Time Out Istanbul - 2nd Edition

by TimeOutGuidesLtd (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2005

  $3.28

  Capital of two major empires - the Byzantine and Ottoman - Istanbul is rich with monuments, from the earliest of Christian cathedrals to the most decadent of oriental palaces. The city's bazaars offer shopping at its rawest; a glittery array of one million and one merchants, no departments, no signs, no loyalty cards. It boasts a cuisine descended from the courts of the sultans, and only starts to party once the UK has gone to bed. Surrounded by sea, built on seven hills and with a panoramic profile of spiky minarets and cascading domes, from almost any angle it's breathtakingly gorgeous.

• Used

  Paperback
  2007

  $3.28

  Visually stunning and spanning two continents, Istanbul lies on a cultural fault line. Evidence of its pivotal historical role - from the Byzantine era, through the glories of the Ottoman period, to the age of Ataturk's distinctive modernity - is reflected in the city's architecture. Those in search of the old Orient don't have to look far: the minarets of the curvaceous Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, old men drinking tea in the recesses of the Grand Bazaar are all here, and respected by the modern city. But there is another side to the city. The Istanbul of today manages the trick of combining age-old, much-appreciated glories with modern worldwide cultural trends. Time Out Istanbul's locally based writers are ideally placed to guide readers through the fashionable restaurants, innovative music and lively bar and nightlife scenes that are an integral part of modern Istanbul, a city that not only survives, but thrives, as a synthesis of cultures.