http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatanord/tunelmeydani/images/tunelmeydani_barnathanhan01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatanord/tunelmeydani/images/tunelmeydani_barnathanhan02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatanord/tunelmeydani/images/tunelmeydani_fleri01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatanord/tunelmeydani/images/tunelmeydani_freige01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatanord/tunelmeydani/images/tunelmeydani_freige03.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatanord/tunelmeydani/images/tunelmeydani_fleri02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatanord/tunelmeydani/images/tunelmeydani_tourrousseau01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatanord/tunelmeydani/images/tunelmeydani_tourgalata04.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatasudest/lucelitophane/images/lucelihandek_aptpapadopoulos01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatasudest/lucelitophane/images/lucelihandek_immeublea01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatasudest/lucelitophane/images/lucelihandek_immeubleb01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatasudest/lucelitophane/images/lucelihandek_immeubleaslan01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatasudest/lucelitophane/images/tophane_nusretiyecamii02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatasudest/lucelitophane/images/tophane_pavillion02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatasudouest/kuledibipersembepazari/images/kuledibi_camondo01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatasudouest/kuledibipersembepazari/images/kuledibi_escalierscamondo01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatasudouest/kuledibipersembepazari/images/kuledibi_synagogueschneider01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatasudouest/kuledibipersembepazari/images/kuledibi_steottomane01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peracentre/cukurcuma/images/cukurcuma_lyceezographion01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peracentre/galatasarayistiklal/images/galatasarayistiklal_beyogluhan01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peracentre/galatasarayistiklal/images/galatasarayistiklal_pasajalhambra01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peracentre/galatasarayistiklal/images/galatasarayistiklal_tutuncu01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peracentre/kaptantomtom/images/kaptantomtom_tribunalfrance02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraest/agacamiicihangir/images/agacamii_cercleorien01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraest/agacamiicihangir/images/agacamii_istiklal01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraest/agacamiicihangir/images/agacamii_citeroumelie01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraest/agacamiicihangir/images/agacamii_cercleorient02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraest/agacamiicihangir/images/agacamii_consulatgrece01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraest/gumussuyutaksim/images/gumussuyu_palaisazaryan01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraest/gumussuyutaksim/images/gumussuyu_palaisazaryan02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraest/gumussuyutaksim/images/kulluoglu_consulatroumaniemaisonralli01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraest/gumussuyutaksim/images/kulluoglu_stepulcherie01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tepebasi/images/tepebasi_ancunionfrancais.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tepebasi/images/tepebasi_clubanglaisconstantinople01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tepebasi/images/tepebasi_gdhotellondres01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tepebasi/images/tepebasi_maison%20baudouy01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tepebasi/images/tepebasi_palaiscorpi01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tepebasi/images/tepebasi_passagepetitschamps01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tepebasi/images/tepebasi_wagonlits01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_mairie01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_machinerie01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_maisonbotter02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_maisondegucis01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_maisondegucis02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_markiz02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_muzik02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_palaisrussie01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_passage01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_place01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_tribunalrussie01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunelstemarie/images/tunelstemarie_stemarie01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_maisonhelbig01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/eminonu/stamboulest/sultanahmet/images/sultanahmet_cadastre02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/eminonu/stamboulest/sultanahmet/images/sultanahmet_cadastre01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/eminonu/stamboulouest/beyazit/images/beyazit_universitestamboul04.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/eminonu/stamboulouest/cemberlitas/images/cemberlitas_cimetieremahmutII01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/sisli/images/harbiye_ndsion01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/galatasudest/karakoy/images/karakoy_lignesmaritimes01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/besiktas/besiktasciragan/images/besiktas_palaisciragan02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/besiktas/dolmabahce/images/besiktasdolmabahce_palais02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/besiktas/dolmabahce/images/besiktasdolmabahce_palais04.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/besiktas/dolmabahce/images/besiktasdolmabahce_02annexe01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/besiktas/yildiz/images/yildiz_palaisbuyukmabeunkosku01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/besiktas/yildiz/images/yildiz_hamidiyecamii04.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/sisli/images/sisli_exarchatbulgare01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/kadikoy/images/kadikoy_haydarpasagare05.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tepebasi/images/tepebasi_hazzopoulos01.jpg.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tepebasi/images/tepebasi_hazzopoulos02.jpg.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beyoglu/peraouest/tunel/images/tunel_templecrimeerue01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/bosphorethrace/images/arnavutkoy_maison01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/bosphorethrace/images/arnavutkoy_maison02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/bosphorethrace/images/bebek_maison01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/bosphorethrace/images/bebek_robertcollege01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/beykoz/images/kucuksu_eauxdoucespavillon01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/besiktas/ortakoy/images/ortakoy_isultanenaimepalais01.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/besiktas/ortakoy/images/ortakoy_universitegalatasaray02.jpg

