Istanbul: Sultanahmet

The most important monumental buildings of the city are found in this section of old Istanbul. Ever since the Roman period, the imperial buildings and sanctuaries were situated there. Where Sultanahmet mosque (the "Blue Mosque") stands today, imperial palaces had stood, and Topkapi Palace stands atop the Roman Acropolis. The great cathedral Hagia Sophia of the Byzantine emperors still stands near Sultanahmet Mosque.Sultanahmet is the mosque only mosque in the world with six minarets. All these monuments remain in place, with the exception of the famed equestrian statues that once adorned the square and were later carried off by the Crusaders to Venice where they still stand in St. Mark's Cathedral Square