Istanbul was Constantinople: What to Do

Istanbul is a one-of-a-kind city with unparalleled history and rich culture. It was founded in 660 BC by Greek colonists and was the government, commerce and cultural capital during the Roman, Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman empires. It became Istanbul after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the early-20^th century.

These diverse influences are seen in modern day Istanbul. Adding to the city patchwork, most ethnic and religious minorities that live in Turkey call Istanbul their home.

With its incredible history, and the fact that the city itself is split between Europe and Asia, Istanbul is unique in every way.

One of the first things I noticed when exploring Istanbul was the call to prayer five times per day. There was something about it that gave a sense of community and unity. Shops would shut down for a short amount of time as people prayed, then life resumed as normal. There was a beauty to it.

The locals in Istanbul were very warm and kind to me as I wandered the city. A man who owned a rug shop invited me in off the street to explain how they made rugs and to offer a cup of coffee (even though I told him off the bat I’m not buying anything). A vendor at the Grand Bazaar gave me a free bead and wanted to take a picture with me. A street vendor handed me an ear of corn and asked where I was from. A lady selling scarves spent 10 minutes to find the perfect one for me.

As an experienced traveler, I always meet this kindness with openness, but also a small ounce of skepticism: was this a decoy as someone else swipes my wallet? But nothing stolen, nothing lost, just friendly people wanting to make conversation and share what they know about their city with a visitor.

PRO TIP: Women should carry a scarf when walking around Istanbul to make sure you are able to cover your head and enter religious sites as you wish. Requirements for both men and women include covered shoulders and bottoms long enough to cover your knees. Make sure you are prepared and aren’t left outside because you’re wearing shorts or didn’t bring a scarf.

 

Where to Sleep in Istanbul

Orient Hostel

Located on a cobblestone street full of hostels, restaurants and bars, Orient Hostel has an awesome vibe, cool fellow travelers, and the more than friendly young men working there. They definitely made the experience better for me and my group of ladies.

They took us out at night to Taksim, took us to an authentic late, late night meal of incredible Turkish food and made sure to answer all our questions. They love their city and want everyone else to love it just as much.

Spending the nights at the rooftop bar with incredible views of the city was the cherry on top. The accommodations themselves could have been better (a little dirty) but the people, vibe and location more than made up for it. Recommend this spot for sure.

What to do in Istanbul

Istanbul is made up of different neighborhoods. The ones I strolled through were Karakoy, Fener & Balat, Grand Bazaar and Sultanhmet.

(Note: this is not a comprehensive list of ALL worthwhile things to see and do, only the list I was able to compile during the 5 days I was there. I definitely didn’t spend enough time in Istanbul and look forward to another journey to add to the list).

Sultanhmet Neighborhood

With the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia surrounding Sultanhmet Square, this area is home to most of the tourist spots. While some of them are missable, there are definitely sites that must be seen. A vibrant, busy place, it’s a good spot to people watch and cruise for the day, hitting all the hot spots before heading to the not-as-touristy areas.

Blue Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is called the Blue Mosque because of the blue, hand-painted interior tiles.  Built in 1616, it is a working mosque as well as a tourist attraction. It is only one of three mosques in Turkey that has six minarets (towers historically used for the call to prayer), a result of a miscommunication during construction. At the time it was built, only the mosque of the Ka’aba in Mecca had six minarets, so the Sultan ordered a seventh to be built in Mecca.

As you approach the Blue Mosque from the Hagia Sophia, there is a popular photo spot with benches where you can get a good view and pic of the mosque.

Outside the mosque, worshipers are washing their feet in preparation for prayer, a requirement for Muslims before entering a mosque. There are cement basins built into the mosque where water comes out for washing. I can’t help but think how many worshipers have washed their feet there, including emperors.

As a non-Muslim, visitors don’t need to wash their feet, but we still need to abide by the dress code, which includes covered heads for women and covered shoulders and knee-length bottoms for both sexes.

As you enter through the two large doors, you must remove your shoes and place them in the area provided. Just follow the crowd.

It was my first time inside a mosque and it was breathtaking. A large open space for prayer with worshipers scattered about, a beautifully domed ceiling with more than 20,000 hand painted ceramic tiles, more than 200 stained glass windows, Qur’an verses painted on the walls, huge chandeliers with white lights above, and colorful carpet below. This experience is not unique to the Blue Mosque, and I recommend seeing other mosques as well, but this one is special.

