2010 European Capital of Culture

This year Istanbul is the 2010 European Capital of Culture. I wanted to share
this video that was created in honor of this distinction. It's almost too touristic for my taste, but it gives a great visual display of the city and the key 'must see sites' including the Hagia Sofia museum. A church constructed in 6th Century during the reign of Emperor Justinian, it was the largest cathedral in the world for 1000 years. When Istanbul was conquered by the Ottomans in 1453 it was converted to a mosque. Today it is one of the rare places in the world where one can see mosaics of Christian figures and Islamic texts and symbols side by side. Other important sites that are a 'must see' and included in this video are the Topkapi Palace, the first palace of the Ottoman Sultans, The Dolmabache Palace, the Grand Bazaar and the Blue Mosque.