istanbul: istanbul european capital of culture in

Tuesday, 12 February 2008

Istanbul, European Capital of Culture in 2010

Istanbul, The City of 4 Elements

Throughout history, then, Istanbul has been home to countless

societies and cultures. Yet this "beautiful harmony", which is

embedded in the city's foundations and entwined in the branches of its

family tree, is not just a pleasant memento from a bygone era.

Istanbul retains still its rich cosmopolitan character, sometimes

concealing and sometimes revealing the evidence of its unrivalled

physical and cultural legacy. The city is a living example of the much

sought-after meeting of civilisations - something so desperately

missing in the modern world that the search for it seems almost

utopian. For more than two thousand years, as if inspired by

Aristotle's theory of the four elements, the city has captivated

humankind's attention.

Once it was gold that people saw as the perfect blend of the four

elements. Istanbul, which once ruled lands on three continents,

throughout the ages has served as a magnet for migrants for whom its

streets are paved with that proverbial gold. After all the traumas it

has experienced since its foundation, symbolically guided by the four

elements, Istanbul is now promising to revitalise the formula

imprinted in its genes. In cultural and in artistic terms it will be

worth its weight in gold to the world as a European Capital of

Culture.

Source: http://www.istanbul2010.org.tr

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