On my way to Europe, the cheapest flight was transiting thru Istanbul. Yes, I know it’s a 2-hour slight detour when your final destination is Nice, France. But Turkish Airlines had great price and a free 7-day layover.
I have always dreamed of Istanbul, the first European city (or the first Asian city depending on how you look at it).
It’s the cradle of the European civilization, it used to be a Christian city and now it’s a Muslim one.
We could only stay four days, so we picked an AirBnb in Sultanahmet’s neighborhood and we walked everywhere.
Our first stop was the basilica cistern (Turkish: Yerebatan Sarayı). It is the only underground cistern that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (that is formerly Constantinople), Turkey.
Basilic cistern in Istanbul
We went to the Galata tower (Galata Kulesi in Turkish) — called Christea Turris (the Tower of Christ in Latin) by the Genoese — is a medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karaköy quarter.
The view from the top of the tower is amazing:
View of Istanbul from the Galata tower
View of Istanbul from the Galata tower
Hagia Sophia started as a christian church (Richard The Lion Heart came here) and then was converted into a mosque and then into a museum.
Hagia Sophia Museum
Apart from its multiple mosques, Istanbul is also known for the Bophorus strait that separates Europe from Asia. There are currently 3 bridges across the Bophorus with a fourth one being built.
Istanbul Köprüsü’s bridge
Ciragan Palace Kempinski on the left, Istanbul Köprüsü’s bridge in the background and the Ortaköy Mosque (on the right)
Modern Istanbul
The largest mosque in Istanbul is the Süleymaniye Mosque. We spent a fair amount of time there. First the size of the mosque is impressive but I was most impressed by the openness. Inside it’s one very large open room. I have tried to capture it but even my 16mm could not get the entire room. I’m not even talking about the massive chandelier that hangs in the center of the mosque.
The Süleymaniye Mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the largest mosque in the city, and one of the best-known sights of Istanbul.
Water sprout for cleansing before entering the mosque to pray.
View from the Süleymaniye Mosque.
Chandelier of the Süleymaniye Mosque.
The interior of the Süleymaniye Mosque.
One final note about safety in Istanbul. We took advices from our host and we never felt unsafe in Istanbul, to the contrary, the streets were bustling, the cafes were packed, the markets were beyond packed. Yes, there was some minor attacks in Istanbul but I felt safe and traveling there is helping the local economy. If you can, so should you.