THE STAR

Her name is İstanbul, as Aphonse De Lamartine (poet, writer and statesman) quoted: If you had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul.

She is our home, where we come to you. She is a story of three cities, from Byzantium, Constantinople to Istanbul. Every corner she bears there is a story that we love to tell you, that spans thousands of years with her unique geography, unmatchable history, incredible nature, legendary splendor and beauty. Yes, we might be overcrowded but she is not despoiled despite the people living in it. She is an immortal city.

A melting pot where Eastern and Western civilizations have been blended for ages. If we take her as a melody in a song, she is composed of Western Anatolian and Hellenistic cultures upon which Roman culture was grafted. Added to this are traces of Chinese, Indian and Persian cultural influences and Altaic Turkish mythology and Islamic Legends. She embraces Paganism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam - the cradle of three cultural components. Not only is it the crossroads of the past for the East and West, it is also the future, an intersection point.

That is exactly where we are and we are passionate to show her off to you. She is a generous beauty like no other offering all her stories, poems and cultures with you. Forget the traditional routes and let's take you deep into her veins...