Istanbul - Turkey with Your Family: From Bustling Bazaars to Historic Sites - page 69

Historic Buildings &
Monuments
Aya Sofya (Haghia Sophia)

with Ecyad Castle, the Bosphorus
Bridge, the city walls and the
Atatürk Olympic Stadium, to
name just a few.
Open 10am-10pm daily summer,
10am-6pm winter. Admission 10
YTL adults, children under 6 free.

★

VALUE

Aya Sofya Meydani, Sultanahmet
Square. b [phone].
This outstanding building has
been many things - a basilica,
mosque and now a museum -
but at each stage it has stood as
an example of extraordinary
architecture and is still regarded
as one of the finest surviving
Byzantine buildings of its kind. It
dates from around AD 532-7 and
for more than a thousand years it
was the largest cathedral in the
world. Today it is most noted for
its mosaics that have stood the
test of time, its marble pillars and
its dome that appears to be sus-
pended in air but for a series of
40 arched windows that look as
though they should break under

★
Istanbul Caddesi, Ye=ilköy

Röne Park

With lots of mature trees and
shady areas, this park is popular
because it offers some respite
from the sun in the summer
months. A stone's throw from the
Bosphorus on Istanbul Caddesi
in Ye g ilköy, Röne Park is a good
place to take the family en masse
before or after a trip along the
river (see p. 59). There's a play-
ground, a little children's pet zoo,
parkland areas and a pleasing
walkway with stopping-off points
to and from the river.
Open daily. Admission free.

Aya Sofya

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