Historic Areas of Istanbul
With its strategic location on the Bosphorus
peninsula between the Balkans and Anatolia, the Black Sea and the
Mediterranean, Istanbul has been associated with major political,
religious and artistic events for more than 2,000 years. Its
masterpieces include the ancient Hippodrome of Constantine, the
6th-century Hagia Sophia and the 16th-century Sรผleymaniye Mosque, all
now under threat from population pressure, industrial pollution and
uncontrolled urbanization.