HIDDEN JEWELS OF ISTANBUL

Istanbul is a city with a mixture of the old and new and the East and West. For instance, in Cimberlitas alone, you can see such striking example of having the old and new in one place—the sight of a ruined Roman column casting its silhouette over a 19th Century Turkish bath and a neighboring well-known coffee shop, Starbucks. According to the legend, the city was started by a man named Byzas when an oracle instructed him to build a city 'opposite the blind'. The moment he came upon a small fishing village on the Bosphorus across from the strategic peninsula, he felt and knew that it was the home he was looking for. And several centuries later, that small village grew and became one of the world's most heavily fortified cities.

The visitors of Istanbul, Turkey are usually visiting the marvels of the city by tour groups. They combed the popular sites like the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, and the Hippodrome. Little do they know that some of Istanbul’s most beautiful scenes are hidden in its crowded back streets: the urban parks that are shadowed by the humble dwellings of the Turks and the very quiet local mosques that are unheralded by the common people.

The diversity in the city of Istanbul is a unique experience plus the warmth of its people is just as unequaled. When in Istanbul, it’s as if you have been transported back in times when Sultans and Emperors rule. But you can also dismiss visiting the antiquity and dine, shop, and party instead. The things you can do there is just countless and in full spectrum. It is but up to the visitors how they’ll discover Istanbul. You can surely find something to love about the city. It has entranced million of visitors in the past and still going to do so in more centuries to come.