Istanbul Turkey Visit, Second Day, Turkey

Apr 25, 2023 | Ancient Site, Other Europe Country, Religion

On the second day of my visit, I went to the old city where the famous mosques and the palace is located.

Hagia Sophia: Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya Meydanı No:1, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye

On this day, I visited Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, and a boat sailing to the Asian side.

The Obelisk of Theodosius was one of the monuments on the spina of the Hippodrome of Constantinople during the reign of Theodosius I in 390. It was originally commissioned by the Egyptian Pharaoh Tuthmosis III in the 15th century BC to commemorate his victories in Syria.

At Sultanahmet Square

Far away is Hagia Sophia

The tomb of Sultan Ahmet I, the Blue Mosque’s great patron, is on the north side of the mosque facing Sultanahmet Park. Ahmet, who had ascended to the imperial throne aged 13, died in 1617 aged only 27; his türbe was constructed between 1617 and 1619 and like the mosque, features fine İznik tiles.

Hagia Sophia, Turkish Ayasofya, Latin Sancta Sophia, also called Church of the Holy Wisdom or Church of the Divine Wisdom, an important Byzantine structure in Istanbul and one of the world’s great monuments. It was built as a Christian church in the 6th century CE (532–537) under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I.

In front of Hagia Sophia is the Blue Mosque. The Sultanahmet Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) was built between 1609 and 1617 and is also known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles used to decorate the walls of its interior. The construction was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I. The idea was to build a monument that would not only rival with the magnificent Hagia Sophia, but also surpass it…

Hagia Sophia again

and Blue Mosque

and back to Hagia Sophia

The inside of Hagia Sophia

Exiting

Next to Hagia Sophia is Topkapi Palace

Looking back at the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia

Topkapi Palace

A small museum on ancient clocks in one of the building

Looking back

Looking back

Walking out of the palace

Looking back

Out from the palace

Next to the palace is Gülhane Park

Looking back

Walking out of the park

Near Sultanahmet Square

Going to a restaurant for a lunch

Looking back

After lunch, I walked to see Basilica Cistern

The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey. It was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Today it is kept with little water for public access inside the space.

Back to the street and I took the tram and went to Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops on a total area of 30,700 m², attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily.