores Istanbul's historical and future role as a cultural and economic crossroads. More than 100 artists and artist groups from 35 different countries will exhibit. Even if you don't understand the art, the unusual venue choices give a completely different perspective on the city. More»
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Istanbul's roots date to a short-lived Mycenean settlement in the second millennium B.C.E. and the foundation of Byzantium as a Megaran colony in the seventh century B.C.E. The city rose to greatness when the Roman emperor Constantine I chose this "New Rome" as his capital in 324 C.E., renaming it Constantinopolis and extending its area over seven hills on the peninsula between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara. The most imposing Byzantine monuments of the city date from the reigns of early emperors who followed Constantine, and throughout its eleven centuries as capital, the city continuously was adorned by fine examples of Byzantine architecture. By the mid-fifteenth century... the once mighty Byzantine Empire had shrunk to such an extent that it held only the city and its immediate environs, surrounded on all sides by the rising Ottoman state. Mehmet II conquered the city in 1453 and set about to rebuild and repopulate his new capital.
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