Istanbul Top Attractions for First-Time Visitors

Sultan Ahmed Mosque also known as the Blue Mosque, is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. A functioning mosque, it also attracts large numbers of tourist visitors. It was constructed between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. Its Külliye contains Ahmed's tomb, a madrasah and a hospice. Hand-painted blue tiles adorn the mosque’s interior walls, and at night...

Once a cathedral, later a mosque, and now a museum at the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia is an important monument for both the Byzantine and the Ottoman Empires. Constructed three times in the same location, the building reflects the religious changes that have played out in the region over the centuries, with the minarets and inscriptions of Islam as well as the lavish mosaics of Christianity. Wi...

The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops on a total area of 30,700 m2, attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. In 2014, it was listed No.1 among the world's most-visited tourist attractions with 91,250,000 annual visitors. The Grand Bazaar at Istanbul is often regarded as one of the first...

The Galata Tower (the "Tower of Christ") is a 9-story medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karakoy quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, just to the north of the Golden Horn's junction with the Bosphorus Strait. Galata Tower's cone-capped cylinder dominates the city's skyline and offers a panoramic vista of Istanbul's historic peninsula and its environs. (Wikipedia) Previously used as a long-term fire watch...

Çamlıca Hill Park sits on the Çamlıca Hill in Üskudar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Situated on the Asian part of the city at 288 m (945 ft) above sea level, the park is known for one of the best panoramic views of the southern part of Bosphorus and the mouth of Golden Horn. With magnificent pine trees and beautiful flower gardens, the park is a popular attraction for both locals and visitors. The...

One of the magnificent ancient buildings of İstanbul is the Basilica Cistern located in the southwest of Hagia Sofia. Constructed for Justinianus I, the Byzantium Emperor (527-565), this big underground water reservoir is called as "Yerebatan Cistern" among the public because of the underground marble columns. As there used to be a basilica in the place of the cistern, it is also called Basilica C...