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Istanbul

Istanbul, A city spanning two continents

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Istanbul, one of the famous cities in the world, known by many. The city has been fought over for centuries, changing name, the most famous of which was Constantinople.

The city itself spans two continents, the only city to do so in the world, with one half classed as being on the continent of europe and the other side on the continent of asia. Two enormous bridges span the Bosphorus river, there is also a huge civil engineering project to finally link both sides via an underground rail network, via a tunnel under the Bosphorus, however, this has been severely delayed after builders discovered an ancient harbour burried under the ground where the tunnel would be exiting on the Asian side, it is now planned ot be complete in 2013.

The city also has a complete mix of buildings, with a variety of christian and muslim influences, from where the city has been under the control of so many different peoples and cultures. There are plenty of reminders of those days such as the Hippodrome. The Hippodrome was a circus, a type of sporting stadium or arena where races such as chariot races would ahve taken part. There are the two huge Mosques. The Blue Mosque and the multi domed Hagia Sofia.
the Blue Mosque The cruise ships all more along the Bosphorus at the Karakoy Cruise Port. This port has plenty of facilities and caters for ships of various sizes. Larger ships moor alongside floating pontoons which allow the deeper draft vessels to moor at the terminal. At any one stage there can be five or six medium sized cruise ships at this port alone. The port is close to lots of the major attractions. There are plenty of sights to see near the docks but passengers should expect to walk at least 30 minutes across the Galata Bridge, which spans the Golden Horn inlet, to reach some of the more interesting and well known sights.

Once across the bridge, passengers can easily walk to the Egyptian spice market, railway station and the Basilica Cistern. Passengers can also follow the streets to the Mosques which are within a couple of miles from the port.

Information

Places to see
the Blue Mosque The Blue Mosque
With 6 minarates and 9 domes, the Blue Mosque or Sultan Ahmed Mosque to give it it's full name is certainly an outstanding building and instantly recognisable.
the Basilica Cistern Basilica Cistern
This amazing undergound cistern, once held water for the city. Now it has been mainly drained and is open to tourists. Although many people will focus on the importance of the cistern in its construction some people will also be interested that this is the cistern that James Bond rowed through to spy on the Russian embassy in the film "From Russia with love"
Topkapi Palace Topkapi Palace
The palce was a royal residence, and used for state occasions and royal entertainment. The palace is now open to tourists and is a major attraction for millions of people. Items of interest include the fantstic buildings and of course the holy relics of the Muslim world including the Prophet Muhammed's cloak and sword.
Spice Market
You will be amazed at the smells as you wander through stalls and stalls stacked high with spices, seeds and powders. Maybe you would like to haggle over the price of some saffron or maybe just look at the colours.
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