Istanbul, an imperial capital city for 1700 years, is full of historic and natural landmarks. Among them are Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar, Taksim Square, Galata Tower etc. The list can go on and on. I have covered a few of them in this blog post.
Hagia Sophia was the largest orthodox church in the Roman Empire. Under the Ottoman Empire, it was converted into a mosque in 1453 and they added minarates. In Turkish language, this Greek name is called St. Sophia Ayasofya. It was later converted to a museum in 1935, but was converted into a mosque again in 2020. What is the difference between a museum and a mosque? As a mosque, they cannot exhibit any portrait and statue because they are considered idols. Frescoes inside the building were covered by fabrics. But, there were frescoes outside the worship place. The inside was spectacularly beautiful.
Blue Mosque is called Sultan Ahmed Mosque officially. It was constructed in 1617 under Sultan Ahmed I during the Ottoman Empire. It remains a functioning mosque. 10,000 people can worship at the same time. It is located across the Hagia Sophia. Both Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque are parts of Historic Sites of Istanbul recognized by U.N.
Hippordrome dates back to the Roman Empire built in its imperial capital of Constantinople. It used to be a chariot race track with up to 100,000 spectators to be housed in. What remains now is an obelisk transferred from Egypt.
Galata Tower was built as a watch tower at the highest point in the previous city wall. Now it is used as a museum and an exhibition hall. It offers a panoramic view of the strait.
Bosporus Strait is an important landmark of Istanbul. You could experience the importance by riding ferries that run between ports located on both Asian and European sides. I took several ferries to experience the strait fully.
Grand Bazaar and Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar houses 4,000 merchants. Literally, it is one of the largest bazaars you can experience. You can get easily lost unless you are careful. The Spice Bazaar was full of not only spices but also Turkish delights.
Taksim Square is located in Beyoglu in the European part of Istanbul. It is a major tourist and leisure area full of shops, restaurants, and bars. It also has Republic Monument and a newly built mosque. Vintage trams run through the famous Istiklal Caddesi to Taksim Square. We stayed in the Taksim Square area located on the top of a hill and I ventured down to other areas of Istanbul.
Topkapi Palace Museum used to be a palace fir sultans under the Ottoman Empire. Now it is a huge museum and a library. There were a lot of elements in the museum, and the view to the Bosporus Strait was panoramic.
Although I explored a lot on foot and by all means of public transportation, I could not get to see all major landmarks. Istanbul was an impressive megacity. - Jeffrey
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