Istanbul Photos -- National Geographic's Ultimate City Guides

Blue Mosque
Photograph by Giovanni Simeone/SIME-4Corners
The fluted minarets and domes of Istanbul's commanding Sultanahmet Mosque, more commonly known as the Blue Mosque, overlook the Sea of Marmara.
Whirling Dervishes
Photograph by Phil Weymouth/Getty Images
White-robed dervishes, members of the Sufi Muslim religious order, demonstrate their hallmark "ecstatic whirling" in Istanbul's Galata Mevlevihanesi, or Galata Whirling Dervish Hall.
Grand Bazaar
Photograph by Giovanni Simeone/SIME-4Corners
Tiled arches and other decorative touches distinguish Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, famous for its hundreds of shops selling everything from carpets to gold jewelry to soccer shirts.
Belly Dancer
Photograph by Giovanni Simeone/SIME-4Corners
A blur of motion, a Turkish belly dancer performs at one of many dance venues in Istanbul.
Çemberlitas Baths
Photograph by Giovanni Simeone/SIME-4Corners
Luxuriating in the warmth of a heated stone platform, a patron at the Çemberlitas Bath, built by the famed architect Sinan in the 1500s, indulges in a time-honored Turkish tradition.
Pouring Water at the Çemberlitas Baths
Photograph by Giovanni Simeone/SIME-4Corners
Bracing himself, a patron at the marble-walled Çemberlitas Bath enjoys a personal cleansing.
Candy Shop
Photograph by Giovanni Simeone/SIME-4Corners
Sweet treats: Flavored Turkish delight, hard candies, and savory almond pastes are just some of the highlights at family-owned Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir Confectioners, which began making its popular delicacies in 1777.
Cherry Juice Vendors
Photograph by Giovanni Simeone/SIME-4Corners
Resplendently attired juice vendors demonstrate pouring techniques near Istanbul's Hagia Sophia mosque (in background).
Grand Bazaar Vendor
Photograph by Giovanni Simeone/SIME-4Corners
A produce vendor arranges his wares at Istanbul's Grand Bazaar while two men wash up at a city fountain.
Sultan Ahmet Mosque
Photograph by Giovanni Simeone/SIME-4Corners
Sunset-gilded Sultan Ahmet Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque because of the many bluish tiles that decorate its interior, boasts no fewer than 30 domes.