These are some of the phrases that describe Istanbul:

• Today, the cultural and financial center of Turkey, Istanbul has been the capital of three empires: Byzantine, Roman, and Ottoman.

• No other city in the world stretches across two continents; nowhere else has been the capital of two empires. This vibrant metropolis of 20 million people, spanning both the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus Strait, is truly unique.

• Founded by the Greeks and later the capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire, Istanbul flourished again at the heart of the Muslim Ottoman Empire after its conquest by the Turks in 1453.

• This magical meeting place of East and West offers far more attractions than just its minarets.