During our second day in Istanbul, we saw three of the major sites in Sultanahmet, which is the old part of the city. We were able to see the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern and the Tokpaki Palace where the Ottoman sultans lived for more than 400 years. At the Tokpaki Palace, we saw some amazing artifacts including Moses's staff, David's sword, the arm of John the Baptist and Mohamed's beard. The rooms were haunting and ornate and we were not allowed to take pictures. A muezzin constantly recited verses from the Quran and his voice echoed through the elaborately decorated and vast chambers.
Turkish Delight.
Beautiful spices in the market.
Lining the walkways to Tokpaki palace were all sorts of scattered old artifacts, as if there were so many that it wasn't a big deal to leave a view forgotten and crumbling along the edges of the castle. There's also a lot of stray cats in Istanbul.
The palace entrance.
A typically extravagant room in the palace.
From the palace, we can see the skyscrapers and boats of new Istanbul. What an incredible contrast.
The Blue Mosque.
Inside the Blue Mosque. I had to cover my head with my scarf before entering, and men and women had to take off shoes.
The Basilica Cistern consists of hundreds of cisterns beneath the city of Istanbul. One of the coolest things I've ever seen.
There are two giant Medusa heads in the cistern. No one knows exactly why one head is placed upside down and the other is placed on its side.
The city at night. The lighted bridge connects Asian Istanbul to European Istanbul.
Mosques at night.
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