A day in port: Istanbul, Turkey for Cruisers

Port Diary: Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul
On assignment in Istanbul

Istanbul is one of those ports that makes history come to life. I had a chance to walk back in time to visit Istanbul’s Ottoman past and I also had a chance to enjoy some of the wonderful food and culture from the region.  Sadly my time in the city was limited to a full-day excursion, so getting to see everything (like visiting a Turkish bath) will have to wait until I return.

One of the challenges of being a cruise tourist is that my time in port is limited. Cruise passengers in town for a day or two (at the most if the ship overnights in port) will quickly realize that the largest city in the Republic of Turkey has a lot of top attractions. Below are some of the photos I took while on tour from my cruise on Princess Cruises getaway in the Med (read about that trip by clicking here).

Sultanahmet Mosque – Blue Mosque

Sultanahmet mosque
Sultanahmet mosque aka The Blue Mosque was built between 1609-1616.

Our guide quickly showed us how to tell an imperial mosque from a “regular” mosque, which dominate the Istanbul skyline. Imperial mosques have more minarets. The slim towers rising from mosques are used to announce the call to prayer.

 

Istanbul Sultan Ahmet mosque - the Blue Mosque
Istanbul Sultan Ahmet mosque – the Blue Mosque

Dress Code: For those cruise passengers that are going to the mosque, plan to wear modest clothes. Ladies are given coverings to drape over their shoulders. You can see in the photo below, that I brought my own.

Carrie - Cruise Buzz in Istanbul
The mosque provided the Cruise Jess with a blue head covering, mine is the yellow one.
Blue Mosque, Istanbul
Blue Mosque, Istanbul

 

Hagia Sophia – A Byzantine Cathedral (called Ayasofya in Turkish)

The name Hagia Sophia means sacred wisdom. The name changed to Ayasofya during the Turkish era.

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Haiga Sophia
Haiga Sophia
Haiga Sophia
A fresco inside Haiga Sophia
Haiga Sophia
Mosaic of the Pantocrator Christ inside Ayasofya – Haiga Sophia
Haiga Sophia
Haiga Sophia

 

Around Town

Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul

 

Have you been to Istanbul? Share some of the things that you did in the comments.

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