<p>Istanbul is rapidly changing as Turkey's economy surges. Working-class neighborhoods are being cleared to make room for expensive villas, luxury hotels and upscale restaurants. A new documentary film warns that the latest mega-projects will damage the social and cultural fabric of the city.The sea of Marmara shimmered to my right, a pod of dolphins played improbably in the ferry-and tankers-choked Bosporus strait, and minarets pierced my jet-lag fog on my first Istanbul evening.ISTANBUL, Turkey, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Heavy snow and blizzard conditions ground Istanbul, Turkey, to a halt Wednesday while eastern European officials say 60 people died in winter's frigid grip.ISTANBUL - The sea of Marmara shimmered to my right, a pod of dolphins played improbably in the ferry-and tankers-choked Bosporus strait, and minarets pierced my jet-lag fog on my first Istanbul evening.Istanbul, Feb 6 (IANS) About 400 protesters threw objects and tried to storm the Syrian consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul Sunday, Xinhua reported.Foreign ministers of six Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, are meeting in Istanbul to explore new ways of cooperation with Turkey amid Iranian threats to immediately halt oil exports to Europe.. Majestically astride two continents, it is a mystical playground of historical marvels, a palimpsest of civilizations that takes travelers back in time.The friendliness of Turkish strangers accompanied me for the three weeks I spent in Istanbul and along Turkey's Aegean coast, where I found a wealth of antiquities, architecture and art with few parallels in the Mediterranean, not to mention impossibly blue seas and feasts of small plates known as mezes at non-euro prices.In Istanbul for the nth time in the past three years, I was looking for a hotel that was out of the tourist route but at the same time convenient for it. Over the last 12 months alone, I’d visited the Topkapi Palace and the Aya Sofia four times; so I reckoned I could live without seeing these landmarks this time, on a three-day stopover in Turkey on my way to Europe . However, just in case I ...BE prepared to be carpeted when you visit this wonderfully cosmopolitan Turkish city, writes Mike O'Connor.</p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="center" width="100%" height="100%"> <tr> <td width="50%" bgcolor="#E9DBBE"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" height="100%" width="100%"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%" height="575" background="images/tal4.jpg" style="background-repeat:repeat-x "></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%" bgcolor="#F0E7D7"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%" height="184" background="images/tal5.jpg" style="background-repeat:repeat-x "></td> </tr> </tABLE> </td> <td width="780" height="760"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="780" height="318" > <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tr> <td valign="top" height="318" width="31"><img src="images/row1_l.jpg"></td> <td valign="top" height="318" width="720" background="images/row1_c.jpg"> <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="720" height="318"> <param name="movie" value="Flash/header.swf"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <embed src="Flash/header.swf" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="720" height="318"></embed> </object> </td> <td valign="top" height="318" width="29"><img src="images/row1_r.jpg"></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="780" height="258"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tr> <td valign="top" height="376" width="46" background="images/tal3.jpg" style="background-repeat:repeat-y "><img src="images/row2_l.jpg"></td> <td width="512" valign="top" background="images/back21.jpg" style="background-repeat:repeat-y "> <div align="center"> <br> <p><br> <font class="gold"><strong>Erguvan Hotel<br> </strong>Aksakal Cad. No:3 Sultanahmet / ISTANBUL <br> <strong>Phone :</strong> +90 212 4582784 <strong>Fax :</strong> +90 212 4582788<br> <br> email : <a href="mailto:info@erguvanhotel.com" class="a_broun">info@erguvanhotel.com</a> </font><br> </p> <table width=410 border=0 align="center" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" class="gold" name=tarihform> <tr> <td height="27" colspan="2" align="right" class="footer"> <div align="center"><b>Contact Us</b></div></td> </tr> <form action="http://www.istanbulhotelsonline.net/ergu-islemsearchroom.php3?html=(En)" method="post"> <tr> <td width="151" height="27" align="right" class="footer"><div align="left">Name: </div></td> <td width="224" height="27" valign="top" class="footer"> <input type="text" name="name" maxlength="15"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="151" height="27" align="right" class="footer"><div align="left">Surname: </div></td> <td width="224" height="27" valign="top" class="footer"> <input type="text" name="surname" maxlength="15"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="151" height="27" align="right" class="footer"><div align="left">e mail : </div></td> <td width="224" height="27" valign="top" class="footer"> <input name="email address" type="text" id="email address" maxlength="30"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="151" align="right" class="footer" ><div