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The Grand Yavuz Hotel is a four
stars Hotel, located in the heart of
Istanbul ;
Sultanahmet Area which is known as "OLD
CITY" |
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The
Sultanahmet district
is the heart of historic Old
Istanbul, what 19th-century
travelers used to call
"Stamboul."
This is where you'll find
Topkapi Palace, Ayasofya (Hagia
Sophia), the Blue Mosque (Sultan
Ahmet Camii), the Byzantine
Hippodrome, Yerebatan Saray
(Sunken Palace Cistern), the
Istanbul Archeological Museums,
Great Palace Mosaic Museum, and
several lesser sights (see map
below).
It's your best base for
sightseeing in Istanbul. For a
rundown on things to see, go to
Istanbul Sights.
Luckily for our visitors, the
district of Sultanahmet
(sool-tahn-ah-MEHT, named for
Sultan Ahmet I, builder of the
Blue Mosque) also has a number
of serviceable restaurants and
dozens of good stores in all
price ranges.
Blue Mosque
Istanbul's imperial Mosque of
Sultan Ahmet I (Sultan Ahmet
Camii) is called the Blue Mosque
because of its interior tiles,
mostly on the upper level and
difficult to see unless you're
right up there with them.
Forget the blue tiles! The
mosque (built 1603-17) is the
masterwork of Ottoman architect
Sedefkār Mehmet Aga. It's built
on the site of the Great Palace
of Byzantium, on the
southeastern side of the
Hippodrome.
With its six minarets and a
great cascade of domes, the
mosque is a worthy sibling to
Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) just a
few minutes' stroll to the
north.
The Blue Mosque has fascinating
secrets revealed in my travel
memoir, Bright Sun, Strong Tea,
and on the Magic of the Blue
Mosque page.
This is one of Istanbul's
premier sights, and you're
welcome to visit at most times
of day, for free...
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