Istanbul
Turkey's largest city
Istanbul is Turkey's largest city, straddling the Bosphorus strait between Europe and Asia.
Formerly Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, the city remains Turkey's cultural and economic center though no longer its political capital.
We spent a week in Istanbul exploring the bazaars and mosques.
Open-air merchant district
- mosqueIslamic house of worship
- minaretMosque tower with balcony
- hammamTurkish public steam bath
- teaSteeped leaf beverage
tulip · carpet · ceramics · calligraphy · whirling · dervish · Sufism · baklava
Constricted marine passage
- ferryVessel for scheduled crossings
- bridgeStructure spanning an obstacle
- waterfrontLand beside navigable waters
- fishingCatching aquatic creatures
currents · dolphins · seaway · seagulls · shipping · continental · Anatolia · Thrace
Structure spanning an obstacle
- gatewayPoint of access
- convergenceProcess of approaching sameness
- hubCentral connection point
- nexusConnecting central point
continents · Eurasian · transcontinental · trade · exchange · meeting · transit · fusion
Member of Turkish dynasty
- mosaicsPictures made from fragments
- SuleimanRenowned Ottoman sultan
- sultansIslamic royal sovereigns
- haremWives' sequestered quarters
Justinian · janissaries · conquest · caravanserai · archaeology · empire
Of many types
- multiculturalIncluding multiple ethnic traditions
- melting-potFusion of diverse cultures
- LevantineOf the eastern Mediterranean
- GreekOf Athenian origin
Armenian · Jewish · minorities · polyglot · quarters · modern · secular · nightlife
bazaar
Open-air merchant district
tea · tulip · carpet · ceramics · calligraphy · whirling · dervish · Sufism · baklava · kebab
strait
Constricted marine passage
- ferryVessel for scheduled crossings
- bridgeStructure spanning an obstacle
- waterfrontLand beside navigable waters
fishing · currents · dolphins · seaway · seagulls · shipping · continental · Anatolia · Thrace · waterway
bridge
Structure spanning an obstacle
- gatewayPoint of access
- convergenceProcess of approaching sameness
- hubCentral connection point
nexus · continents · Eurasian · transcontinental · trade · exchange · meeting · transit · fusion · intersection
Ottoman
Member of Turkish dynasty
Justinian · harem · janissaries · conquest · caravanserai · archaeology · empire
diverse
Of many types
- multiculturalIncluding multiple ethnic traditions
- melting-potFusion of diverse cultures
- LevantineOf the eastern Mediterranean
Greek · Armenian · Jewish · minorities · polyglot · quarters · modern · secular · nightlife · contemporary
Ankara
Turkey's governmental seat
- IzmirMajor Turkish seaport
- AntalyaTurkish Mediterranean port city
- CappadociaCentral Turkish historical region
- Major CitiesNew York, Paris, Los Angeles, Chicago, Berlin
- portsport, seaport, harbor, seaports, harbors
- turkeyAnkara, turkey breast, turkey leg, Anatolia, turkey legs
- Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire, sultans, grand vizier, Suleiman, pashas
- AnatoliaAnatolia, Asia Minor, Ankara, Cappadocia, Izmir
- Ancient CapitalsBabylon, Persepolis, Thebes, Memphis, Nineveh
Istanbulwilderness
Uncultivated, uninhabited natural region
Brasília · rural village · Canberra · uninhabited island · desert