The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: November twenty-second with a taste of Turkey for Thanksgiving eve.

Istanbul, Turkey is a study in contrasts and divides. It's the only city to have been capital to two of the world's greatest empires. As Constantinople, it was for five centuries the beating heart of the Byzantine Roman Empire. When Ottoman Turks seized control of the city in 1453, they made Istanbul heart of an empire which eventually stretched from Eastern Africa to Central Asia.

A glace at a map reveals Istanbul's strategic position, sitting astride the narrow land bridge that connects Europe and Asia. The city itself is divided by the Bosphorus Straits, the artery that links the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. The city's northern half is more modern. The southern part, which lies on a broad promontory overlooking the Bosphorus, contains the architectural symbols of Istanbul's two great civilizations.

Hagia Sophia, the palace and church, begun by the Roman Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, has survived in surprisingly good shape. For the last 65 years, it's been a museum stuffed with more artifacts and religious icons than the Vatican.

Immediately adjacent is the Topkapi Palace, the 170-acre, walled complex that for four centuries was home to the Ottoman caliphs. Its two dozen buildings are arranged around four court yards, each more imposing and, at one time, more inaccessible than the last.

The invaders who now swarm through its inner sanctums arrive each morning on tour buses. They come to be awed by the fabulous displays of Turkey's art and wealth, but it's tales of culture and cruelty that make Topkapi Palace a fascinating place to visit.

For more information, contact the Turkish Tourist Office at 1-877-FOR TURKEY or www.tuirismturkey.org

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