DESCRIPTION Istanbul, a fascinating city built on two Continents, divided by the Bosphorus. This is one of the greatest cities in the world where you can see a modern western city combined with a traditional eastern city, it’s a melting pot of many civilizations and different people. Istanbul was also announced by the European Union as the 2010 European Capital of Culture. From the foundation of Byzantium in the 7th century BC until today, Istanbul held always an important role in the history of humanity in this part of the world. Everybody wanted to gain control of this area because of its strategic location; Empires were born here on the ashes of previous ones. Since the Republic in 1923, Istanbul continued to grow and today it boosted its population over 14 million people living in this spread out city. This makes Istanbul the crowded city of Turkey and one of the biggest Metropol in the world. Many of Istanbul’s historical gems, mostly consisting of Byzantine and Ottoman-built monuments are within the Old City. Most are located a short walk away from, if not immediately on the edges of, Sultanahmet Square. Some other sights are dispersed throughout the peninsula. Most museums in Istanbul are closed on Mondays, so checking the website first or ringing is a sensible option before setting off. ITINERARY Little Hagia Sophia Mosque : Little Hagia Sophia (Küçük Ayasofya Camii), former Greek Orthodox church during the Byzantine period, currently functions as a mosque. Closed: St. Sophia on Monday / Replaced with Underground Cistern Grand Covered Bazaar on Sunday Closed: Topkapı palace on Tuesday / Replaced with Underground Cistern.