Istanbul is Turkey's most populous city. Located on both sides of the Bosphorus, the narrow strait between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, Istanbul bridges Asia and Europe both physically and culturally. We spent a few days in Istanbul while we waited for our Visas for Iran.
Portraits of the Ottoman Sultans in the entrance to the Cagaloglu Hamam (bath house)
The Republic Monument in Taksim Square, with Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (the founder of the Republic of Turkey and the country’s first prime minister) in the front and centre
The Blue Mosque with its 6 minarets
Inside the Blue Mosque
The Suleymaniye Mosque
Ottoman tombs in the grounds of the Suleymaniye Mosque
The Hagia Sophia
Formerly a Greek Orthodox basilica/church, it was converted to an imperial mosque when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, then transformed into a museum by Ataturk.
Emperor Justinian I presenting the Hagia Sophia and Emperor Constantine presenting the city of Istanbul to the Virgin Mary
The mosaic in the apse above the mihrab
To convert the basilica into a mosque, the Ottomans added a mihrab, a minbar and hung large panels with Arabic calligraphy on the pillars.
Making a wish at the Sweating Column – so called because the marble (behind the bronze plates) is always damp to the touch
Doner kebab is a national dish but unlike ours these are made with real meat!
With over 60 streets, Istanbul’s Kapali Carsi (Grand Bazaar) is reputed to be one of the world’s largest covered markets
Fountain in the Kapali Carsi
Turkey is one of those countries where you are lucky if you get out without buying a carpet
The Yeni Cami (New Mosque) at Eminonu
The exquisitely tiled Mihrab and interior of the Rustem Pasa Mosque
Turkey is a delight if you have a sweet tooth
The Tortoise Trainer by Osman Hamdi Bey in the Pera Museum
The medieval stone capped Galata Tower
A different view of the Galata Tower
The luxurious Four Seasons Hotel, once a notorious prison
The courtyard garden (formerly the prison exercise yard)
Istanbul Archaeological Museum
The Tiled Kiosk
The Alexander Sarcophagus from Lebanon
The Mourning Women Sarcophagus
The chain used to block the Golden Horn
The Obelisk of Thutmose III with the Serpent Column in the foreground in Sultanahmet Square (the ancient Hippodrome of Constantinople)
Ottoman-style miniature painting – the artist Jahongir Ashurov was from Uzbekistan
Arabic calligraphy flower beds outside Istanbul’s old city walls
Columns recycled from Pagan temples in the Basilica Cistern, an underground 6th century Roman cistern opposite the Blue Mosque
One of the Medusa heads at the base of a column
Our last view of the Blue Mosque
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