http://www.redacservices.fr/roxane/turquie/albumistanbul/besiktas/bosphorethrace/images/bebek_palaiskhedive03.jpg

Just stunning,thanks dude for your hard work.

Simply magnificent buildings!
Most of them are in need of some restoration though, which would make them even more eye-catching.

Things are getting better lately.

Until the 1980s many historic buildings of Istanbul were lost, but nowadays entire neighbourhoods are being restored.

Such as the famous Rue Française: Completely restored and brought back to life.

Similar work is under way in other areas, especially in the old Belgian, Spanish/Ladino/Sephardic and Italian neighbourhoods.

I'm sorry, but, when I think of teh most beautiful cities in the world Konstantinoupolis does not come to mind. Please dont use such terms so loosely.

Cities such as Rome, New York, Paris, London, Madrid, Montreal, Buenos Airies, etc. come to mind.

Nice pics though.

I wasn't expecting a different remark from you... :D

Anyway, it's time for you guys to shoot another Midnight Express at Rhodes, given that Turkey's tourism is skyrocketing.

The only other place that you'll see a similar sunset is Venice, which was actually modeled on Constantinople (and ruled by it until the 10th century AD):


http://wowturkey.com/tr31/Kazandibi_dunyaturk_istkizkulesi2m.jpg

Anyway, it's time for you guys to shoot another Midnight Express at Rhodes, given that Turkey's tourism is skyrocketing.

I can say alot about the "quality" ;) of tourists that visit turkey and the "quality" of services that turkish tourism offers ;) but I think it would be better not to spoil a thread with such beatiful pics :okay:

And istanbul may not be world's most beautiful but certain is a top, beautiful and alluring city :yes:

Such as the quality of those who stay at Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel? :D

Or those who stayed at Pera Palas (King Edward V, Emperor Franz-Joseph, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicholas, etc.) :D

http://embc2001istanbul.bme.boun.edu.tr/ODYSSEY.HTM

OTTOMAN ODYSSEY,
The Empire Strikes Back
By AMY M. SPINDLER
Feb. 25, 2001, The New York Times

It isn't just women who have seen progress in Istanbul; Turkish design is having a renaissance. Amy M. Spindler meets the new arbiters.

Read into it whatever you like, but travel shorthand for a fashion insider's pilgrimage goes something like this: If it's been a James Bond location, eventually the fashionable will go.

But it's easy to see why the jet-set crowd is now most comfortable in Istanbul. Drop into part of the city, and you'd swear you were in the Hollywood Hills. Drop in a mile away, and it's Portofino. Drop in a few miles more, it's Damascus. Part of it feels like Paris, part like London, part like New York, part like Cairo, part like Rome.

"It's my favorite city," says Diane Von Furstenberg, who planned a trip there last summer. "There's always another layer, another influence, another culture to find. If you have any kind of visual eye, that's the place for you. Your eyes are a constant lens, copying so many things."

When the city is brought up, Oscar and Annette de la Renta turn to their bookshelves in their Connecticut country house and unearth dozens of volumes on the subject, including a novel set there that is on their bedside table. Annette's recommendation: John Julius Norwich's Byzantium trilogy, a history so macabre and engrossing that reading it is a sort of captivity. Oscar, who has been inspired by the writings on Turkey of Gustave Flaubert, Lord Byron and Lady Stanhope, and the paintings of Jean-etienne Liotard, nonetheless says, "The best recommendation you can make is to go to the Golden Horn and get lost and discover."

