İSTANBULSena BALCI

10-H E.C.A ELGİNKAN ANATOLIAN HIGH SCHOOL

• The wise words of a Turkish Dervish will explain our approach to hosting our guests:

• “Come let’s know each otherLet’s make things easyLet’s love, let’s be lovedThis world will remain to no one”Yunus Emre, 13th Century Turkish Dervish.

The lands of Turkey are located at a point where the three continents, Asia, Africa and Europe, are closest to each other, and the point where Europe and Asia meet. Because of its geographical location the mainland of Anatolia has always found favour throughout history, and is the heartlands of many great civilizations (Hittites, Hurrians, Urartians, Phrygians, Lydians, Lycians, Cappadocians, Romans, Byzantines, Turks and more).

• Istanbul was chosen as a European Capital of Culture for 2010 and European Capital of Sports for 2012. The historic areas of the city were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.

• Istanbul is becoming increasingly colourful in terms of its rich social, cultural, and commercial activities. While world famous pop stars fill stadiums, activities like opera, ballet and theatre continue throughout the year. During seasonal festivals, world famous orchestras, chorale ensembles, concerts and jazz legends can be found often playing to a full house. The Istanbul International Film Festival is one of the most important film festivals in Europe.

• The Princes' Islands (Turkish: Prens Adaları ), are a chain of nine islands off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey, in the Sea of Marmara.

• They consist of four larger islands, Büyükada (large island) , Heybeliada (Saddlebag Island) , Burgazada , Kınalıada (Henna Island) , and five much smaller ones, Sedef Adası (Mother-of-Pearl island), Yassıada (Flat Island) , Sivriada (Sharp Island), Kaşık Island (Spoon Island), and Tavşanadası (Rabbit Island) .

• During the summer months the Princes’ Islands are popular destinations for day trips from Istanbul. As there is no traffic on the Islands, the only transport being horse and cart, they are incredibly peaceful compared with the city of Istanbul.

• The Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning Covered Bazaar) in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily.

• Hagia Sophia (Turkish: Aya Sofya) is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey.

• This gold mosaic of Virgin Mother Mary with baby Jesus and a Wise Man are in the Hagia Sophia Museum, in Istanbul, Turkey.

• The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) is a historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque .

• The Church of St. George is the principal Greek Orthodox cathedral still in use in Istanbul.

• The Topkapı Palace is a palace in Istanbul, Turkey, which was the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign.

• The Bosphorus Bridge, also called the First Bosphorus Bridge is one of the two bridges in Istanbul, Turkey, spanning the Bosphorus strait and thus connecting Europe and Asia (the other one is the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, which is called the Second Bosphorus Bridge.) �istanbul is the world's only city which spans two continents.

• Rumelihisar is in �Istanbul, in the Republic of Turkey, located on a hill at the European side. Rumelihisar was �built by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II for controlling the narrowest reach of the Bosporus in a siege of Byzantine Constantinople.

• The Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, located on the European side of the Bosporus, served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922.

• The Galata Bridge is a bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels.

• The Basilica Cistern , is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey.

Haydarpaşa Station is a major intercity rail station and transportation hub in İstanbul. It is the busiest rail terminal in Turkey and the Middle East and one of the busiest in Eastern Europe.

• The Istanbul Archaeology Museums is a group of three archeological museums located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey.

• Archaeological Museum• Museum of the Ancient Orient• Museum of Islamic Art .

• İstiklal Avenue is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul, Turkey, visited by nearly 3 million people in a single day over the course of weekends.

• The Obelisk of Theodosiusis the Ancient Egyptian obelisk of Pharaoh Tutmoses III re-erected.

• There are many legends about the construction of the tower and its location. According to the most popular Turkish legend, a sultan had a much beloved daughter. One day, an oracle prophesied that she would be killed by a venomous snake on her 18th birthday. The sultan, in an effort to thwart his daughter's early demise by placing her away from land so as to keep her away from any snakes, had the tower built in the middle of the Bosphorus to protect his daughter until her 18th birthday.

• The princess was placed in the tower, where she was frequently visited only by her father.

• On the 18th birthday of the princess, the sultan brought her a basket of exotic fruits as a birthday gift, delighted that he was able to prevent the prophecy. Upon reaching into the basket, however, an asp that had been hiding among the fruit bit the young princess and she died in her father's arms.

• Today, there is a restaurant in the first floor and a café at the top of the tower.