Dream

• Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey that is home to thirteen million people.
• Ninety-nine percent of Istanbul’s population consists of Muslims.
• Istanbul has almost three thousand mosques, which is why many people call it the ‘City of Mosques.’
• The biggest mosque in Istanbul is the Blue Mosque with six minarets, the maximum number of minarets a mosque is allowed to have.
• The spectacular Hagia Sophia was the largest church, an Orthodox cathedral, for nine centuries. The church was transformed into a prayer house for the Muslims in 1453. It has been rebuilt three times throughout its existence.
• The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is the largest open market in the world, consisting of more than three thousand shops.
• The third oldest subway station is based in Istanbul’s Beyoglu district, which was constructed in 1875.
• Agatha Christie, a well-known suspense-mystery writer, wrote her famous novel ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ at a hotel named PeraPalas in Istanbul.
• Despite the city’s location by the Sea of Marmara that ensures mild weather throughout summer, the temperature in Istanbul drops to several levels in winters, resulting in snow.
• During the period of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul had fourteen-hundred toilets around the city. At that time, the rest of Europe had no toilets whatsoever!

Hagia Sofia. The first place to add to your Istanbul travel itinerary planner is Hagia Sofia. This mosque is an exquisite piece of a masterwork that dates back to almost ten centuries. Tourists from all over the world are allowed to look around the mosque, appreciating its majestic dome and marble walls. 

Blue Mosque. Built in the 17th-century, the Blue Mosque is one of the oldest prayer houses for the Muslims in Istanbul. For exploring this magnificent mosque, you will have to time your visits accordingly as it remains active for the prayers five times a day.

Galata Tower. One of the iconic landmarks that rule over Istanbul’s skyline is the Galata Tower. The upper level of the tower includes a cafe, a restaurant, and a nightclub, where you can capture amazing shots from a height of sixty-seven meters. 

Grand Bazaar. Adding this marketplace to your traveler planner app is essential if you love to shop and explore traditional cultures in one space. This market includes as many as three-thousand shops of all kinds that attract more than a quarter-million visitors every day.

Yedikule Fortress. Getting to the Yedikule Fortress through a train can be a bit tiresome, but your visit will be well worth it. This fortress was built in the 5th-century, and it continues to be a source of interest to trippers from all around the world. You can enjoy the breathtaking views of the Sea of Marmara from the top of the fortress.