align="left">Your comments and additional requests :<br> </div></td> <td width="224" valign="top" class="footer"> <textarea name="comment" cols="20" rows="4"></textarea> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="151" align="right" class="footer" ><div align="left">From where <br> did you find this site? : </div></td> <td width="224" class="footer"> <select name="nereden"> <option value="Arama Motorlarlari">Search Engines</option> <option value="Turizm Sirketleri">Travel Agency</option> <option value="Tavsiye">Advice</option> <option value="Reklam">Advertisement</option> <option value="Diger">Other</option> </select> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" align="right" valign="top" class="footer" ><div align="center"><font color="#000000"> </font> <input type="submit" name="Submit" value="Send Form"> <input type="reset" name="Submit2" value="Clear Form"> </div></td> </tr> </form> </table> <hr width="90%" noshade size="1"> <div align="center"> <strong>We <font color="#333333">DO NOT</font> request any <br> <font color="#333333">CREDIT CARD INFORMATION</font> <br> of yours with this form for security reasons</strong> <hr width="90%" noshade size="1"> </div> <div align="center"> </div> <table width="80%" align="center" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4"> <tr> <td><div align="center"><img src="images/visa2.gif" alt="Visa" width="60" height="36"> <img src="images/mastercard.gif" alt="MasterCard" width="60" height="36"></div></td> </tr> </table> <div align="center"></div> </div> </td> <td height="376" valign="top" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <TABLE cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" height="100%" width="193"> <tr> <td valign="top" height="100%" width="1"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="1" height="100%"> <tr><td valign="top" width="1" height="10" background="images/back11.jpg"></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" width="1" height="100%" background="images/back12.jpg" style="background-repeat:repeat-y "></td></tr> </table> </td> <td valign="top" height="100%" width="192" background="images/back13.jpg" style="background-repeat:repeat-y "> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" height="100%" width="192"> <tr> <td height="243" valign="top" width="192" background="images/back10.jpg" style="background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:top "> <table width="95%" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td><font size="2" class="gold"><br> Erguvan Hotel Istanbul</font><br> <font size="2" class="a_broun">Aksakal Cad. No : 3 <br> Sultanahmet - Istanbul<br> <strong>Phone :</strong> +90 212 4582784 <br> <strong>Fax :</strong> +90 212 4582788</font> <br> <br> <a href="mailto:info@erguvanhotel.com" class="a_broun">info@erguvanhotel.com</a><br> <br> <img src="pictures/roomatr.jpg" width="175" height="73"><br> <a href="javascript:%20tek('weather.htm')" class="gold"><br> Weather Report</a><br> <a href="javascript:open_window('currency.htm')" class="gold">Currency Converter</a><br> <a href="photoshow/index.htm" class="gold">Photo Show</a><br> </td> </tr> </table> <p><br> </p> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign="top" height="376" width="29" background="images/tal11.jpg" style="background-repeat:repeat-y "><img src="images/row2_r.jpg"></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="780" height="184" background="images/row3.jpg"> <div style="margin-left:76px; margin-top:21px " class="menu"> <a href="index.html" class="menu">Home Page</a> :: <a href="about-hotel.html" class="menu">About Hotel</a> :: <a href="/terrace.aspx" class="menu">Services</a> :: <a href="cafebar.html" class="menu">Cafe Bar</a> :: <a href="rooms.html" class="menu">Rooms</a> :: <a href="reservation.php3" class="menu">Reservation</a> :: <a href="location.html" class="menu">Location</a> :: <a href="contact.php3" class="menu">Contacts</a> :: <a href="link-partners/index.html" class="menu">Links</a></div> <div style="margin-left:278px; margin-top:22px " ><a href="http://www.erguvanhotel.com/" class="a_copyright">Copyright © Erguvan Hotel Istanbul. All rights reserved.</a></div> <div align="center"> <p>erguvan, hotel, istanbul, erguvan hotel, istanbul hotel, istanbul erguvan, sultanahmet, turkey, Location</p> </div></td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="50%" height="760" > <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" height="100%" width="100%"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%" height="575" background="images/tal7.jpg" style="background-repeat:repeat-x "></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%" bgcolor="#F0E7D7"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%" height="184" background="images/tal8.jpg" style="background-repeat:repeat-x "></td> </tr> </tABLE> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%" height="100%" bgcolor="#E9DBBE"></td> <td width="780" height="100%" background="images/tal2.jpg" style="background-repeat:repeat-y "><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="780" height="100%"></td> <td width="50%" height="100%" bgcolor="#E9DBBE" ></td> </tr> </table> <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-22342558-2']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); </script>