Hagia Sophia Istanbul is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum in istanbul, Turkey. Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the completion of the Seville Cathedral in 1520.

Blue Mosque  Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is the national mosque of Turkey, and is a historical mosque in istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is one of several mosques known as the blue mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.

Topkapi Palace is a palace in istanbul, Turkey, which was the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans, from 1465 to 1853. The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments and is a major tourist attraction today. The name directly translates as "Cannon gate Palace", from the palace being named after a nearby, now destroyed, gate.

Basilica Cistern  Istanbul is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located South West of the St. Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.

Grand Bazaar  Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world with more than 58 streets, over 4000 shops, and has between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. It is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold jewelry and the like.

Archaeology museum Istanbul The site of the museums actually belonged to the Topkapi Palace outer gardens. The museum was founded by decree as the Imperial Museum (Imparatorluk Muzesi). When it opened to the public in 1891, it was the first one to feature Turkish art. The first curator was Osman Hamdi Bey, who was also the founder of the museum.

Hippodrome Istanbul (At Meydani) was the center of the citys public life during centuries. Its construction was started by Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 203. It was enlarged and richly embellished by Constantine the Great and after him, many emperors rivalled to adorn it. The hippodrome was approximately 400 m/ 438 yards in length and 120 m/ 131 yards in breadth. At the northern end were the "carceres", stalls for the horses and "bigae", two-horse chariots, and "quadrigae", four-horse chariots.