Istanbul - Sultanahmet

The Old City of Istanbul, bounded by the Bosphorus, Marmara Sea and the Golden Horn is such a place you can almost smell history, feel the way people lived since the times of Byzantion.

There are so many places to visit in this area with surprisingly rich cultural heritage. Hagia Sophia (picture on the top left) Sultanahmet Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Yerebatan Cistern, Soguk Cesme Street (picture on the bottom left), and Istanbul Archeology Museum just to name a few.

I am very impressed with the Istanbul Archeology Museum which owes it's current state to Osman Hamdi Bey the pioneer of the Museum's Curator profession in Turkey. In this museum you can see the first ever written documents, including Treaty of Kadesh, Alexander the Great's Sarcophagus (picture on the right) and so many artifacts from the earliest civilizations of the history.

You sohuld also not miss Topkapi Palace which was the primary residence of the Sultans, inside the Palace are some great exhibitions like Treasury (including religious relics like Staff of Moses and Beard of Mohamed) Armory and Palace Kitchens.

To enjoy the glory of the Old City of Istanbul I would highly recommend a knowledgeable tour guide, as a local Istanbul'er since at least 3 generations my opinion is that there is so much history around this district, a normal human being cannot simply explore everything to the full extent.

This district is very touristic, there are many hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops. Local people try to talk english and they always assume you are a tourist there. Answering them in Turkish will make them stare at you confused.