The Culture of Istanbul

The Culture of Istanbul

Istanbul  is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart .The Turkish Statistical Institute estimates that the population of Istanbul was 14,160,467 on 31 December 2013, making it the largest city in Turkey, with 18.5 percent of the country's population  says Wikipedia. So what is so attractive about İstanbul?

1. History: Fatih Sultan Mehmed, at the age of 21, conquered Istanbul and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire. Istanbul has hosted different civilizations and cultures throughout the ages.

2. Location: Istanbul is a world city located at the intersection of Asia and Europe. Istanbul is the only city in the world that passes through the sea. The location of Istanbul is important for economic and commercial trade.

3. Job Opportunities: Istanbul is a big city and there are a lot of places to work. The main reason for the migration from Anatolia is jobs: People from Anatolia leave their families and homes to come to Istanbul find a job.

4. Tourism: Almost every corner of Istanbul has a historic and/or tourist feature. Istanbul welcomes thousands of tourists every year. There are a lot of palaces, historic buildings and more to visit.

5. Religions: Like other metropolitans, Istanbul has been shaped by many human communities. Consisting of mostly Muslims, Istanbul is the host for Jews, Christians and other denominations.

6. Education: There are 49 universities In Istanbul. Almost all private schools and universities in Istanbul teach English, French and German as the main foreign language or are secondary foreign language education institutions.


7. Culture: In 2010, Istanbul was declared the European Capital of Culture. Worlwide stars gave concerts in stadiums. Throughout the year, other events were featured to celebrate the city such as an opera, ballet and theater staged works.


Zeliha Pelin Basak is a 17 year old that lives in İstanbul, Turkey. Her major is accounting and finance. She love reading books and listen to music, but her favourite thing is writing, especially writing essays. Every time she tries new things to write and is trying to stay creative. Pelin has an interest to languages and wants to learn Italian, Spanish and French. In one period of Pelin's life she became more open-minded and more thankful for her life. After this situation, she couldn't stop writing. In college, Pelin wants English Language and Literature as a major because she loves reading novels, poems and analyse them. Also she has an interest in English history.