Istanbul

a guard protects the entrance

the fountain where believers can perform ablusion, the ritual cleaning, before entering the mosque

on our way to the Hagia Sophia

these guys in traditional outfits sell coffee

a view inside the Blue Mosque

a hazy view of the Hagia Sofia

the Rumelihisari fort was built in 1452 under Mehmed II

the Ortaköy Mosque near the foot of the Bosporus Bridge

this face seems upside down

Istanbul is Turkey's and Europe's largest megacity, sprawling on both sides of the Bosporus. This narrow sea-strait connects the Sea of Marmora with the Black Sea and separates the European and Asian continent.

Istanbul's long history starts in the early Bronze Age with the Thracian settlement Lycos. Around 670 BC the mythical king Byzas founded the city of Byzantium.

After the slow demise of the Roman Empire, Constantine the Great renamed

the city to Constantinople and in 332 AD made it the capital of the long-lived Byzantine Empire.
In 1453 Mehmed II captured the city which now became capital of the Ottoman Empire until that fell apart in 1922.

With the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, the city was renamed to Istanbul and Ankara became the capital.

But even today this bustling city remains Turkey's economic, cultural and historic center.

Hallmarks are the famous Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, the Rumelihisari Fort and of course the bridge over the Bosporus.

We visited Istanbul in August 1996.

this is the Blue Mosque

and we are not alone

a part of the famous Comnenus mosiac has survived

the Dolmabahçe Palace was once the administrative center of the mighty Ottoman Empire

the Bosporus is a very busy waterway

the Bosporus Bridge has a free span of more than 1000 meters, It now is known as 15 July Martyrs Bridge