Explore Sultanahmet

From the Byzantine hippodrome to today — the 2,000-year-old historic heart of Istanbul.

A 17th-century masterpiece with six minarets, its interior lined with more than 21,000 Iznik tiles.

A 1,500-year-old World Heritage site — a masterpiece that has been basilica, mosque and museum.

The magnificent palace and museum where the Ottoman sultans lived for 400 years.

An underground reservoir of 336 columns — the mysterious subterranean world of Byzantium.

One of the world's richest archaeological collections — three museums in one complex.

The ornate neo-Byzantine fountain on Sultanahmet Square — a gift from Germany.

Byzantium's chariot-racing arena for 100,000 — the greatest sporting ground of its age.

A 3,500-year-old Egyptian obelisk — the oldest monument in Istanbul.

A bronze column from 479 BC — a monument to the Greek victory over the Persians.

The Byzantine masonry obelisk — at the southern end of the hippodrome.

The green lungs of the historic peninsula — plane trees, rose gardens and Bosphorus views.

The world's oldest and largest covered market — 4,000+ shops, 61 streets.

The small, quiet bazaar behind the Blue Mosque — handicrafts and mosaics.

A 6th-century church built for Justinian I — small, charming and quiet.

A 16th-century Ottoman madrasa — today craft workshops and a tea garden.

The floor of the Byzantine imperial palace — early Byzantine mosaics beneath the Arasta.