Why Istanbul?

My love affair with Istanbul began 10 years ago, when I visited for a week and was blown away by the grandeurof the enormous beautiful mosques in this amazing city.

I remember speaking to one fellow traveller who told me one week is not enough time to see Istanbul; she had been there two weeks and still had so much more to see.

She was right, I’ve since visited almost annually, and each time I see something new and realise I must come back again to visit another opulent site.

Istanbul is one of the worlds great cities where for over 1000 years east met the west.

Indeed the only city in the world to straddle two continents (Europe and Asia), it is 90% Muslim and is a window into the history of Islam.

The choice is mosque’s to pray in, is greater than the number of places to eat out in, and each mosque holds history and usually an amazing story behind its conception.

Depending on how long you go, here’s my top places to visit:

• Topkapi Palace. For centuries this was home to the Sultan’s family. The Harem which has a separate entrance is an absolute must, as is the holy relics room where Imams chant from the Quran day and night over holy relics belonging to the Prophet Muhammed pbuh and the Sahaaba.
  
  
• Aya Sofya (Haga Sofia). Confirmed to be generations older than the Blue Mosque this great structure dating back to the Constantinople era of the Roman Empire, has switched from being a church to a mosque many times over.


• Museum of Turkish and Islamic art. Some of the world’s great Islamic artifacts are housed here. If you’re not that much into art and artifacts, this is just a beautiful building to visit with a stunning courtyard where you can sip a quick Turkish tea.
  
  
• Sokollu Mehmet Pasa Mosque. You won’t find this mosque in guide books, as its quite hidden away in the backstreets behind the blue mosque and from a tourist point of view is only significant to Muslims. It the only mosque in the world other than the holy city of Mecca to hold remnants of the holy black stone of Kaaba. Four pieces of the black stone are each embedded above the main door, the mihrab and two in the mimbar.
  
  
• The Grand Bazaar. An ethnic shopping experience. Feel like you’ve stepped back in time, and be ready to haggle for anything you like.

• Lunch or dinner at Kumkapi. This place is one big open air restaurant, serving delicacies straight from the sea at very reasonable prices.