Discover Ottoman masterpieces, magical landscapes and palate-pleasing plates in a land rich in history
Turkey has played a major role in the history of the Mediterranean world. Due to its strategic location straddling two continents, it became a crucial crossroads and staging post on the trade routes between east and west. Several empires rose and fell over the centuries, starting with the Hittites, rivals to the great Pharoahs of Egypt.
The Roman empire followed and Constantinople (Istanbul, as it is known today) enjoyed joint capital status with Rome. The city then had more than four centuries of imperial patronage as capital of the great Ottoman empire.