The Ottoman legacy on Istanbul by William Dalrymple

William Dalrymple on the overlooked empire that created one of the great cities

Standing amid the arcaded pavilions of the Topkapi Palace, looking down the wooded promontory of Sarayburnu with Asia to your right and Europe to your left, it is easy to see why Istanbul was always going to be one of the world’s greatest cities, and the natural capital for an empire that straddled three continents.