Byzantium.

After a very late arrival and an early start we began our tour of Istanbul in the old Byzantine heart of the European side of Istanbul. Much of this mediaeval area of Sultanahmet is UNESCO listed and our first stop was the Sultan Ahmet Mosque or Blue Mosque built in 1616 at the time of the rise of the Ottoman Empire. The interior is superb and it is still in regular use so we had to go before it closed for prayer.
It is referred to as the Blue Mosque due to the beautiful blue tiles on many of the walls but the ceilings are also magnificent (see extra)

Right next door is the older Hagia Sofia also UNESCO listed. Built in 537 as an Orthodox church it was later converted to a mosque. More recently it was restored to it's origins by removing white wash from the walls to expose beautiful Christian mosaics.

In between these visits we also went to the Topkapi Palace where the treasury has amazing jewels on display from the time when this was the seat of Ottoman power.

After all that we needed lunch and as the day drew to a close we headed for a boat trip on the Bospherous. A brilliant day and excellent introduction to Turkey.

Phew, got those extras on now but will hopefully do a Flickr link when we get back.