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NEW FACES TRAVEL
The Caravan Palace arranged a private guide for Natalie and me, to give us a personalized tour of Istanbul. They used New Faces Travel, which is a reputable tour operator that's been in business for over 15 years and is recommended by a lot of travel authorities including Andrew Harper. New Faces conducts tours not only in all corners of Turkey but also in Turkey's neighboring countries and they specialize in incentive travel, study tours, biblical tours, custom made tours, blue cruises and shore excursions for cruise passengers.

OUR TOUR GUIDE
We used New Faces twice: once in Istanbul and once in Kusadasi (I'll take you there next week) and both of our guides were exceptional. After hearing their recommendations, we told them both exactly what we wanted to see and do in an eight-hour time frame and they both got it done. Our guide in Istanbul was Askin Devrim Aydin. He's a Turkish American who splits his time between both countries and has toured many high profile Americans around, including Hillary Clinton and Madeline Albright. I've had a ton of tour guides during my travels and Askin rates right at the top and Natalie concurred. What's nice about New Faces' travel guides is that they don't charge per person but per tour and it's much more reasonable than you would expect. And let me tell you: There's nothing like having a local historian and a driver show you around in a comfortable, air-conditioned van. It takes away all your worries. For more information, contact New Faces Travel at info@newfacestravel.com.

BUY A GUIDEBOOK
Turkey's history is long, varied and fascinating. From its ancient roots to its modern-day place as a growing tourist destination, Turkey is an intriguing part of the world to visit. Of course, I'm not going to be able to go into full detail about this country's ancient history, so my best advice is to either hire a tour guide and/or get a guidebook. I used Frommer's Istanbul.



WHAT TO SEE
Natalie and I wanted to see the major sights like the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market and we definitely wanted to take a ferry to Asia. We did all that and more.

HIPPODROME
Our first stop was Sultan Ahmet Square, which is also known as the Hippodrome of Constantinople. During the Byzantine Empire, this was a Roman Circus and the social center of the city. Today, there are three main structures standing - the Walled Obelisk, Thutmosis' Obelisk and the Serpent Column. The two obelisks are made of rare pink granite and they were erected around 1490 BC by the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III to commemorate the victories of his forces in Mesopotamia. The Thutmosis' Obelisk is the tallest of the three as it stands 25.60 meters (84 feet) high. The Serpent Column, which used to be known as the Tripod of Plataea, was brought over by Constantine The Great in 324 from Delphi to celebrate the victory of the Greeks over the Persians during the Persian Wars. The serpent heads are no longer attached but you can find one of them at the nearby Istanbul Archaeology Museums.

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES
All the main historic sights are in the old city and are within walking distance of each other. In fact, the area has been billed as the Historic Areas of Istanbul and it's so impressive that the whole place became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

BLUE MOSQUE
Our second stop was at the Blue Mosque, which is grand in both its architecture and its size. The mosque was built between 1609 and 1616 and is the city's most sacred place of worship. The real name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque but its English nickname was brought about from a tourist who commented on the mosque's more than 21,000 handmade cobalt blue ceramic tiles that decorate the interior's 141-foot (43-meter) high domes. It can hold up to 10,000 people and it's closed for a couple hours during Friday prayer. There is no entrance fee but visitors (especially woman) must have their shoulders and knees covered; they supply wraps at no charge. Also as a sign of respect shoes must be removed before entering.

HAGIA SOFIA
Right next door – maybe a 300-yard walk – is the Hagia Sofia; the Greek name translates to Sacred Wisdom. This beautiful basilica was built around 537, then turned into a mosque in 1453, then turned into a museum in 1935. It has been built three times. The first structure was made of wood, the second sandstone and marble and the third brick. Askin said it symbolizes the fall of Constantinople and Christianity, the end of the Roman era and the beginning of the Ottoman Empire.

THE BUILDING
The main entrance of the church makes people entering face east towards Mecca. The structure is said to epitomize Byzantine architecture. Inside it's dark and beautiful with Islamic calligraphic roundels, marble floors and imposing archways. Some of the marble colors are extremely rare, found in nearby mines. Visitors can tour both levels of the museum. To get to the upper gallery, there's a ramp, not stairs because it was easier (smoother) for the slaves to carry the ruler and to cart construction materials.

CHRISTIAN MOSAICS
There are many Christian mosaics. The largest and most beautiful one is on one of the domes inside. It's of the Virgin Mary and child. But just before exiting, you'll be sure to find a crowd admiring the 10th century mosaic of the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus in her lap. On both sides of her is Emperor Constantine. On one side he is offering a small model of the city and on the other he is offering the model of the Hagia Sophia. I'll let you figure out what it signifies.

OBAMA IN TURKEY
By the way, President Obama toured Hagia Sofia back in April on his first overseas trip. I'm sure (or rather, hope) he didn't have to pay the 20 TL entrance fee. Actually, we didn't either since New Faces takes care of all the entrance fees in advance, which in turn makes your tour that much sweeter and smoother since you don't have to wait in any long lines. For more about Hagia Sophia, see HagiaSophia.com.

TURKISH & GREEK RELATIONS
When we were exiting Hagia Sophia, I noticed a large tour group of Greeks. I thought that was weird because my understanding was that the Greeks and Turks didn't get along. When I asked Askin about it, he said that's no longer true. The big breakthrough happened when Istanbul was hit by a major earthquake (7.6 on the Richter Scale) in 1999. The Greeks were the first to provide aid to their neighbor. A few weeks later, Athens was hit by an earthquake (registering at 6.0) and … that's right … the Turks were the first to arrive on the scene and help. Perhaps there is a chance for world peace.

TOPKAPI PALACE
A short walk from Hagia Sophia is the Topkapi Palace, which is full of examples of Ottoman architecture. Just to refresh your memory, The Ottomans reigned in Turkey for 600 years. For almost 400 of those years (1465 to 1853), the Ottoman Sultans lived in The Topkapi Palace. Sultan Mehmed II ordered construction to begin in 1459 but it took years to build. There are hundreds of rooms and chambers and it has four main courtyards. But towards the end of the 17th century, the palace gradually lost its importance as the Sultans preferred to spend more time in their newer palaces along the Bosphorus (including The Ciragan Palace, where Natalie and I stayed). In 1924, three years after the Ottoman Empire fell, the Palace was transformed into a museum of the imperial era.

VISITING TOPKAPI PALACE
Just outside near the ticket booth (entrance fee: 20 TL) is the spot where the soldiers would cut the heads off of anyone who disobeyed the law, so the place has an eerie feeling about it, especially near the former fountain where the soldiers would wash the blood off their swords. The entrance goes through the first and largest courtyard of Topkapi Palace. Today, the palace contains large collections of weapons, shields, armor, porcelain, robes, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts, murals and jewelry. Some of the highlights include emeralds and the prophet Mohammed's cloak and sword, which some say are the most holy relics of the Muslim world. The views from up there are amazing and they even have an outdoor café.

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