Hippodrome Square, today known as Sultanahmet Square, is a historic open plaza in the heart of Istanbul that occupies the site of the ancient Hippodrome of Constantinople, once the main arena for chariot races and imperial ceremonies of the Byzantine Empire. Now a public square, it is lined with notable monuments such as the Obelisk of Theodosius and the Serpent Column and sits between major landmarks like the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, making it a central stop in Istanbul’s old city.

Hagia Sophia is a monumental Byzantine building in Istanbul that began as a 6th‑century cathedral, later became an Ottoman imperial mosque, then a museum, and since 2020 functions again as a mosque. Renowned for its massive central dome and rich Christian mosaics alongside Islamic calligraphy and minarets, it is considered one of the most important works of Byzantine architecture and a symbol of Istanbul’s layered religious and imperial history.

The Blue Mosque, officially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is a 17th‑century Ottoman imperial mosque in Istanbul, famous for its cascading domes, six minarets, and an interior lined with tens of thousands of blue Iznik tiles that give it its popular name. Located in the Sultanahmet district facing Hagia Sophia and near the old Hippodrome, it remains both an active place of worship and one of Istanbul’s most iconic historic landmarks.

Topkapi Palace is a vast palace complex in Istanbul that served for about four centuries as the main residence and administrative center of the Ottoman sultans and now functions as a museum housing imperial treasures, manuscripts, and holy relics. Built in the late 15th century under Sultan Mehmed II and expanded over time into four main courtyards and numerous buildings including the famous harem, it stands on a hill overlooking the Bosphorus and forms part of Istanbul’s UNESCO-listed historic peninsula.

The Grand Bazaar, or Kapalıçarşı, is a huge historic covered market in Istanbul and is often considered one of the oldest and largest bazaars in the world, with around 60–65 covered streets and roughly 4,000 shops forming a dense shopping labyrinth. Founded in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, it sits in the Fatih/Beyazıt area and attracts large numbers of visitors daily who come for carpets, jewelry, textiles, spices, souvenirs, and traditional crafts in a lively, atmospheric setting.