An Istanbul Islamic History Itinerary

Two empires, one city

Constantinople was founded as the new capital of the Roman world in the fourth century and became the heart of the Byzantine Empire, its greatest church, Hagia Sophia, completed in 537. The city withstood many sieges before falling to the Ottomans under Mehmed II in 1453, an event that reshaped the region and made the city the Ottoman capital for the next four and a half centuries.

The Ottomans did not erase what they found; they built on it. Byzantine churches were adapted, and a new generation of imperial mosques rose to match and answer Hagia Sophia's vast dome. Keeping this dialogue in mind, between the sixth-century Byzantine masterpiece and the sixteenth-century Ottoman ones that respond to it, is the single most useful key to understanding Istanbul's monuments.

Day one: the Sultanahmet core

Begin in Sultanahmet, the old city's ceremonial heart, where the major sites are within a few minutes' walk of one another. Hagia Sophia, built as a Byzantine cathedral, later served as an Ottoman mosque, functioned for decades as a museum, and is again a working mosque; its enormous dome and shimmering mosaics remain one of the most influential interiors ever built. Directly across a garden stands the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the early seventeenth-century imperial mosque known abroad as the Blue Mosque for the tiles that line its interior, with its distinctive cascade of domes and half-domes.

Between and around them lie the traces of the Byzantine Hippodrome, with its ancient obelisks, and the entrance to the Basilica Cistern, a vast underground Byzantine reservoir. This single square holds more than a millennium of the city's history, so give it an unhurried day rather than trying to press on.

• Hagia Sophia: the Byzantine dome and later mosque
• Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque: an Ottoman imperial mosque
• The Hippodrome and the Basilica Cistern nearby

Day two: Topkapi and Suleymaniye

Spend the morning at Topkapi Palace, the sprawling residence and administrative centre of the Ottoman sultans for centuries. Its courtyards, pavilions and treasuries tell the story of the empire's court, and the views over the Bosphorus from its gardens are among the finest in the city. Allow several hours; it is large and easy to underestimate.

In the afternoon, walk up to the Suleymaniye Mosque, the masterpiece of the great architect Sinan, completed in the 1550s for Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. Set on a hill above the Golden Horn, its complex once included schools, a hospital, kitchens and baths, in the Ottoman tradition of a mosque as the anchor of a whole charitable and educational quarter. Its serene, perfectly balanced interior repays a slow visit, and the terrace outside offers a sweeping panorama of the city and its waterways.

Day three: the Golden Horn and Eyup

On the third day, follow the Golden Horn northwest to Eyup, a district that grew around the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the Prophet associated with the early Muslim sieges of Constantinople. The Eyup Sultan Mosque and the surrounding cemetery form one of the most venerated sites in the city, quieter and more local in feel than the crowded core of Sultanahmet.

From Eyup, a short climb or cable car reaches the Pierre Loti hill, with a classic view back down the Golden Horn. The walk gives a sense of the older, residential Istanbul beyond the monuments, and the whole day makes a gentler counterpoint to the grand set pieces of the first two.

• Eyup Sultan Mosque and its historic cemetery
• The tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari
• Views over the Golden Horn from Pierre Loti hill

Adding a fourth day

With more time, the city opens up. A Bosphorus ferry gives the best possible orientation to how the two continents meet, passing waterside mosques and palaces. The Chora, a Byzantine church celebrated for its mosaics and frescoes and later used as a mosque, is a highlight for anyone interested in the Byzantine layer. The Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar add the commercial life that has always been part of the city's fabric.

You can also cross to the Asian side for a change of pace, or explore the smaller Sinan mosques scattered through the old city. Our itinerary planner lets you assemble these into a plan and reorder them as the days unfold, and our curated collections trace routes through Ottoman heritage more widely.

Practical notes

Istanbul is busiest and hottest in high summer; spring and autumn are more comfortable and less crowded. The working mosques close to visitors during prayer times and ask for modest dress, with head coverings available at the door for women; visiting just after a prayer, rather than during one, avoids disruption. Many sites now use timed or online tickets, so checking current arrangements before you set out saves time.

Distances in the old city are short, but the ground is hilly and cobbled, so comfortable shoes matter. Public transport, including trams and ferries, is cheap and efficient, and a rechargeable transit card covers most of it. Above all, leave room to sit in a mosque courtyard or by the water and simply watch the city; that unhurried time is often what visitors remember most.

Frequently asked questions