THE ISTANBUL DISCOURSE OF RUSSIAN TRAVELERS AND DIPLOMATS IN THE HISTORICAL AND LITERARY ASPECT

Nowadays many researchers include geographical names that have become symbols of the history, traditions and cultures of different countries to the cultural and historical concepts. These cultural concepts are Rome, Venice, Paris, St. Petersburg and also Istanbul. In this paper, Istanbul is considered as a "place-name concept" that helps the perception and communication of different cultures in the author's letters of Russian writers and diplomats starting from the 11th century up to the 18 th century.