Constantinople: Istanbul's Historical Heritage

This book unveils the inheritance of a fasscinating city. Christened "Constantinople" by Constantine the Great, the city successively served as the capital of Byzantine and Ottoman empires, commanding a key position between Occident and Orient for more than sixteen centuries. The wealth of cultural treasures that characterize the face of Istanbul today reflects this rich history. The Hagia Sophia stems from the early Christian era; following the conquest of the city by Mehmed II in 1453 brough magnificent palaces and mosques, calligraphic treasures, and book and miniature paintings inspired by Persian and Arabic forms. The buildings of the Ottoman baroque period and nineteenth-century architecture complete the exceptional cityscape Istanbul boasts today. Richly illustrated and studded with selected literary documents, this book conveys a living experience of Constantinople in all its various aspects.