SOME PHOTOS FROM THE PAST
There was a time Istanbul was a dream city. In 1950s the entire population was less than 1 million 200 thousand but now around 18 million people.
The Rumeli Fortress on the European side
From the Roman Acqueduct down to Golden Horn
At the tip of Topkapi Palace
Celebrated Ottoman poet Nedim, 17th Century, describes Istanbul in his words:
"Bu sehr-i Istanbul ki bi misl ü behadyr,
Bir sengine yek pâre Acem mülkü fedâdyr,
Bir gevher-i yekpare iki bahr arasynda,
Hursîd-i cihan-tâb ile tartylsa sezâdyr."
Sürmeli gözlü güzel yüzlü gazâlân anda
Zer kemerli beli hancerli cüvânân anda
Bâ-husûs aradigim serv-i hyrâmân anda
Nice akmaya gönül su gibi Sa'd-âbâd'a.
" There are kohl-eyed fresh-faced gazelles there,
There are gold-belted khanjar-hipped young people there,
And of course my love's swaying cypress body is there,
Why shouldn't the heart flow like water towards Sa'd-âbâd? "
