East meets West
Len Coates marvels at the beauty of Istanbul...
Built at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and a key stopping-point on the Silk Road, Istanbul is both sensual and sensational, an unforgettable city where cultures collide and the variety never ends.
The only city in the world built on two continents, it stands on both shores of the Istanbul Bogazi (Bosphorus), where the waters of the Black Sea mingle with those of the Sea of Marmara.
Its museums, ancient churches and grand palaces are astonishing in their splendour, and the grand bazaars make for a unique shop-ping experience.
Infinitely adaptable, Istanbul, then known as Byzantium, fell into the Roman Empire in the second century BC.
When Barbarians overran the western part of the Roman Empire, the city, renamed Constantinople, became capital of the Byzantine Roman Empire.
But the same attributes that made it a prosperous trade location exposed it to attack for hundreds of years.
In 1453 it was conquered by Turks, and became Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman empire.
The city's contrasting cultural influences reflect its changing historical fortunes, and it features many world heritage sites.
One cannot fail to be impressed by the city's walls and the area they enclose. Stretching over four miles from the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn, the walls were built in the 5th century by Theodosius II, the Eastern Roman Emperor.
The many towers and bastions of the structure, most of which has been recently restored, made it the mightiest fortifications in Europe.
We arrived into Ataturk airport, which gained notoreity for its wall of flags proclaiming "Welcome to Hell" to the Swiss football team when they arrived for a World Cup play-off match.
Thankfully, we got a much more friendly greeting and were impressed by the modern facilities.
As we travelled from the airport, we enjoyed the cooling sea breeze and were immediately overwhelmed by the beauty of the city.
The Ottomans over-wrote Constaninople's Christian tradition. Istanbul is now dotted with mosques, some built on a grand scale, some smaller, designed to serve local neighbourhoods, but each, in its own way, an architectural masterpiece.
The Sultanahet, Rustern Pasa, Faith, Eyup, Yeni, Sokulla Mehmet Pasa and Mikirimah Sultan mosques are all popular with visitors.
An ideal way to see the city is to take a boat trip along the Bosphorus, the winding strait separating Europe and Asia.
That allows you to pass the Dolmabahce Palace, the parks and imperial pavilions of Yildiz Palace and to pass under the magnificent Bosphorus Bridge, one of the bridges linking the two continents.
Another famous sight is the stunning Hagia Sophia Ayasofya, also known as St Sophia Museum, which stands at the end of the Hippodrome Square.
Its immense dome rises nearly 70 metres above the ground and more than 30 metres in diameter.
Built by Constantine, Rome's first Christian emperor, in the 4th century and reconstructed by Justinian in 537AD, this was for a millennium the greatest church in Christendom.
It faces Sultan Ahmet Camii, better known as the Blue Mosque, the only mosque in the world with six minarets (most have two or four).
Built between 1609 and 1616 during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Ahmet I, the Blue Mosque was designed by imperial architect Mehmet Aga.
Its immense interior, flooded with sunlight streaming through more than 250 windows is decorated with more than 20,000 Iznik tiles detailing traditional flowers of Ottoman design.
The deep blue glow of the tiles in sunlight gives the building its name. Its vast central dome, which stands 43 metres high, is staggeringly beautiful. With its slender flanking minarets, it is the single most recognisable monument on the Istanbul skyline.
A contrasting sight is nearby - the curious Yerebatan Cistern, a vast underground water storage tank built by Constantine. An amazing 336 columns support the ceiling of this sunken cistern, which reputedly once held a trillion gallons of water.
Next door is the covered bazaar, reputedly the world's oldest and largest shopping mall, with more than 4,000 tiny shops under one roof.
Taksim Square, a huge open plaza with many department stores, is the hub of modern Istanbul and the location for many fine hotels, including ours, the Hyatt Regency.
This elegant hotel has 360 rooms and suites, a wide choice of restaurants and leisure facilities including the splendidly well-equipped fitness centre Club Olympus, an outdoor swimming pool and a tennis court.
* Turkish Airlines fly twice daily from Heathrow to Istanbul with fares from around £250. Details are on website www.turkishairlines.com
* Our flights were booked through Dialaflight, tel 020-8565 3031, or log on to dialaflight.com
* Rooms at the Hyatt Regency were available from £80 per night. For current prices and special offers see istanbul.regency.hyatt.com, ring 00 90 212-368 1234 or email Istanbul@hyattintl.com
* Short break packages covering flights and accommodation are sold by several tour companies. Check with local travel agent for details.
* For more information about Istanbul see www.istanbul.com