After seeing the inside, head out through the opposite doors into the courtyard. From there you can really see the size and architectural detail of the mosque: five main domes, six minarets and eight secondary domes that create its shape. Take it all in before moving on.

Sultanahmet Square & Park

Sitting north of the Blue Mosque is Sultanahmet Park, where you can lounge around a fountain eating ice cream, people watching and enjoying a nice view of the mosque. There are vendors in traditional dress selling food and goods.

Head to Mehmet Akif Ersoy Park then down the Hippodrome. Afterwards, check out the local artisan and coffee shops while cruising around the Arasta Bazaar just behind the Blue Mosque.

Hippodrome of Constantinople

The Hippodrome of Constantinople was built in AD 203 and was the sporting and social center of Constantinople when it was the capital of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. Horse and chariot races were commonplace at the Hippodrome track. And as the social center of the city, Constantine and his successors brought in art from all over the empire, showing them off at the Hippodrome.

Today, the Hippodrome is a long open space surrounded by parks, shops, and cafes, with many of the ancient art pieces still standing.

The Obelisk of Theodosius was built around 1490 BC and placed at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor, Egypt. In 390, Theodosius the Great moved the Obelisk from the Egyptian temple to the inside of the Hippodrome racetrack and named it after himself.

The Serpent Column is a bronze, twisted column from Delphi, Greece, that was moved to the Hippodrome by Constantine the Great in 324. It was made to commemorate the victory of the Greeks over the Persians during the Persian Wars in the 5th century BC. Originally it was three serpents twisted together with a golden bowl sitting atop the three serpent’s heads, but by the 14^th century the bowl was stolen, and the serpent heads were destroyed in the 17th century.

The German Fountain is an exquisitely colorful gazebo-styled fountain constructed to commemorate the German Emperor Wilhelm II's visit to Istanbul in 1898. It was built in Germany, then transported piece by piece and assembled in its current site in 1900. The true beauty of the fountain lies inside, under the domed top, where the stunning gold roof contrasts beautifully against the blue sky.

Tombs of the Sultans at Hagia Sophia

I just stumbled upon these tombs, as there isn’t a clear sign. I felt like I was trespassing, but I kept on. Literally in the shadows of the Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul’s most notable tourist attractions and physically large buildings, the tombs are free and wroth finding.

An often-overlooked site, but nevertheless historical and fascinating, lie the Tombs of Sultans Mehmed III, Selim II, Murad III, İbrahim I and Mustafa I and their families, who ruled in the 16^th and 17^th centuries during the Ottoman Empire. The tombs are like nothing I’ve ever seen.

Small mosque-like, domed buildings open up to a small courtyard. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, like I said I almost walked right by, but inside the tombs are bright green colored sarcophagi of all sizes, each building holding the remains of one sultan and his family.

Inside, the domed ceilings are exquisitely tiled and painted in a similar fashion as the Blue Mosque. Text from the Qur’an adorn the walls. Golds, blues and greens take over, divided by intricates patterns and lines.

It’s eerie knowing that only the walls of these human shaped boxes separate you and the bodies of powerful sultans of the past. The sarcophagi themselves are anonymous, but Selim II’s tomb has noticeably more (54 to be exact), many of which seemed to be children at the time of their death. And this is why: One night in 1574, Selim’s son, Murad III, had five of his seven brothers murdered to ensure he would succeed his father. Once in charge, Murad III ordered the murder of his 19 sons to ensure his eldest son’s succession (who were subsequently buried in Selim’s tomb). Afterwards, the practice of fratricide was no longer allowable.

The history, beauty and lack of crowds make this a must find and must see spot.

Basilica Cistern

Built in 532, the Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred water storage cisterns that lie beneath Istanbul, measuring 9,800 square meters (105,000 square feet).

Used to provide filtered water to the Great Palace during the Byzantine Empire, it could hold up to 80,000 cubic meters (over 2.8 million cubic feet) of water. It was forgotten about after the emperors moved out of the Great Palace.

In 1545, locals told a researcher that they were getting clean water from lowering buckets into dark holes in their basement. The area was explored, and the cistern was re-discovered. However, it wasn’t until 1985, after decades of being used as a dump (even for bodies), that the cistern was renovated to eventually become the tourist attraction it is today.

As you walk in, it feels like you are on a different planet. Heading down the 52 stone steps that descend into the cistern, you can feel it getting colder and see the sunlight disappear. Once in the cistern, it’s cold and dark. The only lights are those strategically placed to highlight the incredibly detailed carvings on the 336 pillars that support the ceiling. Walking along raised wooden beams that wind through the pillars, you can see carp swimming in the water and feel drops of water fall from the ceiling. It’s very eerie to walk around in this cold, dark, ancient underground world.

