| Old Town Panorama |
 Use this sweeping vista of the Old Town to get your bearings. Straight ahead from the end of the bridge, you see the main entrance to the famous Spice Market (stone-and-brick building with three small domes), which sells souvenirs, caviar, dried fruits, Turkish delight, "Turkish Viagra"...and, oh yeah, spices. The handsome mosque just to the left of the Spice Market (partly covered by the tower of the bridge) is the New Mosque of Mother Sultan, or simply the New Mosque. Dating from the 17th century, it's one of the last examples of classical or traditional-style Ottoman mosques. After that time, mosques were built in an eclectic style, heavily influenced by Western architecture. Behind the Spice Market, twisty streets lined with market stalls wind their way up the hill toward the famous Grand Bazaar. While the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar are increasingly deluged with tourists, this zone between them sells more housewares and everyday textiles than souvenirs—meaning that it's packed tight with locals looking for a bargain, particularly on Saturdays. Thanks to these crowds—and a steady stream of delivery trucks and carts blocking the streets—it can take a half-hour to walk just these four blocks. But this is also the "real" Istanbul—gritty and authentic. For a longer and more interesting route between these shopping zones. Farther to the right, past the open space and near the river, you see the Rüstem Paşa Mosque. This tiny mosque, with its single dome and lone minaret, is dwarfed by the larger mosques around it. But a visit there offers a peek into a more intimate and cozy mosque, with some of the finest 16th-century Ottoman tiles around. On the hillside just above the Rüstem Paşa Mosque is the 16th-century Mosque of Süleyman the Magnificent, with its handsome dome and four tall minarets. Elaborate and impressive, yet tastefully restrained, this mosque offers an insightful contrast to the over-the-top and more famous Blue Mosque. To the left of Süleyman's mosque is the single, tall Beyazıt Tower. Sometimes referred to as the "fire tower," it marks the location of bustling Beyazıt Square and Istanbul University's main campus (next door to the Grand Bazaar). Now look to your left. At the end of the Historical Peninsula, you can see the lush gardens marking the grounds of Topkapi Palace. Most of what you see from here is the palace's lower gardens, called Gülhane, now a public park. You can also see the tower marking the entrance to the Harem complex . To the right of the palace (up the hill, above the modern buildings), notice the gorgeous dome and minarets of Hagia Sophia— once the greatest church in Byzantium, then a mosque, and today one of Istanbul's best museums. The famous Blue Mosque, which faces Hagia Sophia from across Sultanahmet Square, is not quite visible from here. . If you look far to the left, beyond the Topkapi Palace gardens, you can see the Bosphorus Strait and Asian Istanbul (the hilltop that bristles with TV towers, like a sea of giant minarets). The Bosphorus Bridge, an impressive suspension bridge, is visible from here (unless it's really hazy). (s3) |