Mark Lee, the president of Yves Saint Laurent, and Ed Filipowski, head of fashion's most prestigious public relations company, KCD, found the ceramic plates they use in their elegant country house on a recent trip to Istanbul; the plates are colored like the Iznik tiles in the city's dazzling mosques, and in Pandeli's, the most charming restaurant in town. They also brought back Beykoz glassware, once favored by the sultans.

"Istanbul is inspiring because it has its own code of architecture, literature, poetry, music," says Christian Louboutin, one of the many designers who have visited, and whose work reflects the city's influence.

And that code is finding new appreciation today. After all, it isn't just that design insiders are rediscovering Istanbul; Istanbul insiders are rediscovering design. There is nothing short of a revolution happening.

"Ten years ago there was one interior design magazine in Turkey," says Kesibe Karaosmanoglu, who is a partner with Omer Koc in the interior design firm Kalemkar. "Now there are 40. People are interested."

The dominant look here incorporates Ottoman and Islamic influences into the large, clean spaces that are in style in every major capital. It could be the kilims on the wall of trendy restaurants like Iguana, which is otherwise 50's modern with turquoise booths and kitschy floral sconces. Or it could be the tent shape taken straight from Topkapi Palace, of Ulus 29.

Zeynep Fadillioglu, who designed and owns the restaurant with her husband, Metin, says: "My parents' generation looked only to the West. We tried to create a Western country out of an Eastern culture. That changed with my generation. I started collecting Ottoman art when I was 16. I was brought up in a mansion on the Bosporus in a sort of Venice palazzo, and I loved Ottoman things."

Turkey's growing cultural pride, as it fights to join the European Union, is lending weight to what otherwise could be seen as just an aesthetic change. It isn't so much that in Istanbul you are looking at the past, at the onetime capital of three empires, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. It isn't even so much the knowledge that for 1,600 years, 120 emperors and sultans ruled much of the world from its shores. The most seductive thing about Istanbul is that in looking at its skyline, you are looking at the future. With its mix of minarets and steeples, skyscrapers and domes, Iznik tiles and steel, a world of peaceful coexistence would look something like this.

"We once ruled half the world," Metin Fadillioglu says. "We can't help it, that's our history. Now we don't want to rule the world, but we want to join the world. I think civilization needs to look at Eastern solutions. We've come as far as we can go with the Western system."

Yeats once wrote of Byzantium, "That is no country for old men." A poetic notion in his day, but borne out by today's statistics.

"Sixty-five percent of the population is under the age of 35," says Melih Fereli, general director of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, whose festivals are credited with the vital music, art, theater, film and dance scenes now enlivening the city.

"The young are far better educated than previous generations," Fereli says. "They speak several languages. They're so bubbly, they can't contain themselves in the straitjacket of other generations."

And the young overwhelmingly favor the Eastern aesthetic. Karaosmanoglu, who travels all over the world for her clients, uses specific elements from the past when decorating a house: Ottoman textiles and glassware and the Iznik ceramics that dominate the mosques and which are still produced in the same town. "But the old Iznik tiles had this unbelievable brown, which you can't make today, so they're very collectible," Karaosmanoglu says.

"I use tatamis on the floor. Turks like sitting on the floor on cushions. We didn't have tables and chairs. We like lying down with lots of cushions. And every house I've furnished until now has a big low coffee table. Life is around the coffee table. You eat, drink, chat."

There is a sense that the past is being protected, as restoration of monuments goes on throughout the city. But in once-downtrodden streets like those of the Pera area, renovation is happening, too.

Cukurcuma is often compared to the SoHo of 10, maybe even 20, years ago. But that would be true only if SoHo were full of ornate Beaux- Arts buildings.

The self-appointed mayor of Cukurcuma street is Erkal Aksoy, a local antiques dealer who specializes in kilims and Canakkale pots (19th- century water and honey jugs from the south of Turkey). He's persuaded friends to move there, including the rising decorating star Hakan Ezer, who has bought a town house across the street from his.

"It started with our generation," Aksoy says. "Ten years ago, they'd spend their money on expensive cars. Now they've started buying houses. I used to only sell to foreign customers; now the new generation is into kilims."

