Home to numerous civilizations throughout history, Istanbul is the only city straddling Asia and Europe. Its cultural heritage, unique geography, natural assets, and the Bosphorus, make Istanbul an unmatched destination.
Istanbul gathers people from different cultures and backgrounds, making it a modern metropolitan city.
Boasting all these assets, Istanbul is among the top destinations for international congresses.
Hosting many cultural and art events including theaters, concerts, operas and ballets, Istanbul was elected as the European Capital of Culture in 2010.
Istanbul has a population of up to 14 million people and ranks among the first seven cities worth visiting in the world. Supported by modern congress centers, transportation, and first-class accommodation facilities, this emerging tourist spot is now home to numerous major international events.
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Istanbul is a city of unparalleled social and cultural richness. It is as fascinating and historical as it is dynamic and modern. Serving as the capital of two mighty empires incessantly for sixteen centuries, Eastern Roman or Byzantine and Ottoman, and set squarely between two continents, Istanbul has cultures and traditions that blend East with West and Mediterranean with Anatolian. Each civilization that has made Istanbul its home has left its mark in sublime and splendid ways, and the result a city that gives one the feeling of universal history at every step.
With a definitely multicultural touch and a vibrant atmosphere rooted deep in the past experience of humanity while facing toward the future, Istanbul is truly as much a crossroads of ideas and cultures today as ever. For how many cities in the world is home to ages old churches, mosques, and synagogues in such a close proximity, showing us the possibility of a community formed of different cultures living in a state of peace and tolerance that stems from a shared human past and belief in the future?
In its south stretches the Marmara Sea and in its north is the Black Sea. Its western part is in Europe and eastern in Asia. The strategic and aesthetic strait that separates the two coasts of Istanbul together with the two continents is the Bosporus which is the first gate from the Black Sea to the Aegean and then onto Mediterranean. Being a port city and having many major trade paths pass through itself is what has given ultimate significance to the city for thousands of years
