Istanbul

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  Dialling code
  +90 212
  
  Population
  15 million (2005 official estimate, metropolitan area).
  
  Time zone
  GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
  
  Electricity
  220 volts AC, 50Hz; round two-pin plugs are standard.
  
   Average January temperatures
  5°C (41°F).
  Average July temperatures
  28°C (82°F).
  Annual rainfall
  654mm (25.8 inches).
  
  Cost of Living:
  The devaluation of the Turkish Lira in January 2006 meant ridding of all the zeros, hence 1,000,000 Turkish Lira became 1 Yeni Turk Lirasi (New Turkish Lira).
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  Special Events:
  
  New Year’s Day, 1 Jan, national holiday, throughout the city
  
  Kurban Bayram (Feast of the Sacrifice), religious holiday
  
  International Film Festival, in April National Independence and Children’s Day, 23 Apr,
  
  International Theater Festival, May, Ataturk Kultur Merkezi, Taksim
  
  Youth and Sports Day, 19 May, national holiday, throughout the city
  
  International Istanbul Music Festival, Jun, various venues International Bosphorus Festival, Jun, yacht races and regattas
  
  International Jazz Festival, Jul, various venuesZafer Bayram (Victory Day), 30 Aug, national holiday, throughout the city
  
  International Istanbul Biennale, Sep-Nov, biannual art festival, various venues
  
  Cumhuriyet Bayram (Republic Day), 29 Oct, national holiday celebrating Atatürk’s proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923, throughout the city
  
  Intercontinental Istanbul Eurasia Marathon, Oct, Üsküdar to Taksim
  
  Akbank Jazz Festival, early Oct, Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall, Babylon and Venue Maslak
  
  Ramadan, Muslim Holy Month of Fasting, with the end of the fast marked by a three-day national holiday, Ramadan throughout the city
  
  Seker Bayram (Sugar Holiday or Eid Al Fitr), religious holiday,throughout the city Istanbul
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  Istanbul Airports
  
  Ataturk International Airport (IST)
  
  Istanbul Ataturk Airport
  The rebuilt, state-of-the-art Ataturk International Airport opened in 2000, and is located 19 km (12 miles) west of central Istanbul, in Yesilkoy. As Turkey’s largest airport, it is the main international gateway to the country, with a capacity of 14 million passengers a year, increasing to 20 million after completion of the extension.
  
  Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW)
  
  The airport is located on the Asian side of Istanbul, 50km (30 miles) east of Taksim, the European center of Istanbul, 1.5km (1 mile) from the TEM motorway, and 4km (2.5 miles) from Pendik sea bus jetty and train station. This new airport, opened in 2001 and named after a Turkish female combat pilot, has relieved some of the overload at Atatürk Airport with its domestic terminal and international terminal mainly serving German cities, plus London and Amsterdam. It also handles a small number of charter flights to central Asia, and cargo and military planes.
• Istanbul is often described as ‘the crossroads of Europe and Asia’ - a heaving bazaar-city of carpets and caravanserais with an imperial history stretching back for more than 1,500 years. This metropolis of an estimated 15 million occupies both sides of an east-west land bridge divided by the 32km (20-mile) Bosphorus Strait, which also connects the trade routes of the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean. As a result, the city has been a jealously guarded center of world trade since the Byzantine era, and protected by water on three sides, with the natural harbor of the Golden Horn nestled within the city.
• Even after Constantinople (as it was previously known) fell to the Ottoman Sultans in 1453, the city remained (and it still is) the trading post for valuable spices and textiles brought via the Silk Road from as far away as China. Its prime position has meant that Istanbul has suffered from frequent sieges, changing from a Hellenic outpost to New Rome, the world’s first Christian capital, and the seat of the world’s biggest Muslim Empire. Its identity today combines that of both eastern and European.
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  Haghia Sophia
  
  Haghia Sophia, known as Aya Sofya and translated as ‘Church of Divine Wisdom’, is considered the world’s finest example of Byzantine architecture. Consecrated in 537AD, its vast dome rises to 56m (183ft), designed to appear suspended in space and thus representative of heaven. So impressed was Mehmet the Conqueror that when he took the city in 1453, he dedicated it as a mosque, and it remained so until declared a museum when the Turkish Republic was founded. Highlights include Byzantine mosaics and huge Ottoman circular shields containing calligraphy of Koranic verses.
  Sultanahmet, in front of Topkapi Palace.
  Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0900-1700 (winter), 0900-1800 (summer).
  