And not just any kilims, but what are called tulus (which means "hair" in Turkish), from the Konya region. These are brightly dyed with Gwyneth Paltrow-length (and textured) hair streaming from them, and they're perfect for modern furniture.

Aksoy cites the success of Hussein Chalayan and Rifat Ozbek, who have reached international recognition as fashion designers. But now interior and furniture designers like Ezer are establishing reputations as well.

Ezer, whose work is available at the Washington Design Center, in Washington, D.C., invests his furniture and decorating with dozens of references to the past, from carving an ottoman out of leather and metal to the wrought-iron chandelier hanging low over his table at home, inspired by mosques.

Wearing Nike track pants in the apartment overlooking the Bosporus that he rented after the singer Tarkan moved out, Ezer describes the aesthetic: "Istanbul is a mixture of cultures and religions, and I want the places I design to show that." His quest is almost a crusade. "Whenever I go abroad, I find something Ottoman," Ezer says. "I buy it to take it to its land."

Nazli Gonensay, a young architect who just completed work on Circus, the restaurant in Nisantasi that all the fashionable are going to, moved back to Istanbul two years ago after having a thriving career in New York, and found the beginning of a revolution she's happy to be a part of.

"The younger generation is becoming more gutsy," Gonensay says. "It started with their homes, but now they're doing their offices. Even in cafes, there are eclectic menus, some going back to Turkish roots, some with fusion style and some with Asian. It's very dynamic, and hungry for progress. Hungry to catch up with London and New York as a capital of design."

While Circus is modern and sleek -- a stark glass diorama in the back looks out on a tropical garden -- there is still a touch of old Istanbul, which she says is "a combination of reflex and intuition." She adds, "I want to do something new, but there's a bit of the past in it."

In Circus's case, it's the inspiration of Iznik ceramic tiles. Gonensay's design incorporates tiny Italian tiles in a range of bronzes and browns along the walls, like a running ticker tape of the past cutting through her clean, white slate walls of the present. She named her company 212 Architecture Furniture Design -- an area code for New York City and Istanbul.

"We even have many Donald Trumps," says Gonensay, laughing. "They even look like him too, with that hairstyle." (Vanity Fair once described "that hairstyle" as "cantilevered nimbus," a term architects can appreciate.)

An evening out in Istanbul is also, by necessity, East-meets-West eclectic, like everything else in the city. "The beauty of Istanbul is you have the mix, the hip places like you'd find in London, but then places which are more special to Istanbul," says Dina Topbas- Sakir, a polymer scientist who runs the Semiha Sakir Foundation, a family trust, and whose apartment is a seductive mix of harem and haven.

In Nisantasi, there are the chic New York-inspired restaurants like Downtown, Circus and Mezzaluna. After a meal there, you would go to a club like Havana or Laila, leaving at 1:30 or 2 in the morning. Then it is on to some little bars that have live Turkish pop music, in Etiler. You leave at 4 in the morning, then you hit places like Scene, or little gay bars in Beygoglu again, dancing to disco records, everything from Turkish to Latin music to the top of the charts. Then to Sayan for breakfast, or a corner buffet called Marmara. "Because by that time, you've consumed so much alcohol, you want some food," Topbas-Sakir says.

When all else fails to be fun, there's the 25-year-old classic standby Samdan ("candlestick"), which is like Tramps, or Annabel's in London. A whole generation grew up there. If you must go out on Saturday, it's to Buz Bar (which means "ice bar"), for happy hour from 5 to 10.

But the best clue to the Mata Hari identity of Istanbul may be hidden away at Horhor, the delicious indoor flea market that Karaosmanoglu visits for her favorite finds. Walter W. Koch, a German dealer, fell in love with a Turkish woman and moved to Istanbul to open his antique store, Esya ve Obje. In a cabinet, he has plates from a dozen countries, and a dozen periods: Russian from 1900, French from Svres, Limoges, German Meissen, Chinese porcelain, and celadon, the earliest porcelain. "Standing in front of this glass makes you understand Istanbul," he says. "Here, you find everything from the Occident to the Orient."

And somehow, improbably, it all goes together beautifully.

