Hagia Sophia

9 hours in Istanbul

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April 24th 2008
We landed in Istanbul at 6:30 AM and our connection to New Delhi was not scheduled to board until 6:00 PM that night. Subtract the time to and from the Airport and we were left with about 9 hours to see Istanbul. We decided to first see the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. The Hagia Sophia was a Christian church for about one thousand years but was convert ... read more

Middle East » Turkey » Marmara » Istanbul

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Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopt... ... read more