Exporing where East meets West in Türkiye

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Saturday, 11 April 2026 - A full day exploring Istanbul’s treasures: Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, the ancient Basilica Cistern, and the bustling Grand Bazaar. We admired Ottoman art, Byzantine mosaics, palace treasures, rooftop city views, friendly street cats, and ended the day with a wonderful Ottoman dinner after more than six miles of walking while touring.

Today we had quite a bit on the agenda, we would end up walking over 6 miles.

First up was the Topkapı Palace, which was right next to our hotel. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1853, it served as the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire and was the main residence of its sultans.

turkey2026 — The brick ceiling of the entrance gate to the Topkapı Palace.

turkey2026 — The Hagia Irene in the outer courtyard of the Topkapi Palace and is one of the oldest churches in the city, originally built in the 4th century. Unlike many other Byzantine churches in Istanbul, it was never converted into a mosque but was used as an arsenal by the Ottomans. It now functions as a museum and a concert hall.

turkey2026 — A fountain in the courtyard. Mesut, our guide, said it was a location for executions and the little stone was used for beheadings.

The inscription over the fountain reads: The Ghazi Sultan Abdul Hamid Khan the Second, may God support him, renewed this blessed fountain, 1307.

turkey2026 — The gold finishes on the ceiling of the Imperial Council Hall where the sultans met dignitaries.

turkey2026 — Beautiful painting on the walls.

turkey2026 — Intricate wall decorations within the Imperial Council Hall. The Arabic calligraphy at the top is a traditional declaration of faith, commonly translating to "There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."

turkey2026 — Tiles of the Iznik style, featuring intricate floral and arabesque patterns in blue, white, and turquoise. These are in the Harem, the private residential section of the palace complex. These ceramics date back to the Ottoman era, with many tiles originating from the 17th century.

turkey2026 — This is the Mihrab (prayer niche) inside the Harem's Mosque of the Black Eunuchs. The niche is decorated with 17th-century Iznik tiles featuring a detailed representation of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, which is the largest mosque in the world. This style of tilework was popular in the Ottoman Empire to depict sacred sites.

turkey2026 — More tile work in the Haram depicting a minaret.

turkey2026 — The imperial monogram of Sultan Mustafa.

turkey2026 — The interior of the Queen Mother's apartment with pretty paintings on the second floor of the room.

turkey2026 — One of many fountains throughout the palace.

turkey2026 — An antique Chinese Famille Rose porcelain vase, likely dating from the 18th to the 19th century.

turkey2026 — The Imperial Hall built in the 16th century. The hall served as the official reception hall of the sultan as well as for the entertainment of the Harem. Here the sultan received his confidants, guests, his mother, his first wife, consorts, and his children.

The room is focused around the throne.

turkey2026 — A fountain in the Harem.

turkey2026 — A balcony window in one of the interior courtyards.

turkey2026 — Cal and Virginia Ann on the balcony of the Topkapi Palace with the Bosporus Strait in the background.

turkey2026 — The view over the palace parks to the Bosporus Strait.

turkey2026 — In the Imperial Treasury we saw many beautiful treasures. This is the famous Topkapi Dagger, commissioned by Sultan Mahmud I in 1746–1747 to be given as a diplomatic gift to Nadir Shah of Iran. The hilt is composed of three large, brilliant emeralds, and the gold scabbard is encrusted with diamonds and intricately decorated with enamel work. It is considered one of the most valuable daggers in the world.

turkey2026 — Enamel inlay on a vase.

turkey2026 — In the Sultan Costume Collection were many of the robes and clothing of the sultans. This is the detail of a fur-lined Kaftan from the second half of the 16th century. It belonged to Sultan Murad III.

turkey2026 — A courtyard fountain surrounded by tulips.

turkey2026 — An imperial cat.

turkey2026 — The interior of the Baghdad Pavilion dome. The pavilion was built in 1639 by Sultan Murad IV to commemorate his victory in capturing Baghdad.

turkey2026 — Lavish courtyard in the palace, decorated with Ottoman tiles, calligraphy, and baroque finishes.

turkey2026 — Next it was off to the Hagia Sophia originally built as a Christian cathedral in 537 AD, it was later converted into a mosque.

This image shows one of the massive Islamic calligraphic roundels inside the Hagia Sophia.

turkey2026 — The interior dome of the Hagia Sophia. It was challenging to photograph as the Hagia Sophia is undergoing major renovations, so the outside is covered and inside there are several massive construction columns.

