Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City

Set around the Sultanahmet Square are many historic sights: the Hagia Sophia, decorated with 30 million tiles, with an interior considered to be one of the largest enclosed spaces in the world; the lavishly decorated Topkapi Palace with its four courts; the stunning Blue Mosque with its six minarets, cascading domes, and blue Iznik hand-made tiles which form intricate patterns; and the Basilica Cistern, which was built in 532 AD to provide water to the city in times of siege. Here, you can see the famous Medusa statues. The "Million" is a marble pillar which marked the origin of any distance in the Byzantine era. Gülhane Park is a refuge from the crowds and Soğukçeşme Street is a car-free cobbled road with traditional wooden houses.