The fabled capital of three great empires - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman, Istanbul is steeped in almost 3,000 years of history. The greatest concentration of landmarks is found in Istanbul's oldest district, Sultanahmet, an awe-inspiring expanse of leafy parks, Byzantine cathedrals, Greek statuary, bustling bazaars and imposing mosques with towering, slender minarets.

A little history of the sights

City walls was built around 400AD by Emperor Theodosius II which is 6.5km(4miles) long. They exist of land walls and sea walls.The inner walls were 13m high,3-4m. thick and the outer walls were 8m. high and approximately 2m. thick and the height of 96 towers is ranging from 15 to 20m.10 gates lead into the city through walls.

Pier Loti Hill is magnificent view of Golden Horn and Istanbul. Famous French author Pierre Lotti (1850-1923) came to this place and wrote a lot of poems about Istanbul, the Golden Horn and the life in Harem.

Chora Church, the word "chora" means "outside the city, the countryside". Probably, a small church built here before the erection of the 5th century Roman city walls gave its name to the later churches built on the same site. The present-day edifice is dated to the llth-14th centuries. Besides its attractive exterior, the mosaics and frescoes inside are considered masterpieces of the Byzantine "renaissance". These decorations and the additions made in the 14th century were ordered by Theodore Metochites. Mosaic panels in the two narthexes at the entrance depict the lives of the Virgin and Christ in the chronological order described in the Bible. Religious subjects were depicted in the form of frescoes in the side chapel. Prominent church and court personalities also figure in these frescoes.

Underground Cisern, was known in Byzantium as "Basilica Cistern" because it lay beneath the Stoa Basilica, the great public square on the First Hill. The Basilica Cistern was built by Justinian I after the bloody Nika Revolt in 532, probably as an enlargement of an earlier cistern which was constructed by Constantine the Great. During the Byzantium Period, it was used as a reservoir for water storage for the Great Palace and other buildings in the First Hill. During the Ottoman Period, the water was used for Topkapi Palace and watering the gardens of it. However the cistern had its brighest days during the Byzantium Period.