Pictures from Istanbul, Turkey

The Obelisk of Theodosius (Turkish: Dikilitaş) is the Ancient Egyptian obelisk of Pharaoh Tutmoses III re-erected in the Hippodrome of Constantinople by the Roman emperor Theodosius I in the 4th century AD.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) 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 popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.

Another view of the Blue Mosque.

Hagia Sophia ("Holy Wisdom") 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 Patriarch of Constantinople of the Western Crusader established 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.

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

The Topkapı Palace (Turkish: Topkapı Sarayı) is a palace which was the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign.

The Spice Bazaar, (Turkish: 'Mısır Çarşısı', or Egyptian Bazaar) is one of the oldest bazaars in the city. Located in Fatih, in the neighborhood of Eminönü, it is the second largest covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar.

The Spice Bazaar is an “L”-shaped building, consisting of 88 vaulted rooms, almost all of which are now divided into an upper and lower story. Monumental gateways are at the ends of both halls, with chambers above each entrance way. The main entrance is in the southwest corner, facing the Yeni Mosque.

Historical Istanbul Univesity -The campus and faculties are spread throughout Istanbul, the main campus being next to Beyazıt Square.

Another view of the Blue Mosque from distance.

Dolmabahçe Palace is a palace in Istanbul opposite Üsküdar, on the European shore of the Bosporus. This palace was one of the most beautiful palaces that I have seen across my travels through Europe and Asia.

 It served as the main administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922, apart from a 22-year interval (1887-1909) in which the Yıldız Palace was used.