Isztambul, óóóóó Isztambul

Galata Tower on the left, Ortaköy Mosque with the Bosphorus Bridge at the upper right, and the cityscape at the lower right

 Istanbul, the capital of Turkey has a long history which dates back to antiquity. It was first called Byzantium until Constantine the Great made it as the capital of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire in 330 BC, then it was called Constantinopolis. It received its present-day name gradually after the Ottoman conquest of the city in the 1453. It was referred concurrently Constantinopolis in the West, and the city was officially renamed Istanbul in 1928 by president Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
About the monuments on the postcard: The Galata Tower is a Romanesque style structure constructed in 1348, it was built by the Genoese colony in the city. The tower is 66,9 m tall and it was the tallest building of Constantinopole at that time. For those who climb the tower can see a great panorama of the city from the top. The Ortaköy Mosque Neo-Baroque style building designed by Armenian architects (a father and his son) and was constructed between 1854-56. Behind the mosque, the First Bosphorus Bridge can be seen, which connects Europe and Asia. The suspension bridge is 1560 meters long and was opened in 1973.
Istanbul is a popular holiday destination in my country, it looks like a lovely place with a lot of things to discover.

From: R. J.
Date: July 2012