Facing St. Sophia stands the supremely elegant, six minareted imperial Sultan Ahmet Mosque. Built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Mehmet, the building is more familiarly known as the Blue Mosque because its interior gleams with a magnificent panelling of blue and white Iznik tiles.

Built in the mid-19th century by Sultan Abdül Mecit I, the facade of Dolmabahçe Palace stretches for 600 meters on the European shores of the Bosphorus. The vast reception salon, with 56 columns and a huge crystal chandelier weighing four and a half tons and lit by 750 lights- a gift of Queen Victoria- never fails to astonish visitors. At one time, birds from all over the world were kept in the Bird Pavilion for the delight of the palace's privileged residents. Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, died in Dolmabahçe on the tenth of November, 1938.

The llth century church of St. Savior in Chora, called the Kariye Museum, remains in its 14th century form and is after St. Sophia the most important Byzantine monument in Istanbul. Though unremarkable in its architecture, the interior walls are decorated with moving 14th century frescoes and mosaics. Illustrating scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, these brilliantly colored artworks convey the vigor of Byzantine art.

Rumeli Hisari, or the European Fortress, was built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 prior to his capture of Istanbul. Completed in only four months, it is one of the most stunning works of military architecture in the world. The museum-fortress is used today as an open air theater and is also a favorite weekend picnicking location.

The Galata Tower, a Genoese construction of 1348, rises 62 meters (204 feet) high above the Golden Horn. Its summit reveals a marvelous panorama of the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the silhouette of the city.

The Prince Islands, an archipelago of nine islands in the Sea of Marmara, were places of exile for Byzantine princes. Today, during the summer months, Istanbul's wealthy escape to their cool sea breezes, clear water and elegant turn of the century houses. Büyükada is the largest of the islands. Here horse-drawn phaetons (carriages) meander among the pine trees, and residents relax on beaches in the numerous coves that ring the island. Other popular islands are Kinali, Burgaz and Heybeli. Regular ferry boats connect the islands with both the European and Asian shores.

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