Airline Tickets to istanbul

'East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet…' – it is a quote from one of the poems by R. Kipling. But there is one place on the Earth, where this proverb doesn't work. This place, where East and West not only meet, but peacefully live together, I mean Istanbul, lying just on boundary of Europe and Asia. Istanbul is one of the oldest cities in the world. It can boast of rich history: this city used to be the capital of three countries – The Roman Empire, The Byzantium Empire and The Ottoman Empire. A lot of historical and cultural monuments, for which Istanbul is very rich, remind us about the past.

The Topkapi Palace. The Topkapi is an architectural complex, situated on the cape, which surely guarantees us a splendid panoramic view. In the complex take place various museums; the most interesting of them is the Museum of archaeology. There one can look at the sarcophagi, ceramics and others thing of the times of The Ottoman Empire. In the main building you'll find another museum that contains the war trophies, gifts and things for everyday use. If you want to visit the harem, you may do it only with a guide. Enter there is not free, but it's worth its money. All the buildings in the complex were created in the 15th century, around them there's a small park for having quiet walks.

Hagia Sofia Basilica. Hagia Sofia Basilica, or the Basilica of the God's Wisdom, was built in the 6th century by the order of Imperator Justinian, when during the insurrection the previous basilica on this place was ruined. They say that during the inauguration of the basilica Justinian said:' I've surpassed you, Solomon!' Primordially Hagia Sofia was an orthodox church, but later then it served as a mosque. 20 years passed after the basilica was built and in 558 the cupola came down. This mistake in the calculations cost a lot the architects: they were beheaded.

The cupola, which one can see nowadays, was created in 563. It's a real masterpiece: along its perimeter the windows are located, so it creates the impression that the cupola is just flying. During 9000 years Hagia Sofia was the main cathedral in Constantinople (the former name of Istanbul). In 1453 by the order of Mehmet the Conquer the Orthodox Church was turned into a mosque. The minarets were added, the mosaics were hidden under the thick layer of plaster, due to that they were saved till nowadays.

Being a strong supporter of the division of church and country, in 1935 Ataturk decided to create from Hagia Sofia a museum, just then the plaster was removed. Most of the inscriptions in the basilica are Arabic, but one can also find some Christian icons, among which there is a mosaics of St Johan. In the north wing takes place a special column of murmur and bronze, from which according to the legend, water runs.

Read further about istanbul in our City Guide ...

Airport Address: Atatürk International Airport, Bas Mudur, Ataturk Dhmi, Istanbul Yesilkoy 34830, Turkey
Distance and Location: The airport is located 24km (15 miles) west of Istanbul
Airport Website: www.tav.aero
Airport E-mail: bilgi@dhmiata.gov.tr or info@tav.com.tr
Airport Telephone: (0)212 663 6400 or 663 2550
Country Code: 90
Time Zone: GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October)
Total Number of Terminals: 2
Moving between Terminals: A walkway with escalators and travelators connects the two terminals.