Amazing and fabulous Istanbul is a bridge between two continents, a meeting place of Western and Eastern cultures and an invaluable historical heritage of all mankind. The location of the city is so successful that human settlements flourished here long before the advent of our era. Ancient Byzantium, pompous Constantinople and resplendent Istanbul are all the names of one city lying on the picturesque shores of the Bosphorus.
In the city, tourists will be able to see the treasures of two cultures at once — Byzantine and Ottoman. The incomparable Hagia Sophia competes in beauty with the Blue Mosque, the centuries-old secrets of the Topkana Palace are securely stored behind powerful walls, and the eastern city bazaars add color to the busy streets. All this is Istanbul: noisy, diverse and incomparable.