Following my visit to Greece, I spent several more days in Istanbul to visit a local high school and learn about their Internet education program. Since this was my second trip to Istanbul, I revisited some of my favorite places and explore some new ones as well. (To learn about my first trip to Istanbul, visit my Anatolian Fortnight website.)

	Aya Sofya (Hagia Sofya), perhaps the most famous Byzantine church in the world.		Aya Sofya from the garden across the street.
	A giant chandelier hangs inside Aya Sofya, along with two of its famous Ottoman-era calligraphy.		The calligraphy was added when Aya Sofya was a mosque.
	Light shines through the semidomes of Aya Sofya's roof.		Interior of Aya Sofya.
	More of the interior.		The minarets of the Blue Mosque, seen through a window at Aya Sofya.
	Aya Sofya at night.		A traditional Ottoman wooden house, one of the few left standing in old Istanbul.
	Children playing in an Istanbul neighborhood.		Another quiet Istanbul neighborhood.
	Kids seem to hang out in all the window sills of Istanbul.		Istanbul's many bakeries have some of the freshest bread I've ever tasted.
	A rather boroque mosque in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighborhood.		The same mosque at night.
	Diners enjoying one of Ortakoy's many trendy restaurants.		The Hippodrome, once the city's racetrack, is now a peaceful park.
	A man sells simit -- giant sesame bagels, essentially -- in the Hippodrome.		A couple relaxes in a plaza not far from Aya Sofya.
	The Blue Mosque, adjacent to Aya Sofya.		The Blue Mosque is one of the most beautiful buildings in Istanbul.
	The Blue Mosque's main courtyard.		You can see the symmetry of the domes atop the mosque from the center of the plaza.
	A cafe not too far from the Blue Mosque.		The Blue Mosque at night.
	The Kapali Carsisi, or Covered Market, is Istanbul's most famous market.		Men crowd a teahouse between the covered market and the Beyazit Mosque.
	The remnants of a Byzantine palace on the outskirts of town.		The Chora Church, home to some of the best preserved Byzantine mosaics in the world.
	The interior arches of the church are all decorated with intricate mosaics.		Closeup of some of the mosaics.
	The ceiling of the Chora Church.		More mosaics.
	I managed to take these pictures without a flash by using a pint-sized tripod and half-second exposures.		Selim Cami, the Mosque of Selim the Grim.
	Two women admiring the view from the mosque.		Men prepare to enter Fateh Cami, the Mosque of Mehmet the Conqueror, for mid-day prayers.
	The interior of Fateh Mosque.		Mehmet's tomb, adjacent to the mosque.
	Men perform ceremonial ablutions before entering the mosque for prayers.		An orange tabby eyes the wares of a local fishmonger.
	One of Istanbul's many Ottoman graveyards.		Classic Ottoman tombstones.
	Topkapi Palace, home to generations of Ottoman sultans.		One of Topkapi's courtyards.
	Interior of the Sultan's Harem, inside Topkapi Palace.		Topkapi's tower soars above the harem.
	The Sultan's divan.		The mosque of Suleiman the Lawgiver, seen from a ferry crossing the Bosphorus.
	Seagulls followed the ferry as we crossed from Europe to Asia.		A market in Kadikoy, on the Asian side of the city.
	Kadikoy Anatolian High School, which I visited during my stay.		Students using the Internet at the high school.
	The high school was one of the first in Istanbul to go online.		A busy Istanbul street one afternoon.
	A shopper makes a purchase inside the Spice Bazaar.		Spices for sale at the bazaar.
	Princely tombs. When a prince became a sultan, he often executed his brothers to secure the throne.		A sultan's tomb.

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