AP PHOTOS: Voters to turn a new page in the history of Istanbul, guardian of the Bosphorus

ISTANBUL (AP) — Istanbul, the city nestled along the Bosphorus strait for more than 2,500 years, takes another small step on its journey through history this week as voters decide who will lead the metropolis for the next five years.

Local elections will be held across Turkey on Sunday but, as always, the focus will be on the battle to win Istanbul, the country’s largest city and its beating heart.

Associated Press photographers set out in the run-up to polling day to capture the spirit of a city that through the ages has captured the imagination of the world, from the Prophet Muhammad to Napoleon Bonaparte.

For many, images of the continent-spanning home to 16 million people focus on two themes: its minaret-punctured skyline and the waterways bustling with oil tankers, ferries and fishing boats.

Mosques dominate the horizon everywhere in Istanbul, especially in the old city where the Suleymaniye Mosque is perhaps the defining pinnacle of 16th-century architect Sinan’s work. Down...