Welcome to Istanbul
We docked in Istanbul for the day in 2013. Interestingly enough we docked on the east side of the river, which meant we were in Asia. Then we went across the bridge into the main part of the city and we were in Europe. It is a fascinating city and the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia Museum(Mosque/Church) were really amazing. These were the first ones we had ever seen and now having been to many more these still were really cool.
The Topkapi Palace was very different in that is was a series of small buildings instead of your typical big palace. (no pictures, but there is a video)
Just click on a picture to see larger view and get a slideshow
- Population of 15,519,267
- Largest City In Europe
- City straddles the Bosporus strait. East side Asia, west side Europe
- Founded in 660 BC as Byzantion
- Renamed Constantinople in 330 AD
- Became Istanbul in 1930
- Was an imperial capital for 16 centuries
- 13.4 million Tourists in 2018
- 5th most popular destination in the world
- World famous Blue Mosque is officially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- Topkapi Palace dates back to 1465
- Hagia Sophia Mosque, formerly the Church of Hagia Sophia is a major tourist attraction
- It became a museum in 1935
Arriving in Istanbul
Blue Mosque
Hagia Sophia
Grand Bazaar
Palace
Rug Making Demonstration