WHERE TO STOP AND SWOON
Any city you visit alters your aesthetic forever. Here, sites with the most profound impact.

1. Topkapi Palace. The setting for the classic heist movie "Topkapi" (1964), the palace, which housed nomadic sultans, has a tent-city architecture that has been an enduring inspiration for architects. No doubt leading to the sort of compounds that moguls inhabit today. Also to swoon for: the diamond-studded dessert set, Iznik tiles, low- slung couches, Ottoman stoves and the 86-karat Spoonmaker's Diamond (found on a garbage pile and bought for three spoons). For fashionistas: a fabulous collection of caftans, made of the finest fabrics of the Ottoman Empire.

2. Pandeli's restaurant. Complete sensory assault. It's on the second floor of the spice market, and from it you get the smells and colors, and a window on the market, a view of the Bosporus on the other side, the best native food around and dazzling green Iznik tiles. If there's any doubt that this is the most glamorous place in town, photos of visiting stars like Audrey Hepburn, Tony Curtis, Humphrey Bogart and Donald Sutherland line the walls.

3. Basilica Cistern. Constantine's water supply, and a key location in "From Russia With Love" (need we say more?). The power of repeated architectural elements (336 columns), the power of reflecting still water.

4. The Blue Mosque (of Sultan Ahmet I Cami). A structure that conveys more eloquently than words the beauty, optimism and light of the Muslim religion. More than 20,000 Iznik tiles, hundreds of tiny lights in low chandeliers, mother-of-pearl, ivory and sea-tortoise- shell doors and cascading domes. Breathtaking.

5. Haghia Sophia. The next time an architect tells you it can't be done, tell him to have a little faith. Justinian and his wife, Theodora, opened the church (later a mosque, then museum) on Dec. 26, 537, and given its gigantic dome, it has been nominated as one of the seven wonders of the world. Let's hope Mira Sorvino or Marisa Tomei doesn't win instead.

6. Beylerbey Sarayi (Beylerbey Palace). On the Asian Bosporus, the best example of the ongoing struggle between (or marriage of, depending on your view) Western and Eastern aesthetics. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor stayed here, as did Empress Eugenie, Emperor Franz Joseph, Shah Nasir ad-Din and the Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II.

7. The Grand Bazaar. There are two must-sees inside. One, Abdullah, the only jewelry shop worth visiting, is run by the elegant (in a Kevin Spacey sort of way) Louis Chalabi. Cameron Diaz stopped by when she was last in town. And the other is the hammam shop, for local scents and soaps. Those on Madeleine Albright's Christmas shopping list came from here.

8. Horhor. The indoor flea market. Everything from a stamped sultan's lamp to his mother-of-pearl bedroom set to beautiful folk art paintings on glass.

9. Cukurcuma. Erkal Aksoy's rug showroom at Faikpasa Yokusu, No. 4, is only the beginning. Turkish trash to treasure in 200 shops on three streets.

10. Pera Palas Hotel and the Sirkeci Station. The glorious train station and hotel built for the Orient Express. The Pera has not lost its glamour, even if it is a bit Chelsea Hotel these days. Case in point: a man in a perfect natty suit, who emerged from his room next door to our shooting location (the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis suite) with nothing on below the waist, and who defecated in the hallway. Ten minutes later, he emerged again with a complete change of suit and tie. And still nothing below the waist. But what do you expect from the hotel that Agatha Christie disappeared in, and Mata Hari and Kim Philby frequented? -- Amy M. Spindler

http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/specials/20010225fot-index.html

Such as the quality of those who stay at Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel?

Is that the best you can do? Ciragan Palace? You talked about "skyrocketing" :lol: tourism in turkey and yet you posted an article concerning istanbul only ;)

Well I'm gonna disappoint you cause Greece in terms of quality is light years ahead of Turkey. Check out the "Leading Hotels of the World" ( http://www.lhw.com/ ) Greece has around 20 (twenty) hotels in various locations while Turkey only 1 (one) ..Ciragan Palace ;) :D

And I bet that more than 70% of the visitors of ciragan palace cannot afford a weekend in Athens Grand Resort Lagonissi ;) The royal suite of Athens Grand Resort Lagonissi is the second most expensive suite in the world right after the imperial suite of Geneva's President Wilson hotel ;)

http://images.forbes.com/images/2003/02/26/athens.jpg

http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/2003/02/27/cx_cv_0227feat.html

Not to mention the countless private estates with their own private docks and private helicopters around Greece that every summer are flooded by hollywood stars, zillionares, football stars, royal celebrities, fashion designers and top-models ;)

I hope you're not comparing Istanbul with Athens :D

In any case, Istanbul has way more 5-star hotels, anything from Four Seasons (the most beautiful Four Seasons in the world) to The Ritz-Carlton and the others.

