Istanbul - Sultanahmet

Our hotel was located in the part of Istanbul known as Sultanahmet. It is the touristic center and our hotel was within easy walking distance of Aya Sofia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. We were also a 5-minute walk from the tramway (streetcar), which gave excellent connections to much of the rest of the city.
From plane, before landing As the plane banked, we did not even know what incredible luck we were having. Shooting essentially blind out the airplane window, we got these great shots of downtown Istanbul. This one shows The Marmora Sea in the URH corner, the Golden Horn descending from it on the left. The right-hand peninsula is Sultanahmet and the greenery of Topkapi as well as Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque can be made out. Closer, in the middle, one sees the Suleimaniye Mosque on a hilltop and, over the Golden Horn, three bridges, of which the farthest is the Galata Bridge. From plane, before landing This shows the second of the Bosphorus Bridges and, just to the right of the bridge, on the near (European) shore, the remaining towers of the Rumeli Hisari, the castle built by Sultan Mehmet in 1452 as a step in his conquest of Constantinople. Istanbul - Sultanahmet Our hotel, the Alaadin Hotel, is situated in a quiet street just a 10-minute walk from the Blue Mosque. Istanbul - Sultanahmet The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or Blue Mosque, is one of two mosques in Turkey to have six minarets
Istanbul - Sultanahmet The obelisk, stolen from Egypt in 390 by Theodosius the Great, at the former Hippodrome of the Byzantine Empire Istanbul - Sultanahmet Entrance to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. Frankly, we did not see what is blue about it. Istanbul - Sultanahmet Interior court of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, built 1609-1616 Istanbul - Sultanahmet The wonderful, light domes of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, seem almost to float overhead
Istanbul - Sultanahmet Interior of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque Istanbul - Sultanahmet Beautiful play of light among the arches. The enormous pillars support the seemingly light-weight domes Istanbul - Sultanahmet The park in between the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia is filled with tourists and touts and hawkers of all kinds Istanbul - Sultanahmet Fountain and Aya Sofia
Istanbul - Sultanahmet Fountain and Blue Mosque, with its 6 minarets Istanbul - Sultanahmet Here, one sees all the six minarets of the Blue Mosque Istanbul - Sultanahmet View of Beyoğlu, north of the Golden Horn on the European side, from the roof of our hotel Istanbul - Sultanahmet View of Aya Sofia from hotel roof. Background hills are on the northern (opposite) side of the Golden Horn
Istanbul - Sultanahmet Topkapi Palace Istanbul - Sultanahmet Old and new towers of Beyoğlu, seen from hotel roof Istanbul - Sultanahmet The six minarets of the Blue Mosque Istanbul - Sultanahmet Many varied colors of marble in the interior of the entrance to Aya Sofia, one of the most famous churches in the world
Istanbul - Sultanahmet The vast interior of Aya Sofia Istanbul - Sultanahmet Impressive domes of Aya Sofia Istanbul - Sultanahmet Domes of Aya Sofia Istanbul - Sultanahmet Domes of Aya Sofia
Istanbul - Sultanahmet Arches along the side of Aya Sofia Istanbul - Sultanahmet Arches along the side of Aya Sofia Istanbul - Sultanahmet Aya Sofia, dedicated in 360 as an Orthodox patriarchal basilica, was converted into a mosque in 1453, but is now a museum. The form of the building is that of an early Christian basilica, but the mihrab and the panels with Arabic script (no longer used in Turkey) proclaim its later identity as a mosque. Istanbul - Sultanahmet Side arches of Aya Sofia
Istanbul - Sultanahmet View of the vast hall from the balcony Istanbul - Sultanahmet Dome and arches Istanbul - Sultanahmet Side arches Istanbul - Sultanahmet Virgin and child mosaics from the 9th century
Istanbul - Sultanahmet 11th-century mosaics with images of the Christian deity's avatar, Jesus, flanked by Constantine IX Monomachus and the Empress Zoe Istanbul - Sultanahmet 13th-century mosaic with Jesus and John the Baptist Istanbul - Sultanahmet A lucky shot from a high window of the domes of the Aya Sofia mausoleums and, in the distance, the dome and minarets of the Blue Mosque Istanbul - Sultanahmet Aya Sofia by night, from the rooftop terrace of our hotel
Istanbul - Sultanahmet The Blue Mosque by night Istanbul - Sultanahmet The first court of Topkapi Palace is a beautiful park Istanbul - Sultanahmet Entrance to the second court of Topkapi Palace. This is where you pay Istanbul - Sultanahmet The second court of Topkapi Palace
Istanbul - Sultanahmet The Imperial Divan (Council) Istanbul - Sultanahmet Golden decoration of the Divan Istanbul - Sultanahmet Lovely arches in front of the Circumcision (ouch!) Room Istanbul - Sultanahmet Beautiful tile work outside the Circumcision Room. The head is not John's.
Istanbul - Sultanahmet The Circumcision Room Istanbul - Sultanahmet People love to have their photos taken in the golden-roofed Iftariye Baldachin with Istanbul in the background Istanbul - Sultanahmet Beautiful, soft colors of the Revan Kiosk Istanbul - Sultanahmet Multi-colored marble
Istanbul - Sultanahmet By the time we reached the fourth court of Topkapi Palace, the grey skies had kept their promise: It had started raining. What with the rain and the crowds, Topkapi was a disappointment for us -- relatively speaking. Istanbul - Sultanahmet Baghdad Kiosk and fountain in the fourth court Istanbul - Sultanahmet View of the Bosphorus Bridge from Topkapi. The site is quite beautiful, even if we were somewhat disappointed by the palace, perhaps partly because of the huge number of visitors (including ourselves) Istanbul - Sultanahmet Back in the 3rd court, with the library in the background
Istanbul - Sultanahmet Two cats watched us walk by on the way out Istanbul - Sultanahmet Twenty-first-century cat on umpteenth-century pillar Istanbul - Sultanahmet Lady making gözleme (stuffed crèpes)