Istanbul is an old city with thousands of years of history. Thus, there are many sightings and places of interest around Istanbul for your time off after the hair transplant operation.
- Istanbul was founded around a thousand years before the common era.
- Also, Istanbul stretches from Asia to Europe.
Many civilisations and people from many different cultures left their mark on this city. Let’s see what this place has to offer.
The first big attractions in Istanbul are, of course, the big four:
- Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia)
- Topkapı Palace
- Grand Spice Bazaar
- Blue Mosque
Visiting these places often comes first in the to-do lists of many tourists. Leave more time to visit other places as well, however, as they are not the only attractions in the city.
In this article, we will highlight the big four but also explore other places in Istanbul. You might be surprised at how much you can find here. Keeping your visit around the district of the old city, Sultanahmet would offer a wide array of places to see. This applies to you especially if this is your first visit to Istanbul. And yes, there’s more.
The Big Four
The first in this list, Topkapı Palace dates back to the fifteenth century. Now there are a wide array of Islamic art artefacts on exhibit here, not to mention the architecture. All the tiles in this place are hand-painted. The highlights of the palace include the Harem, second courtyard, the emperor’s council chamber and third court.
Not to mention, there are sacred relics from the Prophet Mohammed on display at third court along with the imperial treasury. People seem to agree that going through what this palace has to offer in its entirety takes at least half a day.
Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia)
People seem to agree that the construction of Aya Sofya finished around AD 537. The first emperor to witness this church completion was the Byzantine emperor Justinian.
After the Ottoman Empire conquered Istanbul (Constantinople at the time), they converted it into a church. During the twentieth century, it was converted again into a museum. Since then, Aya Sofya has remained a popular landmark in Istanbul.
The Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque, or locally known as Sultan Ahmet Mosque, is an architectural masterpiece located close to other landmarks in big four. Sultan Ahmet the First ordered its construction around 1609, and at around 1616, the building was completed. The reason for the name Blue Mosque is the thousands of handmade tiles located inside the mosque. Local tip—come around when it’s dusk for an enhanced ambience.
Grand Bazaar
The local name for Grand Bazaar is Kapali Carsi. This place is pretty much the first shopping mall the world has ever had. The Bazaar has eleven gates in total and is maze-like in appearance. You can find pretty much any kind of Turkish crafts here. Though it resembles a maze, shops are organised in a way to keep each kind of shop closely packed together. This makes browsing easier.