The Mosques of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is a city straddling the line between two worlds. One section is in Europe, the other, in Asia. Separating the land between the two continents is the Bosphorus Strait. This body of water is not that large, but it is significant as it gave Istanbul a coveted location. In addition to the geographical halves, Istanbul was dominated by two distinct Empires; Byzantine and Ottoman. Exploring the two sides to Istanbul’s past means visiting their many historical mosques and churches.

Bosphorus Strait connects the Sea of Marmara, a part of the Mediterranean, with the Black Sea. This made the strait an important shipping route for trade and meant that Istanbul was located on prime real estate. As a result, many battles took place over the centuries to win control of the city. Eventually it came under control by the Christian Byzantine Empire. Their reign lasted for over 1,100 years. At that time Istanbul was called Constantinople, after its first Byzantine ruler. This empire built a protective wall around the city and filled it with elegant churches, cisterns and watchtowers.

Eventually, they were overthrown by the Muslim Ottoman Empire and the era of Byzantine rule ended. The Ottomans converted the country to Islam and built wonderful mosques, palaces and bazaars. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).