Travel Guide to Istanbul, Turkey

'East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet…' – it is a quote from one of the poems by R. Kipling. But there is one place on the Earth, where this proverb doesn't work. This place, where East and West not only meet, but peacefully live together, I mean Istanbul, lying just on boundary of Europe and Asia. Istanbul is one of the oldest cities in the world. It can boast of rich history: this city used to be the capital of three countries – The Roman Empire, The Byzantium Empire and The Ottoman Empire. A lot of historical and cultural monuments, for which Istanbul is very rich, remind us about the past.

The Topkapi Palace. The Topkapi is an architectural complex, situated on the cape, which surely guarantees us a splendid panoramic view. In the complex take place various museums; the most interesting of them is the Museum of archaeology. There one can look at the sarcophagi, ceramics and others thing of the times of The Ottoman Empire. In the main building you'll find another museum that contains the war trophies, gifts and things for everyday use. If you want to visit the harem, you may do it only with a guide. Enter there is not free, but it's worth its money. All the buildings in the complex were created in the 15th century, around them there's a small park for having quiet walks.

Hagia Sofia Basilica. Hagia Sofia Basilica, or the Basilica of the God's Wisdom, was built in the 6th century by the order of Imperator Justinian, when during the insurrection the previous basilica on this place was ruined. They say that during the inauguration of the basilica Justinian said:' I've surpassed you, Solomon!' Primordially Hagia Sofia was an orthodox church, but later then it served as a mosque. 20 years passed after the basilica was built and in 558 the cupola came down. This mistake in the calculations cost a lot the architects: they were beheaded.

The cupola, which one can see nowadays, was created in 563. It's a real masterpiece: along its perimeter the windows are located, so it creates the impression that the cupola is just flying. During 9000 years Hagia Sofia was the main cathedral in Constantinople (the former name of Istanbul). In 1453 by the order of Mehmet the Conquer the Orthodox Church was turned into a mosque. The minarets were added, the mosaics were hidden under the thick layer of plaster, due to that they were saved till nowadays.

Being a strong supporter of the division of church and country, in 1935 Ataturk decided to create from Hagia Sofia a museum, just then the plaster was removed. Most of the inscriptions in the basilica are Arabic, but one can also find some Christian icons, among which there is a mosaics of St Johan. In the north wing takes place a special column of murmur and bronze, from which according to the legend, water runs.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque. The Blue Mosque, or as it is also called the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is an Islamic answer to Hagia Sofia Basilica. The architect Sedefhar Mehmet Ağa wanted to surpass the magnificence of the orthodox basilica and many people think he managed to do it. The blue Mosque was built in 1609-1617 (about 1100 years later than Hagia Sofia). The central cupola has a 33-meter diameter, around it there are smaller cupolas.

The Blue Mosque contains 6 minarets, its number symbolizes the wealth of the sultan, but the fact that this number is equal with the number of minarets in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, made angry the Muscleman. The sultan solved this problem by adding the seventh minaret. Inside the mosque is decorated with 20 000 small blue, red and brown tiles, made in Isnik. The blue tiles can also be seen on some details in the yard. You should pay attention on the prayer niche, mihrab, that is carved in the wall facing Mecca. Don't forget that the mosque is closed for tourists five times a day during the praying.

The Galata Bridge. The world-famous Galata Bridge is a favourite place for fishing: every day there gather a lot of fishermen. The bridge connects the centre and the Sultanahmet district, where there are a lot of places of interest. Among them is Grand Bazaar, one of the biggest roofed markets in the world. The time of visiting it for many tourists becomes the greatest event in their trip to Istanbul. There one can find jewellery, spicery, carpets and fake brand clothes, in one word this market can satisfy the requirements of any customer. All in all there takes place more than 4 000 shops. Every day Grand Bazaar is visited by 250 – 400 thousands of people. The most popular entertainment there is smoking a hookah.

Excursions by water. Not far from Galata Bridge put out the boats, by which one can have an excursion along the Bosporus. It flows through Istanbul and connects Sea of Marmora and Black Sea; what is even more important it divides Europe and Asia. The channel is quite wide: its narrowest part is 640 m; the Bosporus is 32 m long. The most of the excursions last about an hour; the boats go along the European and Asian sides and give an opportunity to look at the marvelous buildings from water.

Read more about Istanbul:
Restaurants and cuisine in Istanbul
Local traditions and lifestyle
'Must visit' places in Istanbul
Nightlife and attractions in Istanbul
Preparing for Istanbul: Advices
Istanbul photogallery