"Blind date with Istanbul
Be it the buildings, markets or cafés, Istanbul reeks of nostalgia but doesn’t disappoint tourists set for a jamboree as Supriya Newar finds out
It was like the history chapters of secondary school coming alive; familiar names, loads of dates, stories of empires and dynasties overthrown. However, despite being acutely rooted in history, Istanbul is not just about the past. But first, the basics. As Byzantium or Constantinople, the city served as the capital of the Roman, Byzantine and the Ottoman Empire and was re-christened Istanbul only in 1930. Interestingly, Istanbul, the capital of Turkey, is the only metropolis in the world that is between two continents, Asia and Europe.
As our flight prepares to descend into the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, we catch a bird's eyeview of this glorious city. Dotted with innumerable red roofs, gleaming minarets that catch the sun's early morning rays and the Bosphorous Strait that divides the country and the metropolis between two continents, the preview sets the mood for a great holiday in store."
More:The Statesman
