Travel S Helper

A fascinating mix of history and culture, the Old City of Istanbul—also known as Eski İstanbul in Turkish—testamentates the city’s great and varied past. The epicenter of old Istanbul is this area, sometimes known as the Walled City (Sriçci) or the Historical Peninsula (Tarihi Yarımada). Being the site of Constantinople and with many monuments, it […]

More often known as the Blue Mosque, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque is one of Istanbul’s most famous buildings. Sultan Ahmed I ordered the building of this outstanding mosque on the ancient peninsula between 1609 and 1617. Representing the pinnacle of centuries of religious and cultural development, the mosque is a flawless mix of Ottoman and […]

Topkapi Palace, situated at the extremity of Istanbul’s historic peninsula, serves as a monumental testament to the Ottoman Empire’s splendor. For almost 400 years, the sultans have resided at this center of power; today, it is among the most famous and often visited sites in Turkey. Built in 1478, Sultan Mehmed II used it as […]

Located beneath Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet quarter, the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı) stands as the largest surviving underground reservoir of ancient Constantinople. Impressive 336 marble pillars – each soaring about 9 meters tall – support a vaulted ceiling 138 by 65 meters below ground, creating a vast, shadowy chamber that once stored some 80,000 cubic meters […]