And is endlessly more beautiful...

http://wowturkey.com/tr31/Kazandibi_ayasofya2.jpg

Compare Istanbul with Paris, Rome, London or New York (like The New York Times did on the above article), but not with Athens. ;)

No I didn't compare istanbul with athens, even if I wanted that would be impossible, it's like comparing apples with oranges ;)

I just stated some facts to show you how many light years ahead is Greece from turkey in terms of quality in tourism ;) and to my humble opinion turkey is not only istanbul ;) Athens itself has way more luxurius hotels than the whole of turkey, The comparison in "Leading Hotels of the World" between Greece-Turkey is something like 20-1 :D and that turkey's 1 is cigan hotel in.. istanbul :D :D Greece every year accommodates world's cream of society while turkey enjoys some breadcrumbs from 3rd class german civil servents who visit every year the definition-of-kitsch hotels (such us kremlin palace and venezia) in antalya :D :D ;)

If I'd post half of the yalis (historic Bosphorus mansions) you'd run away :lol:

Not to mention the castles, of course. ;)

Or the churches/mosques/medieval towers. ;)

Or the imperial palaces. ;)

Actually, never mind the palaces:

There are neo-classical military barracks (such as Selimiye Imperial Barracks, 1827) in Istanbul which are way larger (3-4 times larger), more elaborate and imposing/expensive looking than the miserable little thing in Athens which you guys shamelessly call palace :D

And of course, I won't even open the topic of skyscrapers and suspension bridges.

Les Miserables! :lol:

Give me a list of the 5-star hotels in Athens, and I'll give you a list of Istanbul. ;)

Anyway, I feel so ashamed to even compare Istanbul with "Athens".

It feels like beating a 5-year-old kid...

If Athens is so great in hotel accomodation, then why did you guys fill the port of Piraeus with hotel ships during the Olympics, due to the "hotel shortage"? :D

Actually Greece and Spain are well known for having "old, 1970s" tourism facilities that are outdated.

Give me a list of the 5-star hotels in Athens, and I'll give you a list of Istanbul. ;)

Anyway, I feel so ashamed to even compare Istanbul with "Athens".

It feels like beating a 5-year-old kid...

If Athens is so great in hotel accomodation, then why did you guys fill the port of Piraeus with hotel ships during the Olympics, due to the "hotel shortage"? :D

Actually Greece and Spain are well known for having "old, 1970s" tourism facilities that are outdated.



There is a saying in Greek which can be applied in any situation where one thing is so overwhelmingly better and dominant than another. It goes like this:


Eki pou ehese i athina, fitrose i istanbul.

In English: Where Athens took a shit, Istanbul sprouted.

Get it? :runaway:

Give me a list of the 5-star hotels in Athens, and I'll give you a list of Istanbul.

Istanbul list: http://www.icemtour.com/istanbul_hotels/istanbul_five_stars_hotels.asp

23 5-star hotels

Athens list:
http://www.hotelclub.com/searchresults.asp?id=758&akid=1038560&orderBy=Rating%2CAvailability%2CRank%2CTotal%2CHotel&page=1

20 5-star hotels

Istanbul=11,000,000. Athens=4,000,000 Feel free to make the conclusion ;)

And the 5-star hotels is no big deal, there is no certified organization in tourism business that labels hotels as 5-stars 4-stars etc ;)
On the other hand the "Leading hotels of the World" is very important (where Greece enjoys a top place with 20+ representatives while turkey enjoys a bottom place as usual with a sole representative..the cigan palace :D ;) )

And as I said before turkey is not only istanbul ;)

