Aprawling mettopolis wherg historical and modern times mtersect séamlessly. JACQUELINE WONG Many of the historical gems are found in the Old City, with most located within walking distance of each other in the Sultanahmet District. The Hagia Sophia was originally designed as basilica, but became mosque in the 15th century.
Opposite it is the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, or more popularly known as the Blue Mosque, for the blue tiles decorating its interior. From there, it’s just short walk to the Hippodrome and the Basilica Cistern, as well as the Topkap! Palace.
One of the unique things you can do in Istanbul is to have breakfast in Europe with the view of the sunrise coming up from Asia, then later in the
day, have tea or dinner in Asia with the view of the sunset in Europe.
SHOP For fine carpets, jewellery and antiques, head to Nuruosmaniye Caddesi, pedestrian boulevard that leads up to the Grand Bazaar.
Along the way, tuck into local desserts, like Turkish delights, nougat
and baklava through the many stalls that dot the street.
STAY Built as bank, Vault Karakéy hotel oozes discreet exclusivity with modern twist. Located in one of Istanbul’s artsy neighbourhoods, it’s great launch pad to discover the densely packed city. It’s got spa, plenty of elegant decor and an in-house art curator, but you’ll still find traces of bank vaults (hence the name).
Royal Brunei Airlines flies Dubai daily forcodeshare connections to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.
Source: MUHIBAH, the Royal Brunei Airlines in-flight magazine, 2016 May-Jun, pages 62-63. Text recovered from the scanned page by OCR and lightly corrected; spelling may differ from the printed edition.
