Constantinople, Byzantine, New Rome, the city has been known by a lot of names. Hi! I am Maraca Breton (ph), and welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we are continuing our Travel Series, with the look at the city of Istanbul.
Straddling the Bosphorus Strait its skylines studded with Domes and minarets. Istanbul is one of the truly great romantic cities. It's history tracks back from Byzantium to Constantinople, to its place of the head of the Ottoman Empire. Today, it hums as Turkey's cultural heart and business capital.
Istanbul is the only metropolis in the world, which is situated on two continents, Europe and Asia. In this city, you can walk the streets where crusaders and janissaries once marched. Admire mosques that are the most sblime architectural expressions of Islamic piety and hunt for bargains in the Grand Bazaar. Istanbul is situated near the north Anatolian fort line, which runs from northern Anatolia to the Marmara Sea. This fort line has been responsible for several deadly earthquakes in the region throughout history. There are several buildings in Istanbul that are steeped in history.
Hagia Sophia was built as a Byzantine Cathedral by Empire Justinian the Ist., nearly 1500 years ago, and converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Don't be fooled by its exterior, it's own dome is breathtaking. As are what's left of the original mosaics upstairs on the balcony level.
Urban legend has it that the Hagia Sophia might not withstand Istanbul's supposidley imminent huge earthquake, so get there while you can. Directly opposite the park outside Hagia Sophia, is the Majestic Blue Mosque, also know as the Sultanahmet Mosque, a relatively more recent structure built in the 17th Century. Today, it is still in use for worshipers at Adan prayer times.
This structure is one of the Istanbul's finest with its shinning gray domes and piercing minarets. Throughout the Byzantine period, Hippodrome was the center of the city's social life. Huge amounts were built on chariot races, but these races were not simple sporting events. They also provided some rare occasions during which the emperor and the common citizens could come together in a single venue.
One of the oldest monuments still surviving from antiquity is the Serpentine Column. The Column was moved from Greece by Constantine The Great when Constantinople became the new capital and is stood at the Hippodrome ever since. The world Obelisk also known as the Column of Constantine, is situated near the Serpentine Column at the seven side of the Hippodrome. The 105 foot high Obelisk, was constructed of roughly cut stones, and was originally decorated with gilded bronze plaques and a sphere at the top.
Thot-Mosis, once graced the great Temple of Karnak in ancient Thebes. It was brought to Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius in 390 AD, almost two millennium after it had been carved.
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