As for the Olympics case, the hotel ships in Pireus were inevitable because it's a bit difficult to manage and to accommodate 500,000 tourist crowd during 10 days in a city of 4mil ;) And it was also a part of the Olympic Marketing ;)

As for the outdated facilities just ask the numerous hollywood stars, royal celebrities and every kind of zillionares that every year enjoy state-of-the-art services in Greek resorts ;)

Last year when I was in Wien I visited a travel agency and I noticed everywhere posters of Greece on the walls and a miserable flyer about turkey in a desk's corner. I asked and they told me in exact words: "Greece always is top-destination, we also have some rare offers in turkey packages for those who cannot afford to visit Greece and want a cheap alternative" :D ;)

Stick with your zero quality, your kitsch hotels and your low-class starving german civil servants and leave the Greeks with the cream :D ;)

The "leading hotels" in Greece also have a major advantage:

They can swim. :okay:

Leafy and Carpe,I'm sorry to tell you but you guys have some serious issues.Instead of Bitching and showing your jealousy,you should post pictures of Athens on another thread,it shows your only purpose of being a member here just bashing Turkey..I seriously feel sorry for you.
And thanks Asimov for great pictures.

Don't even compare Athens with Istanbul! It's an insult to our city!

btw get lost from this topic before you ruin it again, we are really amazed with your inferiority complex!

I'm sorry, but, when I think of teh most beautiful cities in the world Konstantinoupolis does not come to mind. Please dont use such terms so loosely.

Cities such as Rome, New York, Paris, London, Madrid, Montreal, Buenos Airies, etc. come to mind.

Nice pics though.

Who cares what comes to your mind? Istanbul is shown as one of the best 10 cities of the world acording to various magazines. We really don't need your biased judgement here. You funny guy!

No I didn't compare istanbul with athens, even if I wanted that would be impossible, it's like comparing apples with oranges ;)

I just stated some facts to show you how many light years ahead is Greece from turkey in terms of quality in tourism ;) and to my humble opinion turkey is not only istanbul ;) Athens itself has way more luxurius hotels than the whole of turkey, The comparison in "Leading Hotels of the World" between Greece-Turkey is something like 20-1 :D and that turkey's 1 is cigan hotel in.. istanbul :D :D Greece every year accommodates world's cream of society while turkey enjoys some breadcrumbs from 3rd class german civil servents who visit every year the definition-of-kitsch hotels (such us kremlin palace and venezia) in antalya :D :D ;)

That's called mass tourism pumpkin. We also have hollywood stars and etc visiting our shores and cities but if you like them too much ok keep them, we choose to have millions of tourists, instead of 100 society members.

In the end more tourists visit Turkey and we earn more money than Greece.

Antalya is becoming another Orlando, just wait till we install there Disneyland! ;)

Sorry but I am still waiting for pictures showing that Istanbul is the world's most beautiful city. These pictures are fine, but far cry to call the city "the best".
(Today I am direct)

It's not right to call it the best city. But it is one of the best in the world.

That's called mass tourism pumpkin. We also have hollywood stars and etc visiting our shores and cities but if you like them too much ok keep them, we choose to have millions of tourists, instead of 100 society members.

In the end more tourists visit Turkey and we earn more money than Greece

I won't bother to tell you how Greece is doing in terms of mass tourism (Mykonos-Corfu-Rhodes-Ios-Crete etc) ;)

And that's mass tourism with money not with...food vouchers :D ;)

Greece enjoys the cream and the aroma of the coffee and turkey takes the coffee grounds :D ;)

I won't bother to tell you how Greece is doing in terms of mass tourism (Mykonos-Corfu-Rhodes-Ios-Crete etc) ;)

And that's mass tourism with money not with...food vouchers :D ;)

Greece enjoys the cream and the aroma of the coffee and turkey takes the coffee grounds :D ;)

Sure that's why we are earning more money from tourism: Just see the figures.

The point is Turkey is rising rapidly in tourism. We will be competing with Spain in ten years time so you figure it out.

