- Istanbul information on how to get around
- What to see and places to visit in Istanbul
- Istanbul Museums
- Dove fare shopping a Istanbul
- What to eat in Istanbul typical dishes
- Photo gallery Istanbul
Istanbul information on how to get around
La Instabul city has always been a melting pot of ethnic groups and religions in fact it was still called Byzantium when Greeks, Christians and Jews were invited to settle there from Mehmet who had conquered it.
I arrive in the city after a four-hour flight from Milan, I settle in a modest hotel in the central area, called "the old Istanbul of Sultanahmet".
This district occupies the promontory that extends from the eastern side of Eminonu, on the Golden Horn to the Sea of Marmara.
For the movements the tram that connects is very convenient Eminonu with Zeytinburnu, crosses Sultanahmety along Hidavendiger Cadesi and Divan Yolu.
THEbus T4instead, it runs to and from Taksim Square every 30 minutes, leaving from the Tourist Information Office, located at the end of the racecourse.
What to see and places to visit in Istanbul
The most interesting and best known building in Istanbul which is located in this area is Hagia Sophia o Santa Sofia.
America Coast to CoastHere the things to see are many: the dome, imperial gate,Ompholion, raised platform, the mosaics, alabaster urns, imperial lodge, the weeping column and, upstairs, the tomb of Enrico Dandolo.
Very beautiful and interesting to visit is also the palace Topkapi, which is entered through the carriage door, where the ladies boarded their luxurious chariots.
Inside the building is the Cupboard dome, after which you enter the room with the Sadirvan, a guard room decorated in a very particular way with stupendous Izmik majolica.
To the left is the mosque of the Black Eunuchs and the courtyard.
Very beautiful is the imperial hall, decorated with majolica by Delft.
Leaving the Topkapi there is the hippodrome, a green space for the inhabitants, which was the center of Byzantine life for an entire millennium.
The imposing is also very interesting to visit Obelisk of Theodosius in granite that was carved in Egypt in 1450 BC
South of the Obelisk, the curious can be seen emerging from a hole in the ground Serpentine column surmounted by three snake heads.
The next morning I immediately visit the majestic Blue Mosque, which is very interesting.
Built between 1606 and 1616, it unquestionably presents a very original structure compared to that of Aya Sofia, although the latter was built over 1000 years earlier.
Once inside the courtyard, whose dimensions are similar to those inside the building, you are able to evaluate the perfect proportions.
Proceeding in the direction of the mosque, you will notice the small dome and, going up to the first floor, you can admire the main dome that dominates the whole.
Inside, attention immediately falls on the polychrome stained glass windows and on the majolica of Izmik.
Inside the central space, on the left of the mihrab, we note the imperial loggia covered with a marble lattice, in mihrab itself, in which a fragment of the sacred Black stone of the Kaoba, venerated at the Mecca.
On the north side, opposite the Sultanahmet park, is the turbé (tomb) of the founder of the Blue Mosque, the Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmet I.
Istanbul Museums
Leaving the Blue Mosque you can visit the various museums (apart from one).
Among the most interesting, I can recommend the Carpet Museum and Kilim, which is also located inside the Blue Mosque, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts e the Museum of Mosaics of the great Palace.
Dove fare shopping a Istanbul
For purchases you can find a little bit of everything in the Grand Bazaar, considered the largest souk in the world.
It represents the southern offshoot of a vast market district, which expands northward, down the hillside, through the area known as Tahtakale, until it reaches Eminonu, on the Golden Horn.
I guarantee that here you can find really everything and "for all budgets" (at all prices).
Very nice to visit is also theVolente aqueduct, an imposing limestone structure that dominates the incessant traffic of Ataturk Bulveri and which constitutes one of the most characteristic landmarks of the city.
Not to be missed are the excursions on the Bosphorus.
It is an extraordinary experience and they also allow you to travel several times from Asia to Europe and vice versa.
Do not miss the Beyberbeyi Palace, il Kucuksu Pavilion, la rumen Hisari, la Khedive Kasri e il Sadherk Hanim Museum.
What to eat in Istanbul typical dishes
Moving on to Istanbul cuisine, the day begins with the in the morning (morning food) or the breakfast (breakfast).
Then we move on tolunch (lunch) and, finally, thedinnerand (price).
A delight that I recommend to try are the close (jelly cubes), and just as delicious are the kebab and very tasty appetizers (meze) which can be eaten in all the typical restaurants.
Very strange thing, which left me perplexed is that in the evening, in the clubs, although very nice, there are not many locals but only tourists.
Photo gallery Istanbul
