The city of Istanbul is in the throes of making itself up as a European Capital of Culture (ECC) for 2010. This transformation includes numerous facelift projects and cultural events being utilized to craft an image befitting the city's new appellation. Looking back at the plans to physically transform Istanbul over the last century, from Bouvard to Dalan, we discover that image making is not a new phenomenon to this city. However, a more aggressive, unified and capital-driven brand of transformation has evolved and is the genesis of the seemingly unrelenting construction boom including urban renewal/regeneration projects, high-end retail, residential and entertainment spaces and state-of-the-art transportation networks.&nbs p; This development trend is part of the larger attempt on the part of politicians and businessmen to makeover Istanbul into what Saskia Sassen has called a "global city". Istanbul will take center stage in this transnational phenomenon in 2010. What is revealing is how is this "global city" is being packaged to prospective consumers. As Ay?e Öncü has noted, "In the world of late capitalism that we experience today large metropolises figure prominently as core settings for the display and promotion of 'cultural heritage' as a marketable commodity. " I argue that in the Turkish context, Istanbul's imperial past and its resultant multi-cultural present are being used as "cultural currency" to attract foreign investment, trade and tourism at an unprecedented scale, of which the Istanbul ECC project is an integral part. In order to produce an understanding about this recent branding of Istanbul as the Cultural Capital of Europe, I will analyze visual media used in promoting Istanbul in the lead up to the 2010 festivities. In particular, I will focus on the videos produced by the Istanbul ECC agency to determine which parts of Turkish history and culture are excluded, which are included, how they are being represented and for which audiences. I will also consider the implications of distilling Turkish culture into select representations and symbols amid the backdrop of Turkey's accession bid to the European Union.