The Perfect City
Historically:
The city that every empire of the world sought to be their capital and the center of their power. Formerly known as “Constantinople” and earlier, it was called Byzantium, today its Istanbul. This city has a long history of more than 2500 years. Founded by the Byzantines in 658 BC at the hands of King Byzas, was son of king Nisos of Megara. And was then taken by Emperor Constantine as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in 335. The Romans built the plush of their buildings and castles, and they were impervious to the invaders. The walls were built five meters deep and rose nine meters above the surface of the earth and extended along twenty-two kilometers. Has resisted the walls of this city since its establishment all the invaders. Has stood for more than sixty wars waged by the world’s most powerful armies. All failed to penetrate the great walls, until conquered by the commander of the Ottoman empire the conqueror Mohammed II, the Sultan of the Great Ottoman Empire. It was a great war that lasted fifty-three days. Al-Fatih built nearby castles to be the center of his army and a crowd of the bravest men armed with the most sophisticated weapons of that time. The seven hills ruled by more than a hundred and twenty emperor and Sultan.
Geographically:
Istanbul has a strategic location, making it a global center for the convergence of civilizations and cultures. The meeting of East and West gives it the distinction and strategic concurrence of an incomparable city in this world. The only city in the world located in two different continents. Moreover, these two continents separated by the Bosphorus Strait associated with the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea which links between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Black sea breeze mixed with the Mediterranean climate, is a wonderful combination which made this city has a wonderful atmosphere. Its summer is beautiful, and its flowers in Spring are gorgeous. One of the reasons for making Istanbul hard to attacked is the natural protection of the city. The penetration of the Bosporus is very difficult with the presence of anti-ship chains. The nature of the seven hills gave preference to the fences to prevent intruders from outside the city. Therefore, Istanbul was resistant to all who faced it, except Muhammad the Conqueror. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) preached his Hadith to “‘Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will her leader be, and what a wonderful army will that army be”
Economically:
The rulers knew that whoever ruled Istanbul would have an unmatched economic power. Its strategic location makes it a global economic center. This city has passed through most of the world’s mobile goods between Asia and Europe. Which led to the prosperity of this city in various aspects. Intellectually, culturally, religiously, and of course economically. Istanbul has been one of the most important economic centers of the world. Now, with the presence of aircraft, the Turkish airline occupies the seventh position for the best aviation in the world. As for the skies of Istanbul, you cannot see the sky at any time without watching an airplane flying to or from Istanbul. From Istanbul it is possible to reach most cities of the two continents in less than four hours. Ataturk Airport broke the record number of flights per day in the same month twice in a row. Where the number of flights on the ninth of September 2016 thousand and five hundred landing and takeoff. As for the average number of passengers from Ataturk Airport per year, it is estimated at sixty million passengers. I also did not include in the statistics, the numbers of the rest of the International airports of Istanbul like (Sabiha airport and The new airport which will be the largest airport in Europe).
Culturally:
What do you imagine from a city of more than 2500 years of civilization and science? Not only that, it was a gathering of scholars and religious people around the world. Istanbul has a very high civilization and culture. The Greeks lived in it and it was the capital of the Romans one day and the capital of the Ottoman Empire was another day. Both of these civilizations left their best in this city. Even Muhammad al-Fatih ordered that “the Roman buildings not to be harmed”, so he preserved them and turned them into mosques and state centers. Adding a wonderful mix of sporadic civilizations. It was a source of art, science and literature all over the world.
Nature:
Istanbul has an incomparable nature. Forests, straits, mountains, humid air, and a climate of diversity that pleases the human soul. Some of it summer with nice sunny days, some of it winter with beautiful snow, and some of it with autumn leaves which gives a beautiful sound, while spring is characterized by its colors mixed with blue, green and colorful flowers. This diversity makes Istanbul a suitable place to grow green spaces and increase its natural resources. Of course, the nature of Istanbul has contributed to the growth of tourism and make it a global tourist destination.
