Istanbul, Turkey

The city where East greets West is a riot of sounds, sights and smells. On the European side of the Bosphorus, the boundary-setting strait which flows through it, is the city’s business and historical centre, while a third of Istanbul’s cosmopolitan mass of some 15 million people are grouped on the Asian side.

In the days of the Roman Empire, the city was called Constantinople, named in honour of the Roman Emperor Constantine, and like Rome it is built on seven hills. Having served as the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, it’s a city that has played a starring role in history, and one that stands proud among the world’s great cities.

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