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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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