One of the World's Oldest Cathedrals and other Istanbul, Turkey Things to Do Tips

Hagia Sophia is one of the most important religious buildings in the world. It was built in the 500s during the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian and served as Constantinople's main cathedral for centuries. Int the 1400s, when the muslim Ottomans conquered Constantinople (and renamed it Istanbul), Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque and its Christian decorations (frescoes, etc.) were removed or covered up. Hagia Sophia is now officially a museum and is open to believers of all faiths. Its interior is still configured as a mosque, but many of its Christian mosaics have been uncovered and are now accessible to tourists. Most of these are on the upper level, which can be reached via a staircase.

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The Blue Mosque (also known as the Sultanahmet mosque) is the most famous mosque in Istanbul. It was built in the early 1600s, during the reign of Sultan Ahmet I, next to the older Hagia Sophia cathedral/mosque. Its design features a large central dome surrounded by numerous smaller domes, with six minarets jutting up from its outside walls. The interior is richly decorated with tiles from Iznik, the primary tile-producing region of the empire.

The Blue mosque is still a functioning mosque, but is open to visitors between prayer times. Visitors must wear proper attire (knees and shoulders covered, headscarves for women).

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Address: Meydani 21, Sultanahmet, Istanbul
Directions: In the Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul, near Hagia Sophia.

The cistern is a large underground reservoir located about a block away from Hagia Sophia in the Sultanahmet section of Istanbul. Orignallly built during the reign of Emperor Justinia in the 6th century, the cistern can hold up to 80,000 cubic meters of water. It supplied water to the imperial palaces of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires for over 100 years.

In addition to being practical, the cistern is also architecturally attractive, with a ceiling held up by over 300 volumns. It is open to tourists and you can walk through it on a raised walkway that runs through its center. In the summer, it makes for a nice cool break from Istanbul's heat and humidity.

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Directions: It is located across the street from Hagia Sophia in the Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul. The entrance is through a small building on a side street.

The Millon is the milestone from which all distances in the Byzantine and Ottoman empires were measured. It is now very weathered and most tourists walk right by it without noticing it. What we found very interesting is that its base is now about 3 meters below street level - in other words, the ground has built up that much in the past 1500 years.

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Directions: The milestone is located near the Basilica Cistern's entrance, across the street from the Hagia Sophia cathedral/mosque

The Hippodrome in Istanbul features three ancient columns. The most famous of the them is the Egyptian Obelisk, which is exactly what its name suggests - an obelisk that was imported from Egypt. The obelisk was originally carved during the reign of Pharoah Thutmoses III in the 15th century, BC. The sides of the obelisk feature hieroglyphics related to Egyptian gods. It was moved from Egypt to its current location during the reign of the Roman emperor Theodosius, and is therefore sometimes called the "Obelisk of Theodosius" or "Column of Theodosius". The obelisk, which is about 20 meters tall, rests on four marble slabs that feature Greek and Latin inscriptions about the Roman royal family.

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Directions: On the Hippodrome, near the Blue Mosque in the Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul

The Column of Constantine Porphyrogenetus is a tall column made of stone blocks in Istanbul's Hippodrome. The column's sides were originally covered with bronze reliefs. However, those were removed by invading Crusaders during the 4th Crusade in the 1200s.

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Directions: The column is in the Hippodrome, next to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul's Sultanahmet neighborhood.

The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts is a very interesting museum located near the Hippodrome and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul's Sultanahmet neighborhood. Located in the 16th century palace of Ibrahim Pasa, Museum houses an excellent collection of decorative items, most of which are from the Selcuk and Ottomon Turkish empires. Highlights include illuminated manuscripts, calligraphy, decorative swords and daggers, ceramics, jewelry, and the museum's excellent collection of antique carpets. There are also a small number of Byzantine religious items on display, as well as some items from nearby Islamic regions.

Downstairs, underneath the main section of the museum, is a small ethnographic museum that is great for children. It contains a series of rooms that are decorated as they would have been during various eras of the region's history. Within each room, there are also mannequins dressed in period costume.

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Directions: The museum is located along the Hippodrome (Sultanahmet Square), across from the Blue Mosque.
Website: http://english.istanbul.gov.tr/Default.aspx?pid=305

The Grand Bazaar is Istanbul's main historic shopping area. It consists of hundreds (if not thousands) of shops arranged along dozens of city blocks that have been roofed over. The merchandise on offer runs the gamut from tacky tourist souvenirs (t-shirts, belly dancer outfits, etc.) to shops selling high-end goods (ceramics, jewelry, antique books, carpets, etc.). The Grand Bazaar is a great place to shop for souvenirs. We purchased some ceramic items, some Christmas ornaments, and a print. The Grand Bazaar also has a number of restaurants interspersed among its many shops. We ate at a tiny restaurant that was recommended by one of the shopkeepers and had one of our best meals in Istanbul.

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Directions: The Grand Bazaar is located between Beyazit Square and the tram line. If taking the tram to get there, get off at the Beyazit station.

The Beyazit Mosque is one of the oldest large mosques in Istanbul, but doesn't get as many tourist visits as the more famous Blue and Suleymaniye Mosques. It was built in 1506 during the reign of Sultan Beyazit II. Its layout is similar to that of many other large mosques, with an outer courtyard containing a fountain (for ritual washing). The mosque itself has a large dome at its center, which is ornately decorated as in other Istanbul mosques. The main dome room is flanked by side halls that are also worth visiting. While not as beautiful as the central dome, their ceilings are still attractive.

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Directions: The Beyazit Mosque is located on one side of Beyazit Square, adjacent to the Grand Bazaar and across the square from Istanbul University's main gate.

The Archaeological Museum (Arkeoloji Muzesi in Turkish) is one of the two main archaeological museums in Turkey (the other is in Ankara). The Istanbul museum is spread out over three buildings adjacent to the Topkapi Palace. Don't skip the two smaller buildings (Museum of the Ancient Orient and the Cinili Pavillion) to save time, they contain some of the museum's best exhibits.

The Museum of the Ancient Orient contains exhibits from the Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, and other ancient middle-eastern civilizations. Highlights from that building include the Treaty of Kadesh (the oldest surviving written peace treaty) and decorative tiles from Babylon's Ishtar Gate.

The Cinili Pavillion is a beatiful little building whose rooms are decorated with ceramic tiles. The pavillion houses part of the museum's tile and ceramic collection. A highlight is a tile mihrab (decorative wall niche that indicates the direction of Mecca) from a mosque in Karaman.

The main building features hundreds of artifacts from the ongoing excavations at Troy, an outstanding sarcophogus collection (the highlight of which is the Alexander sarcohagus from Sidon, Lebanon), and the museum's collections of Byzantine art. There is also a small children's museum and an exhibition of artifacts from ongoing excavations at construction sites in Istanbul.

[photos to come]

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Directions: The museum is located between Gulhane Park and Topkapi Palace, just downhill from Hagia Sophia. If you are taking the tram, get off at the Gulhane stop and walk uphill. The entrance will be on your left before you reach Hagia Sophia.
Website: http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN/BelgeGoster.aspx?17A16AE30572D313679A66406202CCB01966176E3ABFFFF2