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Istanbul - Culture |
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The
highlight of Istanbul's cultural life is the annual International Arts and
Culture Festival, in June and July. World-class artists - musicians,
dancers, and singers - perform in the city's various venues. The quality
and wealth of the Festival is truly astonishing. During
the rest of the year the city offers a full program of opera, theatre,
ballet, films, concerts and exhibitions. The Cemal Resit Rey Hall and the
Ataturk Cultural Centre host a majority of these events.
Kumkapi,
with its many taverns, bars, sidewalk restaurants and strolling minstrels,
always offers a good meal and a superb show. In the same vein, the Cicek
Pasaji in the Beyoglu district attracts a regular crowd of revellers. The
Princes' Islands, an archipelago of nine islands in the Sea of Marmara,
were places of exile for Byzantine princes. Today, during the summer
months, Istanbul's wealthy escape to their cool sea breezes, clear water
and elegant 19 th century houses. Buyukada is the largest of the islands.
Here you can enjoy a ride in a horse-drawn phaeton (carriage) among the
pine trees, after having relaxed on a beach in one of the numerous coves
that ring the island. The other popular islands are Kinali, Sedef, Burgaz
and Heybeli. Regular ferryboats connect the islands with both the European
and Asian shores. A faster sea bus service operates from Kabatas in the
summer. On
the European side of the Black Sea coast, 25 km from the outskirts of
Istanbul, Kilyos' long, and broad sandy beaches draw crowds of Istanbul
residents in the summer months.
On
the Asian side, Polonezkoy, Polish immigrants founded 25 km from Istanbul,
in the 19th century. Istanbul residents get away to its pastoral landscape
for walks, horseback riding and to enjoy the traditional Polish food
served by the descendants of the original settlers. On
the Black Sea, 70 km from Uskudar, Sile's sandy beaches, fish restaurants
and hotels make it one of the most delightful holiday places near
Istanbul. Sile bezi, cool cotton clothing, popular with tourists, is
fashioned here. The
charming fishing town of Eskihisar, southeast of Istanbul, boasts a marina
where yachtsmen can moor their boats after a day out in the Sea of Marmara.
In town, the house of Osman Hamdi Bey, Turkey's great 19 th century
painter, has been converted into a museum. Neighbouring sites include the
tomb of Hannibal between Eskihisar and Gebze, and a Byzantine castle.
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