Istanbul Old City

The Old City of Istanbul (Turkish: Eski İstanbul, also Tarihi Yarımada and Suriçi, “Historical Peninsula,” and “Walled City,” respectively) is the oldest part of Istanbul and the location of most of its historical sights.

The oldest part of Istanbul is bound between the Golden Horn harbor, the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the old city walls to the West of what used to be called Constantinople.

Istanbul, or Byzantium as it was called then, was first settled by Greek colonists from Megara in the Greek mainland in 667 BC. They founded their city at Seraglio Point (Sarayburnu), which Topkapı Palace now occupies. However, recent discoveries in a metro construction site in Yenikapı (on the southern coast of the peninsula) dates the first date of Istanbul’s settlement to about 8000 years ago, making the city one of the oldest still-inhabited spots of the world.

This peninsula was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. The Sultanahmet neighborhood showcases the historical timeline of Istanbul, named the old city