IstanbulGuide |
Antiques in Turkey and Istanbul
Antiques and old stuff are found all over Turkey—this is a very old country, after all—but the best antique shops are undoubtedly in Istanbul.  Check out the Grand Bazaar's central Old Bazaar section, which has been the place to find odd and curious treasures for about a thousand years. Also stroll Beyo Shopping for Alabaster
Turkish alabaster is a fine-grained, translucent light-colored stone with streaks of pastel color.  You'll find carved alabaster pieces for sale all over Turkey for TL3 to TL20 and up. What to do in Istanbul
Sultanahmet Topkapi Palace  Open between 9.30 am and 5 pm, closed on Tuesdays, entrance 3 US$ for the palace and 1,50 US$ for the Harem. This is of course a sight which is not to miss. Try to go there first thing in the morning. Once inside you also need separate tickets for the harem. Buy this ticket as soon as you get inside, because entrance is limited there Istanbul - Cappadocia
 From Istanbul you can get dropped at any destination in Cappadocia, even the smallest village like Uchisar is OK. Where to stay in Cappadocia 2 to 5 Days in Istanbul
You can see all of Istanbul's top sights in 2 or 3 days,Here are the possibilities ; DAY 1 - OTTOMAN ISTANBUL Istanbul's top sights are grouped right around the Hippodrome in Sultanahmet Square: Topkapi Palace (9-5, closed Tuesday; stay 2-3 hr). Get there at 8:45 am and go straight to the Harem, which gets overcrowded. Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) (9-4, closed Monday; stay 1 hr). Right next to Topkapi. Don't miss the best mosaics, on the upper level. Istanbul Weekend Holiday
To tour Istanbul's top sights, one day ( or two days/1 night) is a bit rushed (but possible); 3 days/2 nights is comfortable; 4 days/3 nights is wonderful! This itinerary is designed to show you the top sights in Istanbul, and things to do, and to avoid weekly closings. Day 1: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia & Hippodrome (Thursday or Friday)Morning flight to Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport (IST), and transfer to your hotel. Have lunch in a simple Grand Bazaar
Istanbul's Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi, or Covered Market) is Turkey's largest covered market offering excellent shopping: beautiful Turkish carpets, glazed tiles and pottery, copper and brassware, apparel made of leather, cotton and wool, meerschaum pipes, alabaster bookends and ashtrays, and all sorts of other things. Most guidebooks claim that it has 4000 shops. Because of consolidation and replacement of shops by restaurants and other services the number is certainly lower, but you get the idea: it has lots of shops. Not all of them, by the way, are for tourists; locals shop here as Sunken Palace Cistern
 Blue Mosque
Istanbul's imperial Mosque of Sultan Ahmet I (Sultan Ahmet Camii) is called the Blue Mosque because of its interior tiles, mostly on the upper level and difficult to see unless you're right up there with them. Forget the blue tiles! The mosque (built 1603-17) is the masterwork of Ottoman architect Sedefkâr Mehmet Aga. It's built on the site of the Great Palace of Byzantium, on the southeastern side of the Hippodrome. With its six minarets and a great cascade of domes, the mosque is a worthy sibling to Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) just a few minutes' stroll to the north. The Blue Mosque has fascinating secrets revealed in my travel memoir, Bright Sun, Strong Hagia Sophia - Aya Sofya
The Church of the Divine Wisdom (Hagia Sophia in Greek) in Sultanahmet, Istanbul, is one of the most impressive and important buildings ever constructed. Its wide, flat dome was a daring engineering feat in the 6th century, and architects still marvel at the building's many innovations. Called Hagia Sophia in Greek, Sancta Sophia in Latin, Ayasofya in Turkish, it was built on the site of Byzantium's acropolis (map) by Emperor Justinian (527-65 AD) in 537 AD. Ayasofya was the greatest church in Christendom, and was meant to be. According to Prof. Robert Osterhout, it was built to surpass the gigantic Church of St Polyeuchtos erected by Julia A |