  
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  Topkapi Palace
  
  Originally built as a summer residence and the seat of government, Topkapi Palace was home to harem, state administration and military personnel in the 16th century, with around 3,000 residents. Sultans abandoned it for Dolmabahçe Palace in 1855, but many of the sumptuous jewels of the original treasury (including the Topkapi dagger, and gold-plated throne of Murat III), the armory, silk ceremonial robes, Chinese ceramics and the collection of manuscripts, all convey the old Ottoman decadence. Near the Imperial Gate is Haghia Eirene Museum, venue of concerts during the International Istanbul music festival. The prison-like Harem, comprising several dozen ornate rooms which once housed up to 300 concubines, is only open to guided tours and requires a separate ticket (and separate queue). Weekends and holidays are more crowded.
  Opening hours: Wed-Mon 0900-1700 (winter); Wed-Mon 0900-1800 (summer).
  
  Kapali Carsi (Covered or Grand Bazaar)
  
  The famous and vast bazaar is the best known of Istanbul’s markets. It was instated shortly after the 1493 Conquest and contained the slave market, as well as the hans, or caravanserais of old, where Silk Road traders could rest themselves and their camels, as well as sell their goods. While the ornate ceilings and labyrinth-like layout still hark back to the past, these days the vast number of stalls (more than 4,000 of them, in over 60 streets) sell mainly tourist-friendly goods, including carpets, gold, leather and ceramics. The complex also contains two mosques, money change offices, a police station, cafes and an information point. Haggling is essential at most stalls.  Beyazit Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1900.
• Misir Carsisi (Egyptian or Spice Market)
  
  This L-shaped market, facing the Golden Horn, was built in the 17th century as an extension to Yeni Camii (New Mosque), and financed by the money paid as duty on Egyptian goods. Originally famed for its exotic spices and oils from the Orient, these days it also sells dried fruits, caviar and Turkish delight, as well a plethora of souvenirs. Its surrounding streets are a hub of commercial activity, with local craftspeople, traders and a great selection of cheeses and olives. Eminonu Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0800-1900.
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  Sultanahmet Camii (Blue Mosque)
  
  The Blue Mosque was built during the reign of Sultan Ahmet (1603-1617), as Islam’s answer to Haghia Sophia, and remains the symbol and center of religious demonstrations and Istanbul’s only mosque with six minarets. Blue Iznik tiles dominate the interior, and blue light shines through more than 250 windows. The interior is stunning, from the vast central dome designed to lift all eyes heavenward to the latticework-covered Imperial Loge and the mihrab (prayer niche) containing a piece of sacred black stone from Mecca. At dusk during summer there is a Son et Lumière (sounds and lights) show. The Imperial Pavilion also contains a state-run Carpet Museum with Usak, Bergama and Konya samples, dating between the 16th and 19th centuries. (The mosque is undergoing restoration until early 2007).
  
  
  Archeoloji Müzeleri (Archaeological Museums)
  
  Istanbul’s Archaeology Museums are located in three separate buildings, once part of the Topkapi Palace complex. The main building houses the famous fourth-century Alexander sarcophagus discovered in Lebanon, as well as the facade of the Temple to Athena from Assos, Byzantine mosaics and sarcophagi. The interior of the Çinili Kösk (Tiled Pavilion), built in 1472, is covered in Iznik tiles and contains the 14th-century royal blue Karaman Mihrab (prayer niche). The Museum of the Ancient Orient includes the Treaty of Kadesh, drawn up between the Egyptians and Hittites in 1269BC, plus a magnificent frieze of a bull from Babylon.
  Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1700.
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  Yerebatan Sarayi (Basilica Cistern)
  
  Sometimes referred to as the Sunken Palace, the Basilica Cistern was the reservoir for water required for the Byzantine Great Palace, and thought to date back to AD532. This huge atmospheric structure, measuring 140m (460ft) by 70m (230ft), still contains a few feet of water, over which wooden walkways have been constructed. Many of the 335 columns supporting the cathedral-like ceiling have been recycled from pre-Christian temples - such as the Medusa heads that are used as column bases, pilfered from the Temple of Apollo in Didyma (Didim). The cistern was used as a film set for the James Bond film, From Russia With Love (1963).
  
