The Old Town – Istanbul

The Old Town is the historical settlement which has been called Byzantium, or at other times, New or Second Rome, Constantinopolis or simply “Polis” – the City.  It is spread along the seven hills of a triangular promontory which is encircled by 22 km of city walls.  The walls along the Marmara and the Golden Horn were mostly destroyed over the ages, but the main walls on the land-ward side are still standing in relatively good condition.  The wide western side of the triangular peninsula is bound by the land walls whereas the other two sides are bound by the sea walls.  The walls and embankments of the Topkapi Palace form the apex to the east.  

To get to the Egyptian Market from the Grand Bazaar, we walked through the chaotic Old Town where the real market is.  All manner of goods are sold here for the local consumption, including shoes, bread or bridal gowns.  We had to get to the Spice Market in a hurry and walked through the Old Town quite quickly.  It would have been nice to have had the time to stroll and look more closely at all the goods and shops.

This guy selling Turkish and other flags was really colorful and certainly caught our attention.

Helen