Istanbul is one of the world"s most venerable cities. Part of the allure is its setting, where Europe faces Asia across the waters of the Bosphorus, making it the only city in the world to bridge two continents. Here, where the Black Sea blends into the Aegean, East and West mingle and merge in the cultural melting pot of Turkey"s largest metropolis. Oriental bazaars co-exist with European shops and malls; kebab shops and tea­houses sit alongside stylish brasseries; sleek glass-fronted office buildings and hotels alternate with Ottoman minarets along the city"s skyline; traditional music and Western pop, belly-dancing and ballet, Turkish wrestling and football all compete for the attention of the Istanbullu audience. This is the only city in the world to have been the capital of both an Islamic and a Christian empire. As Constantinople, jewel of the Byzantine Empire, it was for more than 1,000 years the most important city in Christendom. As Istanbul it was the seat of the Ottoman sultans, rulers of a 500-year Islamic empire that stretched from the Black Sea and the Balkans to Arabia and Algeria.