  Opening hours: Daily 0900-1730.
  
  
  Kariye Muzesi (Kariye Museum)
  
  Originally an 11th-century church (and sometimes still referred to as Chora Church) this contains Istanbul’s finest Byzantine mosaics, as well as superb 14th-century religious frescoes. Although converted to a mosque after the Conquest, the mosaics were merely whitewashed over, and have been preserved for display in what is now a secular museum. Opening hours: Thurs-Tues 0930-1630.
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  Galata Kulesi (Galata Tower)
  
  The balcony at the top of Galata Tower has an unforgettable view of the city. Built in 1348 by the Genoese as part of their fortifications, this distinctive 62m (205ft) tower with conical roof is visible from most of the city. It was converted to cater for tourism, which thankfully includes a lift, plus a nightclub and restaurant on the top floors. On a clear day, the view is spectacular and it is possible to see the main monuments of Istanbul and even Princes’ Islands, and is highly recommended for visitors to get a feel of the surroundings. There are several charming tea gardens at the foot. Opening hours: Daily 0900-2000.
  
  Turk ve Esleri Müzesi (Turkish and Islamic Art Museum)
  
  Originally the 16th-century palace of Süleyman the Magnificent’s most able Grand Vizier, Ibrahim Pasha, this museum contains more than 40,000 items dating from between the seventh to the 19th century. Its famous carpet display contains Turkish carpets depicting Holbein paintings and fragments of 13th-century Selçuk rugs. Further highlights include Ottoman Koran cases and stands, illuminated manuscripts and tiles, and the basement contains an exhibition of the evolution of the Turkish house - from nomadic tents to 19th-century palaces.
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  Taksim Square and Istiklal Caddesi
  
  The square is the nucleus of Istanbul’s modern European side, which many tourists unfortunately miss. In the south-west corner is the Monument of Independence, where the busy Istiklal Caddesi starts and cuts through Beyoglu area. This 1.5km (1 mile) pedestrianized boulevard is lined with shops, cinemas, markets and restaurants, and especially crowded at night. Its 19th-century European consulates, churches and ornate buildings are evidence that Beyoglu was once the centerpiece for an art nouveau belle époque, and later the hang-out for bohemian artists and intellectuals. Highlights include the stained glass at the entrance to Cicek Pasaj (Flower Passage), the imposing Galatasaray Lisesi (High School) and various contemporary art galleries (free). Opening hours: Most shops open till 2100, later on Fri-Sat.
  
  Istanbul Modern
  
  Located in a restored old waterfront warehouse and opened in 2004, the huge Istanbul Modern has a fine collection of contemporary arts from Turkey and around the world. Specialising in painting and photography, with a cinema screening world films in the basement, the gallery hosts exhibitions that include 20th-century home-grown talent to try to encourage Turkish art. The entire venue is fresh, spacious and well laid-out, with a fine restaurant/café on the ground floor overlooking the Bosphorus.
  Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800; Thurs 1000-2000.
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  Yildiz Park
  
  Rising above the area of Besiktas, Yildiz is a welcome relief from the noise of the city, with woodland and landscaped gardens. Sultan Abdul Hamit built them for the Ciragan Palace (now a 5-star hotel over the main road) where Sultans strolled and hunted since the 17th-century. It is now more popular with courting couples and picnicking families and is busiest at weekends. At the top are Malta Kosk and Cadir Kosk, two attractive 19th-century pavilions originally part of the palace, whose guests included Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle, and now operating as restaurants and cafés. The park also houses Yildiz Palace Museum, Imperial Porcelain Factory and City Museum. Opening hours: Daily, dawn till dusk.
  
  Suleymaniye Mosque
  
  Although fewer tourists make it here than to the Blue Mosque, this is even grander and more peaceful, and one of the finest creations by Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. The huge 53m-high dome and pencil-slim minarets from each corner of the courtyard are an exquisite example of symmetry and elegance. Built in the 1550s, the site also contains the tombs of Sinan, Sultans Suleyman II and Ahmet II decorated with intricate tiles, the original apartments of the mosque astronomer, charitable foundations, caravanserai and fountain, all set around a tranquil courtyard. There are several outdoor tea-houses in a row behind the mosque.
  
  Opening hours: Daily 0930-1730. Closed to non-Muslims during prayer times.