^#smrgSAHAF İstanbul -

Set up originally as a small coastal enclave, Istanbul continued its tradition as a center of attraction and a rich world city to its unique position as a meeting point of the East and the West, the North and the South linked to each other by major sea and land routes. The seas that surround Istanbul have added substantially to its beauty, vitality and grace for centuries. Sailors, travelers, merchants and even fleets coming from all over the world each carried pieces of their heritage, culture and customs. Melting all these assets in the same pot, Istanbul, in time, became a city that synthesized culture, art and civilization reaching nearly perfect levels. Anatolia resembles a hand stretching from east to west. It is this. hand that gives Istanbul its glamor and glitter and that differentiates it from all of its other rivals.., shaped by the universal cultural synthesis that takes place at this junction. Still retained intact and unspoiled, Istanbul's mystifying beauty can be best described as a marvel created by human wisdom and nature... a miracle molded by civilization, culture and art; and its past as a legend of history shared universally. The history of a city which has kept its magnificence from 600 years B.C. until the end of the 20th Century is comparable only to extraordinary ingredients found in legends. And, if today we are able to trace uninterruptedly the history of the mankind at this venue as far back as 2,500 years ago, feeling and seeing its wondrous traits everywhere; and if we can launch new strides in the same spot, and within the same time element - to which we can justifiably say yes -- then this city becomes a gate opening to posterity, a tunnel of time that reaches out from past to future. As we stroll in Istanbul, every pace leads to this gate, and we live again and again the captivating nostalgia of the past, the soothing beauty of the present and the exciting hope of the future.
Bedrettin Dalan