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We would like to welcome you Istanbul, the city that hosts the XXX URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium.
The history of Turkey, its people and climate make it one of the rare places on earth which attract people from all lands, beliefs and races. In one sense, Turkey is a museum of cultures, the meeting place of three of the world’s great civilizations: Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. Istanbul a key point in geography, focal point of the interests of international powers, capital of empires, the only city in the world that belongs to two continents Europe and Asia. This unique position makes it the only city established on two continents where one can make an intercontinental trip on bus.
In many ways, as in the past, Istanbul is the capital of the future – a marriage of East and West for the benefit of both. Geographically is Istanbul divided into three, cut by bodies of water. The main divisions into two, as European and Asian, by the Bosphorus and the European section is further divided into two, as the Old and the New Cities, by the Golden Horn. The concepts of old and new are relative to each other only and cannot be related to anything else as the New City was largely reshaped in the Republican Period, it still carries the main divisional characteristics of Byzantium.
Located in the very heart of Istanbul, Congress Valley is the area situated near Taksim square, one of the main concentrations of 3 and 4 star hotels in Istanbul, where 5 star hotels are also available in the close neighbourhood. Taksim square is about 15 minutes walk from the conference centre and weather is expected to be good at the time of the URSI GASS 2011.
Modern Istanbul resembles an open-air museum; wherever you turn you are faced with ancient monuments, mosques, churches, synagogues and palaces. Along the shores of the Bosphorus is a garland of charming small villages that have existed since time immemorial, once home to Istanbul's Christian and Jewish minorities. Here one can see imperial palaces, gardens, fortresses and the traditional old wooden houses which grace the shorelines of the breathtaking Bosphorus. Istanbul has great dining facilities and offers almost all the cuisines of the world starting from Turkish to Thai.
Visit the Blue Mosque which fascinates with the beautiful blue tiles, or the Topkapı Palace that was the seat of government for the Ottoman Empire, or the Grand Bazaar which is the oldest and the biggest closed bazaar in the world. You should also visit the Hippodrome that was the centre of civil activities during the Byzantine era, and the Hagia Sophia meaning Divine Wisdom and was the biggest church at its time and today is the fourth biggest in the world.
We look forward to meeting you in Istanbul.
The Organizing Committee
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