Updated 2025

In November I flew from Singapore to Cairo on Turkish Airlines, with a layover in Istanbul. I booked a later flight so I could tour the city. A perk of flying with Turkish Airlines is they offer half-day and full-day tours for their transiting passengers with layovers between six and twenty-four hours.

Leaving Singapore on the 11:35 PM red-eye flight, I landed the next day before 6 AM in Istanbul. My flight to Cairo wasn’t until almost 6 PM that night so I signed up for the morning half-day tour. This included both breakfast and lunch and a tour of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. The airline arranged everything for us, including the entry tickets. 100% complimentary.

Even though I slept well on the plane, I was still groggy when I landed. With my luggage checked all the way through to Cairo, I only had my hand luggage with me. So that was easy. After I landed and used the bathroom, it was not immediately obvious where to go or what to do for the tours. I was not alone. Soon, more and more people gathered for our 8:30 AM meetup.

Left: The Blue Mosque and right: Hagia Sophia

Constantinople

In school, we were taught ancient history, which included the rise and fall of empires. Constantinople was the capital of the Ottoman Empire and its history has been fascinating, even the version we’ve been taught.

Is Constantinople Istanbul?

Istanbul dates back to the 7th century BCE as Byzantium. The Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great, first renamed Nova Roma (New Rome) in 330 CE as the new imperial capital before Constantinople (after himself). For nearly 1,600 years, it remained the capital through four empires (330 – 1922). Aside from its role in religion, history, and culture, Constantinople was also important as part of the Silk Road. Going back to the Han Dynasty in the second century BCE, the Silk Road developed over centuries into a complex network of trading routes that connected Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. It flourished as commerce for more than silk, and more than commerce, bringing ideas, religion, ideas, and cultures.

The name Istanbul, which means “going to the city” in ancient Greek, has been used since the 11th century and became the official name in 1930. By then Turkey’s capital had already moved to Ankara for around seven years.

While the names were used interchangeably in the Ottoman times, I read that they are not the same and that Istanbul included Constantinople.

Sultanahmet Square

Sultanahmet Square is the centre of Istanbul and once the location of Hippodrome of Constantinople. They held sporting events such as horse racing here. A u-shaped arena already existed when Istanbul was known as Byzantium.

The square was our first stop after breakfast. It was a sunny morning and it felt great to stretch my legs and watch the kids running around.

Obelisk of Theodosius

The Obelisk of Theodosius was erected by Pharoah Thutmose III (1479-1425 BC) at the Temple of Karnak. Emperor Constantius II (337-361 AD) moved the obelisk to Alexandria by water as a self-celebration of his twenty years on the throne. From 357 to 390, Alexandria was where the obelisk stood, until Theodosius I (379-395 AD) had it moved to its current location.

Hagia Sophia

In the 6th-century Hagia Sophia (532–537) was built by Byzantine emperor Justinian I as a cathedral for the Eastern Orthodox Church. Originally called Church of God’s Holy Wisdom, it was the third church in its location. Until the Seville Cathedral was completed in 1507, Hagia Sophia was the largest in the world for nearly a thousand years.

In 1453, with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque. The Church of the Holy Apostles became Constantinople’s cathedral. In 1935, after being closed for several years, Hagia Sophia opened as a museum. That status was revoked and it is once again a mosque.

As a mosque, Hagia Sophia is opened the whole day. For tourists, the hours are limited to 9 AM to 8:30 PM. It’s closed on Fridays between 12 Noon and 2 PM. Note that admission is suspended during prayer time. From Sultanahmet Square, Hagia Sophia is just a short walk. The best hours to visit are early in the morning, when it first opens.

Also as a mosque, the lower floor, where prayers take place, is off-limits to non-worshippers. When I went it was prior to 2020, when it reverted back from a museum to a mosque, so our group was able to roam freely on both floors. I was also able to view the Christian iconography which now appears to be hidden by a screen/cloth while work is being done. Even when it was a museum, we also ensured shoulders and knees were covered and I had a scarf to cover my head as well. (As the Blue Mosque is a mosque and conservative clothing was required, I just did it for both.)Now it is a requirement.

There is also an entrance fee (26 euros) for tourists above age 8, with separate entrances for visitors and worshippers (Muslim Turkish).

Blue Mosque

The vision for the Blue Mosque was grand, one to outshine the Hagia Sophia nearby. Its construction took eight years, finishing in 1617. The Sultanahmet Mosque became the first mosque to have six minarets, a controversy at the time as Mecca had six, to which Sultan Ahmet commissioned and added a seventh.

It becomes clear why it’s called the Blue Mosque when we enter inside, which is illuminated by the light coming through 200 stained glass windows and the massive chandeliers. The interiors are decorated by blue ceramic tiles that come from Turkey’s Iznik region.

Here is an article about the Blue Mosque by Architectural Digest.