Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Neighbourhoods at a Glance
Many visitors to İstanbul never make it out of Sultanahmet. And while this is a shame, it's
hardly surprising. After all, not many cities have such a concentration of historic sights,
shopping precincts, hotels and eateries within easy walking distance. Ideally suited to ex-
ploration by foot, the neighbourhood is a showcase of the city's glorious past, crammed
with mosques, palaces, churches and houses dating from the Roman, Byzantine and Otto-
man periods.
This beguiling district is home to the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar. A&mid the thou-
sands of shops that surround these centuries-old marketplaces are magnificent Ottoman
mosques, historic hamams and atmospheric
çay bahçesis
(tea gardens) where locals smoke
nargiles (water pipes) and play games of
tavla
(backgammon). The streets between the
bazaars are a popular stamping ground for İstanbullus, and seem to crackle with a good-hu-
moured and infectious energy.
A showcase of İstanbul's ethnically diverse and endlessly fascinating history, this neigh-
bourhood to the west of the Historic Peninsula contains synogogues built by the Jews in
Balat and churches constructed by the Greeks in Fener. In recent times, migrants from the
east of Turkey have settled here, attracted by the vibrant Wednesday street market in Fatih
and the presence of two important Islamic pilgrimage sites: the tombs of Mehmet the Con-
queror and Ebu Eyüp el-Ensari.
