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Perhaps more than any other city in the
modern world, Istanbul embodies the ideal of
unification. Somewhere beneath the
magnificent waters of the Bosphorus, Europe
and Asia meet, making Istanbul the only major
city in the world that links two continents
and many cultures and religions.
There is, of course, far more than geography
to the magical hold of Istanbul exerted
over man’s imagination throughout its
fabulous history. Three separate empires
ruled the world from this powerful capital – the
Roman, the Byzantines and the Ottomans.
Trace of their presence – in ancient walls,
imressive hippodromes, royal basilicas,
aqueducts, magnificent mosques, brilliant palaces shape Istanbul’s alluring landscape and
color its exotic texture. For more than 3000 years,
this city has been at crossroads of
cultures, a rendez-vous of the East and West.Today, Istanbul blends the ancient and the
modern in a seamless tapestry of life. It
stands, in a new world, as a model of free market
economics, enlightened social reforms,
cultural and religious diversity. In many
ways, Istanbul is the capital of the future
– a marriage of East and West for the benefit of
both! | 
