Blue Mosque Sultanahmet Istanbul
- 16 Nov 2007 06:26
Topkapi Palace
 Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum (Ibrahim Pasa Palace)
 The Turkish and Islamic Museum exhibits Turkish and Islamic culture.It is located in Hippodrome, Sultanahmet,facing Hagia Sophia.It was situated in the complex of Suleymaniye Mosque Sultanahmet Square
 The first of the seven hills on the promontory has been the most important and dynamic part of Istanbul in all ages. When the city was first founded, the acropolis was a typical Mediterranean trading center surrounded by city walls. This trading center was enlarged and rebuilt during Roman times. The most prominen Serpentine Column
 Originally this column was erected in 479 B.C. in front of Temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece, to commemorate the naval victory of the Greeks over the Persians and to show their respect to Apollo for winning the battle after consulting his oracle. The bronze column was formed by 3 intertwined snakes and names of the 31 Greek city-states that participated in the war were written on them. It's also said that there was a big golden pot on top of the snake Egyptian Obelisk
 Around 1490 BC the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III erected two obelisks before the Karnak temple in Luxor to commemorate the victories of his forces in Mesopotamia. The obelisks were made of rare pink granite. In the 4th century AD, an unknown Roman emperor who wanted to accomplish something impressive that would create excitement among his people had the colossal obelisk brought to Istanbul Walled Obelisk
 The Walled Obelisk (also known as Constantine Obelisk) is situated near Serpentine Column, Egyptian Obeliskand German Fountain is also its neighbour,which is located in front of Serpentine Column, at the southern side German Fountain
 The German Fountain (Turkish: Alman Cesmesi) is a gazebo styled fountain in the northern end of old Hippodrome ( Sultanahmet Square), Istanbul Binbirdirek Cistern
 The cistern is located in Sultanahmet to the west of the Hippodrome.It is the second biggest cistern of Istanbul after Bassilica Cistern,which is also situated in Sultanahmet and that used to provide water from The Great Palace Mosaic Museum
  The Great Palace Mosaics have been tessellated with a unique workmanship between the years 450-550 AD. The Great Palace Mosaic Museum was first opened in th Arasta Bazaar
  The Tiled Pavillion
  Hagia Sophia
 Hagia Sophia (Greek: "Holy Wisdom", Turkish: Ayasofya) is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum, in Istanbul Archaeological Museum
  Sultanahmet
The Sultanahmet district is the heart of historic Old Istanbul, what 19th-century travelers used to call "Stamboul." This is where you'll find Topkapi Palace, Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii), the Byzantine Hippodrome, Yerebatan Saray (Sunken Palace Cistern), the Istanbul Archeological Museums, Great Palace Mosaic Museum, and several lesser sights (see map below). It's your best base for sightseeing in Istanbul. For a rundown on things to see, go to Istanbul Sights. (Here's a good, inexpensive guided walking tour.) Luckily for visitors, the district of Sultanahmet (sool-tahn-ah-MEHT, named for Sultan Ahmet I, builder of the B |