Day 51, 20 July 2012 Istanbul to Kirklaleri

We spent half a day in Istanbul (obviously it was not enough) before we heads out to Kirklaleri, a small border town to Bulgaria.

Since our hotel was right in the old city of Istanbul, within minutes of walking distance to the Ayasofya, Topkapi Palace Museum, Blue Mosque and others, we quickly decided that we will only spend our precious time visiting the Topkapi Museum and not all the tourist spot in town.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) is an historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.

It was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. While still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque

Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931, when it was secularized. It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.

Hagia Sophia

German fountain

Entrance into the Topkapi Palace