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The BLUE MOSQUE The most famous mosque of Istanbul which is known as the BLUE MOSQUE

as well because of its beautiful blue Iznik tiles. The Blue Mosque (Called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish) is an

historical mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is known as the Blue Mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the

walls of interior design.Mosque was built between 1609 and 1616 years, during the rule of Ahmed I. just like

many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasa and a hospice.Besides still used as a

mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction in Istanbul.

HIPPODROME, The center of sport activities with its four monuments; The GERMAN FOUNTAIN OF WILHELM II, Egyptian Obelisk, SERPENTINE COLUMN and the COLUMN OF CONSTANTINE he Hippodrome of Constantinople (Greek: Ιππόδρομος της Κωνσταντινούπολης) was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named Sultanahmet Meydanı (Sultan Ahmet Square) in the Turkish city of Istanbul, with a few fragments of the original structure surviving.The word hippodrome comes from the Greek hippos (ἵππος), horse, and dromos (δρόμος), path or way. For this reason, it is sometimes also called Atmeydanı ("Horse Square") in Turkish. Horse racing and chariot racing were popular pastimes in the ancient world and hippodromes were common features of Greek cities in the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras

The 15 July Martyrs Bridge (Turkish: 15 Temmuz Şehitler Köprüsü previously known as İstanbul Boğaziçi Köprüsü), also called the First Bosphorus Bridge (Turkish: 1. Boğaziçi Köprüsü) or First Bridge (Turkish: Birinci Köprü), is one of three suspension bridges spanning the Bosphorus strait (Turkish: Boğaziçi) in Istanbul, Turkey, thus connecting Europe and Asia (alongside Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge). The bridge extends between Ortaköy (in Europe) and Beylerbeyi (in Asia).

It is a gravity-anchored suspension bridge with steel towers and inclined hangers. The aerodynamic deck hangs on zigzag steel cables. It is 1,560 m (5,118 ft)[1] long with a deck width of 33.40 m (110 ft). The distance between the towers (main span) is 1,074 m (3,524 ft)[1] and the total height of the towers is 165 m (541 ft). The clearance of the bridge from sea level is 64 m (210 ft).

Istanbul is known as the City on the Seven Hills (Turkish: Yedi tepeli şehir). The city has

inherited this denomination from Byzantine Constantinople which – consciously following the model

of Rome – was built on seven hills too.

The seven hills, all located in the area within the walls, first appeared when the valleys of the Golden Horn and the Bosphoruswere opened up during the Secondary and Tertiary periods. In the Ottoman Age, as in the earlier Byzantine period, each hill was surmounted by monumental religious buildings (churches under the Byzantines, imperial mosques under the Ottomans).

The first hill on which the ancient city of Byzantium was founded, begins from Seraglio Point and extends over the whole area containing Hagia Sophia, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque and Topkapı Palace.

On the second hill are to be found the Nuruosmaniye Mosque, Grand Bazaar and Column of Constantine. The second hill is divided from the first by a fairly deep valley running from Babiali on the east Eminönü.

The third hill is now occupied by the main buildings of Istanbul University, the Bayezid II Mosque to the south and the Süleymaniye Mosque to the north. The southern slopes of the hill descend to Kumkapi and Langa.

The fourth hill on which stood the Church of the Holy Apostles and, subsequently, the Fatih Mosque, slopes down rather steeply to the Golden Horn on the north and, rather more gently, to Aksaray on the south.

On the fifth hill we find the Mosque of Sultan Selim. The fifth and the sixth hills are separated by the valley running down on the west to Balat on the shore of the Golden Horn.

On the sixth hill are to be found the districts of Edirnekapı and Ayvansaray. Its gentle slopes run out beyond the line of the defense walls.

The seventh hill, known in Byzantine times as the Xērolophos (Greek: ξηρόλοφος), or "dry hill," it extends from Aksaray to the Theodosian Walls and the Marmara. It is a broad hill with three summits producing a triangle with apices at Topkapı, Aksaray, and Yedikule.

TOPKAPI PALACE The great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries,

housing an exquisite collection of precious gems, jewellery thrones of sultans, costumes worn by the

sultans and their families; miniatures, the Holy Mantle; CHABER OF SACRED RELICS. The palace

complex is located on the Seraglio Point (Sarayburnu), a promontory overlooking the Golden

Horn and the Sea of Marmara, with a good view of the Bosphorus from many points of the palace.

The site is hilly and one of the highest points close to the sea. During Greek and Byzantine times,

the acropolis of the ancient Greek city of Byzantion stood here. There is an underground

Byzantine cisternlocated in the Second Courtyard, which was used throughout Ottoman times, as

well as remains of a small church, the so-called Palace Basilica on the acropolis, which have been

excavated in modern times. The nearby Church of Hagia Eirene, though located in the First

Courtyard, is not considered a part of the old Byzantine acropolis. (Harem is not included in the

program and visit is due to extra entrance fee.)