Istanbul is one of the world's most ancient and culturally diverse cities, and this abundantly illustrated book serves as both a physical and historical guide to the most significant architecture of the city. Spanning two millennia, its buildings range from the lofty and many-tiered aqueducts built by the Romans to Ottoman mosques, with their bath houses, schools, and hospitals. In Beyoglu, banks, arcades, embassies, and apartment complexes reflect foreign influences, with disparate architectural styles like belle époque, Venetian, Gothic, and art deco forming a surprising harmony. Here too, along the Bosphorus, are the baroque palaces of the Sultans and the charming yali—quintessentially Turkish waterside mansions.