Istanbul is Turkey's largest city, and its cultural and economic center. It is located on the Bosphorus strait, and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn (Turkish: Halic), in the northwest of the country. Istanbul extends both on the European and on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world which is on two continents.
Istanbul is getting more colorful with its rich social, cultural and commercial activities. Alongside with Turkish restaurants, the Far eastern and other cuisines are getting large in number and with the newly opened restaurants. While the world famous pop stars are filling the stadiums, activities like opera, balet, theatre are continuing throughout the year. In the seasonal festivals world famous orchestras, choros, concerts, jazz legends are found. The musical, folk and theatral pieces are playing full house. Among with historical places like Hagia Irene, Rumeli Fortress, Yedikule, courtyard of Topkap©„ Palace, Gulhane park; The Ataturk Cultural center, Cemal Re?it Rey concert hall and other open air and modern theatre halls are hosting the shows. For the people that like night life, there are sufficient number of clubs, musical restaurants, discos, bars and pavillions. The clubs, restaurants and discoteques which increase in number and move to open air spaces in summers are specially more crowded in the weekends.
Istanbul has two international airports: The larger is the Ataturk International in Yesilkoy, 24 kilometers from the city center which used to be at the edge of the European part but now inside of the city, the more modern is the airport Sabiha Gokcen, 20 kilometers east of Asiatic side and 45 kilometers eastern from the European city centre.
Istanbul has hot and humid summers with cold, rainy and often snowy winters. Yearly precipitation for Istanbul averages 870 mm. Humidity is often rather high which can make temperatures feel much warmer or colder than they actually are. The average maximum temperature during the winter months varies between 3C (38F) and 8C (46F). Snowfall is common and can occasionally be heavy. It is most likely to occur between the months of November and April. The summer months of June through September bring average daytime temperatures of 28C (82F).
Anadoluhisari is a fortress located in Istanbul, Turkey on the Anatolian (Asian) side of the Bosporus giving the name of the quarter around it. It was built in 1394 by Ottoman sultan Bayezid "The Thunderbolt" in order to prepare to lay siege at Constantinople. Anadoluhisari, constructed on an area of 7,000 m2, is situated at the narrowest point with 660 m of the Bosporus strait and next to a creek named Goksu (ancient name: Aretos). The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, the second bridge spanning Bosporus, is located just north of the fortress. Another fortress, Rumelihisari, was built in 1451 by Sultan Mehmed II opposite of Anadoluhisari on the European side to complete absolute control over the ship passage in the strait.
Arap mosque is a mosque in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul. It is believed by some that it was built during the first attempted conquest of the city of Constantinople by the Arab armies that were besieging it. Others believe it was a church that was converted into a mosque to serve Arab refugees who had settled in the area after being expelled from Spain (Andalusia).
The Basilica Cistern, also called the Yerebatan Sarayi, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that still lie beneath the city of Istanbul, former Constantinople. This cathedral-sized cistern is an underground chamber of 143 by 65 metres, capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres of water.
The Bulgarian St Stephen Church (Sveti Stefan Kilisesi in Turkish) in Istanbul, also known as the Bulgarian Iron Church, is a Bulgarian Orthodox church in Istanbul, famous for being made of cast iron. After one and a half years work, the chuch was completed in 1898. The main skeleton of the church was made of steel and covered by metal boards. All the pieces were attached together with nuts, bolts, rivets or welding. The architectural styles come from the Neo-Gothic and Neo-Baroque periods.
The Chora Church is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of a Byzantine church. The church is situated in the western, Erdinekap©„ district of Istanbul. In the 16th century, the church was converted into a mosque by the Ottomon rulers, and it became a secularised museum in 1948. The interior of the building is covered with fine mosaics and frescoes.