Topkapi Palace

This is an extraordinary complex of buildings that extends over one of Istanbul's seven hills in a splendid position. The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments and is a major tourist attraction today, containing the most holy relics of the Muslim world such as the prophet Muhammed's cloak and sword. Topkapı Palace is among those monuments belonging to the "Historic Areas of Istanbul", which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and is described in Criterion iv as "the best example of ensembles of palaces of the Ottoman period.

Suleymaniye Mosque

Designed by the Ottoman Empire's greatest architect, Mimar Sinan, the Süleymaniye dominates the city's Third Hill, just north of Istanbul University, overlooking the Golden Horn.