Istanbul skyline (from north) in early morning sun

From left to right along the skyline: Topkapı Palace complex, Hagia Sophia church (subsequently a mosque) and the Blue Mosque.

As the Roman Empire in the West slowly crumbled, the Roman emperor Constantine founded a new city on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium: called Nova Roma (new Rome), it was designated the new capital of the Roman Empire in the year 330 A.D. Its name then became Constantinopolis, the Greek expression for "city of Constantine". It was to remain the Roman imperial city until 1453, when it fell to the Ottoman Turks.

The name Istanbul - from its local Greek nickname meaning "in the town" - became its official name only in 1923.


Palace of Topkapı

A large palace complex, residence of the ottoman Sultans for four centuries. A prime tourist attraction, and a delight to visit.


Hagia Sophia

The first two (wooden) churches on this site were burned down during riots in the city. The third church, much larger than its predecessors, was initially badly damaged by earthquake, but in its present form it dates from 562 A.D.

In 1453 it was converted on the Sultan's orders into a mosque, and its four minarets were added during the following century.

This church was built to impress, and in this it succeeds admirably. Otherwise there is in my opinion little to like about it.


Blue Mosque

This is a nickname for the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, built in the early 1600s.

A breathtaking experience. Flooded with light from its 200-plus stained glass windows, the interior is lined with 20,000-plus blue-and-white patterned tiles. The effect is just astonishing. (Christian edifices look very tame beside it.)



This blip was added in October 2014