You enjoy your coffee, we will be drinking champagne...

greece enjoys the aroma of Turkish Coffee but sells it as Greek Coffee:weird:

If I'd post half of the yalis (historic Bosphorus mansions) you'd run away :lol:

Not to mention the castles, of course. ;)

Or the churches/mosques/medieval towers. ;)

Or the imperial palaces. ;)

Actually, never mind the palaces:

There are neo-classical military barracks (such as Selimiye Imperial Barracks, 1827) in Istanbul which are way larger (3-4 times larger), more elaborate and imposing/expensive looking than the miserable little thing in Athens which you guys shamelessly call palace :D

And of course, I won't even open the topic of skyscrapers and suspension bridges.

Les Miserables! :lol:


I guess those are the side effects that a Turk has after watching the Athens Olympic Games. :runaway:

Let's get back to the topic. I really like the building pictures although they need serious repair and maintenance.
I noticed that some of the pics you show were shot in the Greek districts of Instanbul (or Constantinople for us). Are there any Greeks left in those places?

BTW have you demolished any of the genecondu neighbourhoods yet? They take up 40% of the total city area. I watched on the news that you started already this process but you've got some problems because the residents don't want to leave them behind.

Overall Istanbul has lots of history and a special charm but lots of problems too, because of the massive migration from the poor areas of Turkey (which is the overwhelming part of this country).

Anyways good luck with your efforts.

http://www.hurriyetim.com.tr/haber/0,,sid~422@tarih~2004-04-04-m@nvid~374710,00.asp

Does anyone know that a southern Turkish city called "Antalya" with a population of 603.200 people has some:
95 pieces of 5-star hotels and
33 pieces of under construction 5-star hotels
with a total of 78.699 bed capacity???

Not bad for a tiny city like Antalya.
(the numbers above do not include 87 pieces of 5-star holiday villages)

I hope my dear brother Gregory isn't pissed off with me... :hug: :D

Time can never mend the careless whispers of a good friend. :(

But Greg, I do this with any city (not just Athens) ;)

If someone from Paris says a bad word about my beloved Istanbul, I'll make a monkey out of Paris.

If someone from London does the same (e.g. Monkeypoo :D) I'll start bashing London.

I may even bash Rome, New York, or any other cool place you can think of when "the most beautiful city in the world" (my beloved Lady Dulcinea Istanbul) is attacked.

Nothing personal... :)

I noticed that some of the pics you show were shot in the Greek districts of Instanbul (or Constantinople for us). Are there any Greeks left in those places?

Greek district? eer i'm sorry but we don't have any Greek district in Istanbul. We have French, Italian streets.

BTW have you demolished any of the genecondu neighbourhoods yet? They take up 40% of the total city area. I watched on the news that you started already this process but you've got some problems because the residents don't want to leave them behind.

Overall Istanbul has lots of history and a special charm but lots of problems too, because of the massive migration from the poor areas of Turkey (which is the overwhelming part of this country).

Anyways good luck with your efforts.

Thak you.

Yes we've started, those people will be moved to new apartments. They will pay the money for their new apartment flats in 20 years time. It's a good deal for them in my opinion.

Who founded Istanbul?
and when did Turks
conquer the city
to claim as their own?



:?

If Istambul is so great, why do i see so many Turks spread out in all Europe???

The same reson why you see many other Europeans in the continent America and else where.

Eastern Turkey is not as rich as western Turkey so some of those people moved to other countries. That doesn't mean that Istanbul is not a great city. It is a great city! :)

Similar work is under way in other areas, especially in the old Belgian, Spanish/Ladino/Sephardic and Italian neighbourhoods.

Very nice pics! :)

There's an old Belgian neighbourhood in Istanbul? Do you have pics of it?

Is western Turkey rich???

Well yeah richer than many EU countries. But unfortunately east is very poor, there's big contrast. That's the problem of our country. :(

Well yeah richer than many EU countries. But unfortunately east is very poor, there's big contrast. That's the problem of our country. :(


Let's say richer than new members ;)

WOW some bits dirty yet fantastic!

I love Istanbul!

Wonderful city, i hope to visit some time :)

Great Images

You guys should stop fighting over Istanbul and athens and all these comparisons between Greece and Turkey. This leads us to nowhere. Beautiful pics, by the way.