Istanbul

Istanbul is the most populous European city with almost 15 million inhabitants, and is the world's 15th-largest city. By year 500, Constantinople as it then was called, had somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 people, at that time larger than Rome.

During the Viking age around year 1000, Nordic vikings travelled up and down the rivers of Russia and captured the city, giving it the name of Miklagard.

 

Being at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, the city has always been an important place to trade and to exchange cultural influences. Therefore, Istanbul today offers a unique glance at both Christian and Muslim traditions, as well as a truly colurful city life.


We visited Istanbul in early spring of 2005, and stayed for a full week. As the sights are so diverse, the mail Istanbul folder is split into 13 sub-folders.