Explore the ancient beauty of Istanbul.

For more than a thousand years Istanbul was the western world's largest and most important city, from 330 when it became capital of the Eastern Roman Empire until the decline of the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century.

Topkapi Palace is the most popular attraction in the city, so you should put it on top of your list and get here early, before 9:00 a.m., to beat the crowds and long lines.

After residing in Topkapi Palace for four hundred years, the royal Sultanate built the new palace of Dolmabahce in 1842-1856 after deciding that Topkapi was wearing out and no longer met the standards fit for European royalty.

Hagia Sophia was not only the world¿s biggest church but the tallest, largest man-made enclosed space when it was constructed in 532-537AD for the Emperor Justinian.

More properly called Sultanahmet Mosque, the Blue Mosque is named for the blue ceramic tiles covering much of the interior.

This giant bazaar in the heart of the Old Town has 4,000 shops under one roof and a maze of 65 alleys connecting them all into a vast and disorienting conglomeration.

A rambling walk through busy shopping streets to the most of Suleyman the Magnificent, and then to the Spice Market.

Now it is time to reward yourself with the most pleasant out-of-town diversion -- a ferry ride on the Bosphorus, the strategic waterway that divides Asia and Europe.

People watching in Istanbul.