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Istanbul
the pearl of the East and the jewel of the
West. Istanbul stands on the divide between
two very different cultures, religions, and
social views. Historically and
geographically this great city has the
weight of a nation behind it and a country
that still claims several of the wonders of
the world. Accepting and fascinating
Istanbul is a city not to be taken lightly.
Every street corner has a story every
building has a past. Istanbul is an
amalgamation of east meats west and the
divide between the two. Istanbul is the
starting point for Tourism in Turkey the
crossing point from Europe to Asia all
bundled together elegantly by its founder Ataturk.
The history of this man and the love from
his nation is truly defining.
Across
the country, there are thousands of
archeological sites, historical places and
ancient cities, as well as magnificent
scenic spots and natural wonders. Since
Roman times, Asiatic Turkey has been known
as both " Asia Minor " and "
Anatolia ". The European part of Turkey
is called Thrace .
These lands have been continually inhabited
since the Stone Age. Because Anatolia is
located like a natural bridge between
continents, no other country in the world
has acquired so many historical treasures.
The Aegean Sea , the Dardanelles and the
Bosphorus form the western boundaries of the
Anatolian peninsula. Beside the Dardanelles
are the ruins of the famous city of Troy - a
memento of thousands of years of history-
and on the shores of the Bosphorus rises
Istanbul in all her beauty and splendor,
keeping the memories of her past alive.
There are many legends related to the
foundation of Istanbul . According to the
best known one, around 650 BC, a sea tribe
from the Aegean left their city Megara and
began to look for a new homeland under the
leadership of Byzas.
According to the customs of the age, before
any such undertaking an oracle had to be
consulted. The oracle in the Apollo temple
in the famous town of Delphi advised Byzas
to settle opposite the "land of the
blind". The migrants searched for such
a land for a long time. When they came to
the headland of present-day Istanbul , they
were delighted with the fertile lands and
the advantages offered by the natural
harbor, the Golden Horn . They also noticed
the people living across the stretch of
water. The migrants decided that those
people must have been blind if they could
not appreciate the opportunities of this
ideal place and settled on the opposite
shore, and they were convinced that they had
found the land the oracle had described.
Excavations have revealed finds dating back
to the 3rd millennium BC at the tip of the
Golden Horn and on the Asian side.
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