In the back of the cistern are two columns, each perched on big stone carvings of Medusa heads, one upside down, one sideways. It isn’t known where these blocks came from, though likely they were removed from a building late in the Roman Empire and taken to the cistern to replace faulty pillars. But it’s unknown. Chillingly fascinating, literally.

Grand Bazaar Neighborhood

The Grand Bazaar

With 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops, the Grand Bazaar is one of the largest covered markets in the world and is considered one of the first shopping malls. Venders started selling goods at the Grand Bazaar around 1456 as an attempt to stimulate the local economy. Back in the day, vendors selling similar items were grouped together on the same “street.” While that’s not the current practice, remnants of this strategy are still seen with certain areas obviously full of furniture, or leather goods, or carpets or gold.

Today you can find almost anything here: food, genie lamps, hanging lamps, booties, scarves, clothes, beads, jewelry, tea pots, kitchenware, bedding, shoes, and much more. The colors are electric. The way the items are laid out seem to accentuate the colors and shapes inherent in the products.

The Grand Bazaar can be accessed through four gates, with the Nuruosmaniye gate being the iconic and recognizable entrance. You can spend quite some time here looking at the goods and chatting with the vendors.

If you’re buying something, barter, and never take the first price offered. I got an incredibly colored scarf for myself and for my friend. This is the place to get some authentic Istanbul gear.

Somehow the Grand Bazaar is able to toe the line of being a tourist attraction, but still retaining its culture, so as not to be filled with stalls selling generic Istanbul tourist trinkets, but those selling fabrics, and other goods that Istanbulans have done for centuries.

Spice Bazaar

Similar in layout to the Grand Bazaar, but significantly smaller, the Spice Bazaar specializes in one thing, you got it, spices.

In business since 1660, you can find just about any spice here among the 85 spice shops, along with Turkish delight sweets, dried fruits and nuts. And beyond the actual spices, the displays in the stalls are downright artistic.

The colors of the spices are used to make grids and designs. Grab some baklava and tea, and thoroughly enjoy. The Spice Bazaar is in the same building complex as the New Mosque, which is worth checking out as well. Walk around this area to peep out some local culture and other nearby, smaller markets selling animals and other wares.

Karakoy Neighborhood

From the Grand Bazaar neighborhood, head across the Galata Bridge to Karakoy. But before crossing, turn around and check out the view of Istanbul from the river. Get a peek of the golden boats in the area. Grab a spot at one of the cafes on the river, sit on a small, colorfully padded stool, sips come Turkish coffee, and watch people go about their lives.

The current bridge is two stories and the fifth attempt to connect the Karakoy neighborhood with the old city. Previous bridges were 1) renovated for Napolean’s visit to Istanbul, 2) left unfinished due to war, 3) damaged in a fire, and 4) moved to replace another damaged bridge. Walking over the 490-meter (1,160 foot) Galata Bridge, you see locals dangling their fishing poles over the edge into the Golden Horn, an inlet of the larger Bosphorus River.

The top level of the bridge is used for cars and pedestrians, while the first floor has a market, shoe shiners, vendors selling leather goods and some cafés. For an optimal experience, cross at sunset and grab a drink at one of the bars on the bridge.

At the other end of the bridge, there is a fish market. Those folks catching fish have a short way to go to get them to market, making for extremely fresh fish.

Keep going to the Galata Tower to get a nice view of the city.

Cruise this area, and surrounding streets for a more local feel. There are less tourist attractions on this side of the river, so reasonably, there are less tourists. Take advantage of it and get some local flavor.

Fener & Balat

Fener & Balat doesn’t have any notable tourist attractions, but that’s the appeal. You can feel that you are no longer in the touristy area, one hint is the complete lack of women on the streets.

While walking around, my group of lady travelers were the only women we saw. All men. Where were all the women?

The area is full of textile shops selling fabrics, zippers, sewing supplies and other specialized items for clothing and home repair. The street food here is delicious, plentiful and cheaper than in the touristy areas. You will find more authentic Turkish restaurants here (this is where our Turkish friends took us for a late-night meal), with little English, but very nice and helpful people.

I spent a few hours just walking and getting lost in the cobblestone streets, getting a taste of local every day life outside of the tourist’s gaze.