Istanbul: Europe's most exotic city

31st Oct 2005, 13:23 GMT

With one foot in Europe and the other across the Bosphorus in Asia, Istanbul has always offered a sense of accessible otherness. Early in the 20th century, Agatha Christie came here to hole up in the Pera Palas; so did Graham Greene and Mata Hari, though sadly not at the same time. What a scandal that might have been.