Istanbul

The new route in Istanbul! Are you afraid of the big city, its hustle and bustle, multi-ethnic people and are you afraid that you will get lost among the marshes? We want to reassure you, in Istanbul you will be accompanied by our Partner - the only licensed Lithuanian language guide in Turkey, Yusuf Lal and his colleagues! Visited even 17 times, never sleeping, alkaline, full of beauty, colors, smells and historical details, Istanbul simply invites you to come!

We start this year by participating in the kindness project www.sharejoy.lt Every booked trip to Istanbul is support for children with oncological diseases! Travel organizer "Amberturas" allocates 5€ from each of your orders to support sick children.

Let's travel and give good things together!

The main part of Turkey, Anatolia, also called Asia Minor, is separated from Europe by the Sea of ​​Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles Straits. The Bosphorus strait stretches 31 km from the Black Sea to the Sea of ​​Marmara. Its average width between the European and Asian shores is 1.4 km, the narrowest point is 700 m. located between the fortresses of Anatolia and Rumeli, near the bridge named after Sultan Mehmet. Istanbul is the main commercial, business and cultural center of the country, with one of the largest and busiest ports in the world, Ataturk International Airport, with an area of ​​254 km2 and a population of millions. Machine, paper and glass production, chemical, cement, food, tobacco, light (footwear, clothing, leather), furniture... industries are concentrated in this city.

The history of the city is believed to have started back in 667. Ave. Cr. Legend has it that at that time, Greek colonists from the city of Megara, led by Byssus, left to look for a new place to found their city. On the way, he stopped by the Oracle at Delphi. He declared that the new city was destined to rise "in front of the city of the blind". When they arrived at the shore, they were fascinated by the beauty of the surroundings. At that time, there was already a settlement on the other side of the shore - the Asian part of the Bosphorus. The Megarians were surprised why these inhabitants did not move to live on the other side of the coast, which is great for natural scenery, for this reason they were called "blind". Thus the Oracle's words came true, and a new city named Byzantium arose on the shore, named in honor of the commander Biz. Over the millennia, the city became an important commercial center in ancient Anatolia. In 324, when Constantine I became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire, Byzantium was rebuilt, and the new city was renamed Constantinople. Already in the 9th century Constantinople was a city of millions. The main streets were paved with sidewalks, galleries, and decorated with fountains and columns. It is believed that the copy of Constantinople architecture was moved to Venice, where St. Bronze horses mounted on St. Mark's portal, brought from the Hippodrome of Constantinople, looted in 1204. crusade. 11th century Turkish Seljuk tribes settled in the territory of Turkey, which determined the further development of this region. in 1453 after the fall of the Byzantine Empire, this city becomes the beginning of the prosperity of the Ottoman Empire and the capital of this empire. This city until 1923 was the capital of Turkey, later it became Ankara and only in 1930 was the city officially given the name of Istanbul.

Active cultural life, tourism and commercial activities are very important phenomena of the city. However, the big problems of Istanbul are the rapid growth of the population (according to the latest data, about 17 million people live in Istanbul), the problem of traffic congestion, and the restoration of historical buildings.

Everyday life near the protected Roman, Byzantine and Turkish monuments is colorful and lively. The city is also regarded as the business, entertainment, culture, education, trade, tourism and art capital of Turkey. There are 3 universities in Istanbul, academies of economics and commerce, fine arts. Istanbul is famous for its old universities. The first higher education institution opened its doors here back in 1453, and the Istanbul Technical University has been operating since 1773. More than half of the inhabitants of this city work and live in the European part of the city. A lot of people live in Anatolian areas, but go to Istanbul every day by using bridges (2 bridges connect the western and eastern shores of the strait. In 1973, a 1560-long bridge (with six traffic lanes) called the Bosphorus Bridge (Turkish: Bošaz Köprüsü) was built. However, due to the rapid expansion of the city, one bridge was not enough and a second bridge was built between 1985 and 1988, shorter - 1510 m long, but wider - 8 lanes of traffic.It is named after Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror (Turkish Fatih Sultan Mehmet Köprüsü) or sea transport approximately 38 thousand ships pass through the Bosphorus every year) go to work.

Over the past 30 years, Turkey has become one of the most visited countries. In Istanbul, tourists can see many preserved architectural and historical monuments: One of the wonders of the world - the "Blue Mosque", St. Sophia Cathedral, Topkapi Palace (palace of the sultans), the underground water storages of the city of Alexandria, the Museum of Architecture, the Gold and Egyptian Markets, the famous bridges across the Bosphorus. Taksim Square, which is in no way inferior to the well-known Piccadilly Square in London; here you can go for a walk, go to a nightclub, or enjoy the views of the Marmara Sea and the Princes Islands. Istanbul's stadiums are often filled with concerts by world-class stars, and opera, ballet and theater attract their fans all year round. In seasonal festivals, you can see the legends of orchestras, choirs, and jazz. Often these events are held in historical places such as Hagia Irene, Rumeli Fortress, Yedikule, Topkapı Palace Courtyard, Gülhane Park, Atatürk Cultural Center. Those who like night life can choose from many night clubs, discos, bars. On weekends, open-air discos and nightclubs are often overcrowded. Anyone returning from Istanbul will remember for a long time the unpretentious hospitality of the local residents, constantly inviting them to enter a restaurant, a cafe... accompanied by the word "buyrun" (please), the glimmer of the gold market, the colorfulness of the Egyptian market, the morning bustle of the fishing port, the call to prayer from the minarets, and the morning fog rising over the Bosphorus.