Location

Istanbul is a monumental city. It is the only city in the world spanning two continents — Europe and Asia. Built on hills overlooking the Bosphorus and Golden Horn waterways, it is a city of vast panoramas. Its grandeur also lies in the scale of the imperial monuments — city walls built in the 4th c. CE by Emperor Theodosius, old Christian churches adorned with Byzantine mosaics, and the enormous mosques and elaborate palaces of the Ottoman sultans.

Today, Istanbul is the commercial and cultural center of Turkey, producing 20% of the gross national product and providing one third of its industrial production. With a population of nearly 10 million, the city manifests the political, economic, religious and social conditions growing out of massive rural migration from other parts of Turkey and the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Travelers make their way with ease in Istanbul. In areas accustomed to the lively tourist industry, enough English is spoken for one to be understood. Public transportation is easy to use and inexpensive. Turkish culture has a highly developed ethos of hospitality and attentiveness to the well-being of the community. Students will encounter a welcoming and helpful environment.