To an outsider, Istanbul may at first seem like a Western city. The Western dress, the many new buildings, the traffic problems all make the city seem very modern. But there is another side to this great city-its rich past as the capital of the ottoman Empire. In the mosques are evidence of the city's important role in history of Islam as wellIn the narrow back streets, the bazaars, and the mosques, this past seem very near and real.And the spectacular mosques are
evidence of the city's lmportant role in history of Islam as welI