İstanbul has been the capital of no less then three different empires and a mercantile trade centre for many centuries. Today nearly 27K international companies operate in the city and it is a financial centre for the region.

Entitled as one of the most dynamic cities in the world by “Cities of Opportunity Report” of PwC, Istanbul is literally a metropolis. Istanbul is a trans- continental city straddling two continents by its inland sea, Marmara. The city is divided into four regions and has a natural harbor, the Golden Horn. One of the world’s busiest waterways, the Bosphorus, is situated in northwestern Turkey between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Connecting the two seas, Bosphorus also separates Istanbul to two sides known as European side and Asian side. Istanbul is the largest populated city of Turkey with 14.8 million inhabitants. Also as the financial capital of the country, Istanbul’s annual contribution to Turkey’s GDP is about 40 percent. Istanbul is not only an UNESCO World Heritage Site but also became a hub for contemporary artistic developments and creative industries. Istanbul’s cosmopolitan spirit –diverse and intercultural is proved by the fact that nearly 27K international companies operate in the city. As a result of its economic growth, Istanbul hosts more and more visitors every year, willing to familiarise themselves with its 8,500 years of rich history and see its glamorous ancient monuments dating from Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman times.