The dome features intricate golden mosaics and large Arabic calligraphy, specifically the beginning of the "Verse of Light" from the Quran.

turkey2026 — The ornate mihrab (prayer niche) in the wall indicating the direction of Mecca, flanked by calligraphy panels.

turkey2026 — Spider web mosaic on an arch.

turkey2026 — At an odd angle was a six-winged Seraphim mosaic angel a type of celestial being with six wings mentioned in the Bible. The mosaics date back to approximately the 13th century. In Christian iconography, these Seraphim serve to guard the image of Christ.

turkey2026 — This mosaic depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child in the center, flanked by Emperor John II Comnenus on the left and Empress Irene on the right. Created around 1122, it is a masterpiece of Middle Byzantine art, specifically the Komnenian style.

turkey2026 — One of the calligraphic roundels featuring the name "Omar", referring to Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Rashidun Caliph. It is one of eight massive wooden panels installed during the reign of Sultan Abdulmejid I in the 19th century.

turkey2026 — There was a small line to glimpse the Virgin and Child mosaic located in the apse semi-dome of Hagia Sophia. This mosaic was created around 867 AD, following the end of the Byzantine Iconoclasm period, and was unveiled by Patriarch Photius.

turkey2026 — The detail of the 13th-century Deësis Mosaic portraying Jesus Christ as Pantocrator (Almighty). The mosaic is crafted from small glass and stone tiles (tesserae), using a golden background typical of Byzantine art to represent divine light.

turkey2026 — As we moved toward the exit we passed through the vestibule leading to the main entrance. It features a 10th-century Byzantine mosaic which depicts the Virgin Mary and Christ Child flanked by Emperor Justinian holding a model of the church and Emperor Constantine holding a model of the city.

turkey2026 — A closer view of the mosaic.

turkey2026 — We then traveled a short way to the Basilica Cistern an underground structure, built over 1,500 years ago, was designed to store and distribute water throughout the city.

turkey2026 — Built in the 6th century by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, this ancient underground water reservoir served the Great Palace of Constantinople. The vast chamber is supported by a "forest" of 336 marble columns, many of which were recycled from older temples.

turkey2026 — The Basilica Cistern had a role as a filming location for three James Bond movies; From Russia with Love, The World Is Not Enough, and Skyfall.

turkey2026 — The cistern is a huge underground room that measures about 2.5 acres in area. The cistern can hold 21 million gallons of water. The ceiling is supported by marble columns each 133 feet high.

turkey2026 — Virginia Ann and Cal in the Basilica Cistern.

turkey2026 — We then took a rather long hike to the Grand Bazaar. Virginia Ann was very excited.

Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, featuring 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops.

turkey2026 — Grand Bazaar established in 1461, it has served as a central trading hub for centuries, offering everything from spices and jewels to carpets and souvenirs. Mostly tourist trinkets.

turkey2026 — A lamp shop.

turkey2026 — The Grand Bazaar was busy - up to 500 thousand visitors in a single day. Not sure if there were that many but there were a lot.

turkey2026 — While the Grand Bazaar is covered the streets around the bazaar are also crowded with small shops.

It was on one of these side streets where we purchased a replacement bag for Cal's damaged by KLM.

turkey2026 — Just off the Grand Bazaar is Beyazit Square, which has on one side Istanbul University.

turkey2026 — The main gate of Istanbul University that is one of the oldest and most prestigious educational institutions in Türkiye, with roots tracing back to the Ottoman era. The university hosts a vibrant academic community of over 70,000 students.

turkey2026 — Also off Beyazit Square is Bayezid II Mosque built between 1501 and 1506 by Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II.

turkey2026 — We headed back into the Grand Bazaar passing through the bookseller area.

turkey2026 — A cat learning about Türkiye via osmosis.

turkey2026 — We had tickets to see the roofline of the Grand Bazaar and walk along the roof. In the distance is the Gazi Atik Ali Pasha Mosque, a historic 15th-century Ottoman mosque.

turkey2026 — They really do like the stray cats.

turkey2026 — Lots of gold and jewelry displayed. We did stop by a store recommended from Mesut which seemed very professional. However, there were no purchases...

turkey2026 — A stall specializing in evil eyes.

turkey2026 — The Nuruosmaniye Gate, one of the main entrances to the historic Grand Bazaar. The construction of the bazaar began shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, around 1455–1456.

turkey2026 — A colorful alleyway we walked along on our way to dinner - at a restaurant specializing in Ottoman dishes. The meal was excellent.

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