Sultanahmet District in Istanbul, Turkey
The Old City of Istanbul is the oldest part of Istanbul, and the location of most of its historical sights.
Many visitors to Istanbul never make it out of Sultanahmet.
And while this is a shame, it's hardly surprising.
After all, not many cities have such a concentration of historic sights, shopping precincts, hotels and eateries within easy walking distance.
Ideally suited to exploration by foot, the neighbourhood is a showcase of the city's glorious past, crammed as it is with mosques, palaces, churches and houses dating from Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods.
Many of Istanbul’s historical gems, mostly consisting of Byzantine and Ottoman-built monuments are in Old City.
Most are located a short walk away from, if not immediately on the edges of, Sultanahmet Square.
Some other sights are dispersed throughout the peninsula.
Around Sultanahmet Square
• Hagia Sophia.
Dating from the sixth century, it was originally a basilica constructed for the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I. A masterwork of Roman engineering, the huge 30 m diameter dome covers what was for over 1000 years the largest enclosed space in the world.
The church was looted by the fourth Crusaders in 1204, and became a mosque in the 15th century when The Ottomans conquered the city.
It was converted into a museum in 1935.
Don't miss the excellent mosaics, including those in the gallery, reached by a stone ramp to the left of the entrance.
• Topkapi Palace.
The imperial enclave of the Ottoman emperors for four centuries.
Lavishly decorated, with four courts of increasing grandeur.
In the second court of the entrance to the Harem and the State Treasury, housing a weaponry display.
The third court has the Imperial Treasury.
Both Islamic and Christian relics, rugs, porcelain.
The views from the Fourth Court over the Bosphorus are spectacular.
You can also see Prophet Mohammed's belongings.
• Hagia Irene.
Hagia Irene, which you will notice to your left after entering the outer yard of Topkapi Palace, is one of few Byzantine-era cathedrals which was never converted to a mosque (though not used for religious purposes either during the Ottoman period).
• Sultanahmet Mosque.
With its six minarets and sweeping architecture the Sultanahmet or 'Blue' Mosque impresses from the outside.
Unlike Haghia Sophia, this is still a working mosque, entry is through the courtyard on the SW side which is back side of mosque.
No shorts or bare shoulders and you will need to remove your footwear.
Entrance is free, but donations are welcome upon exit.
The mosque is closed during ritual prayer but mosque volunteers provide you with a free presentation about the Mosque and also about Islam during that period.
The venue for this event is the Mosque's conference hall.
It is the building with "Free Event" sign that will be on your left while you are approaching the Mosque from Hagia Sophia.
• Basilica Cistern.
A giant underground cistern built by Justinian in 532 to provide water to the city in cases of siege.
A wooden walkway winds between the pillars, and lights and piped music add to the eerie atmosphere.
Bring some type of fish food as you'll see enormous fish swimming below your feet, and throw a coin into the pool to make a wish.
The statues of Medussa are impressive.
• Theodosius Cistern.
Though smaller than Basilica cistern, Theodosius Cistern is your option of choice if you want to avoid the crowds, but still soak in the atmosphere of an underground cistern.
The lighting of the columns is much better than in Basilica Cistern.
• Hippodrome, adjacent to the Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.
This was the centre of Roman and Byzantine Constantinople, and is a great place to begin one's tour and to watch people.
The building no longer stands, but the obelisks and sculptures that have been collected here since Theodosius' time in the fourth century remain.
The four bronze horses in the facade of St.
Marco in Venice used to be on top of the Emperor's box in the Hippodrome and they were looted by the crusaders in 1204.
While you are on your way to the hippodrome, don’t forget the German Fountain, a neo-Byzantine style fountain building at the square leading to Hippodrome.
It was a gift sent by German Kaiser Wilhelm II to the Ottoman Sultan.
• Archeology Museums.
The first museum of Turkey, consist of there museums in same courtyard and different buildings; Archaeological Museum, the Ancient Orient Museum and Tiled Kiosk Museum.
The museums houses of over 1 million archeological objects.
One of the best pieces are Sumerian tablets such as oldest poem, Alexander the Great Sarcophagus, Treaty of Kadesh, wall of Babylon, Gezer Calendar (10th century BC) and much more!
• Great Palace Mosaics Museum.
Located in Arasta Bazaar, this museum hosts the pavement mosaics of the Byzantine-era Great Palace of Constantinople, which once occupied all the way from Sultanahmet Square, then the Hippodrome, to the coast of the Sea of Marmara.
• Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, (Sultanahmet).
Carpets, rugs, calligraphy, pottery.
With the same ticket, you can visit also the Ethnographic Museum downstairs where you can learn about the lifestyle of the Turks and their ancestors.
• Million, (on the street with the tram line, close to the entrance of Basilica Cistern).
While this partially intact marble pillar dating back to 4th century AD may seem unremarkable, it was the starting point of any distance measured within the empire during the Byzantine era, so it may be nice to think that you are in the centre of where all the roads lead.
• Gülhane Park.
This park was royal hunting grounds in the past.
Today it’s a public park with lots of seasonal flowers, including huge patches of tulips in early April, and huge plane trees (platanus)—which means lots of shade as well.
The high walls on one side of the park seperates it from Topkapi Palace.
At one end of the park are a group of nice outdoor cafés—all of which basically serve the same drinks and snacks—with a view of Bosphorus, a view that is as charming as the view from the Palace situated right above.
The park has two gates, one near Sultanahmet (on the street between Sultanahmet Sq and Sirkeci, the street on which tram runs), and the other on the avenue lying on the coastline.
• Sogukçesme Street.
A car-free downhill cobbled street just behind Hagia Sophia, with renovated traditional wooden houses two- or three-storeys tall typical of Ottoman era, leaning against the outer wall of Topkapi Palace grounds/Gülhane Park.
Worth a look to see what typical streetscape of Istanbul was like before the concrete came over.
While around there, don't forget to check out Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III, at the square in front of the outer gate of Topkapi Palace, a huge standalone fountain building built in typical Ottoman rococo style in 1728.
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