This richly illustrated and thorougly researched book takes the reader through the history of a fascinating city. As the capital of two great empires, Constantinople occupied a strategic political position between the West and the East for centuries and inspired artist from both cultures to create works of the very highest quality. All major cultural treasures of the city are described here, from the masterpieces of the early Christian period to the magnificent palaces and mosques of the Ottoman era and architectural achievments of the nineteenth century.