Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque exterior

The Blue Mosque was built to surpass Hagia Sophia. I think it succeeded.

Hagia Sophia

interior detail

Hagia Sophia is one of the oldest structures we’ve been in. It’s beautiful but didn’t live up to the hype.

Topkapi Palace

domed ceiling details

We visited the palace and the harem, which is extra. We found the harem portion the most interesting and well worth the extra admission fee.

Istanbul

Blue Mosque at night

We enjoyed what little we saw of Istanbul in our 3 nights here and would like to come back when we have more time.