Salute to ISTANBEAUT Turkey’s metropolis awash with delights

Turkish tea or coffee like a mufti. Other good hotel choices, with a hamam in the spa for around £40, are the Wyndham Grand Levent or Ramada Istanbul Golden horn.

At the top of Istanbul’s must-sees are two immense domed buildings, both breathtaking – the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.

With one of the largest church domes in the world, after Rome, London and Florence, the Hagia Sophia began as a gigantic place of Christian worship built by a Roman emperor’s Greek scientists.

The fabulous building became a mosque under the Ottoman Turks after 1453.Today it is a museum.

Delicate mosaics in gold leaf that show Christ and the Virgin Mary are preserved near giant leather shields with the names of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic script. All the locals I talked to value their thriving city’s heritage of diversity and multi-culturalism.

Five minutes’ walk from the Hagia Sophia is the magnificent Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque. If you like a tile, as I do, you will be blown away.

The great arches and the main dome, plus the four domes around it and the 12 outer domes are decorated, on the inside, with more than 24,000 hand-crafted tiles in geometric and floral designs.

Tile gapers in Istanbul should also visit the Topkapi Palace for more monumental glories.

Those who prefer gold, silver and shimmering glass will love the Dolmabahçe Palace, whose ornate main hall has the world’s biggest Bohemian crystal chandelier.

Stand beneath it, think of Del Boy and imagine how it would make your obituary much more entertaining.

Another beauty is the Bulgarian St Stephen’s church with its dazzling gilded interior.

Talking of diversity, the Bosphorus Brewing Company offers a delicious pale ale, a lager and a milk stout for around £4 a pint. For a night out with food, wine and music, the Kiva Bominti restaurant is hard to beat.

Now for shopping and Istanbul’s one and only – Grand Bazaar, the world’s first mall, opened in 1461.

It is the biggest covered market on the planet with more than 4,000 shops. Strolling around it is a laid-back pleasure because the stone floors, arches and domed ceilings make it light, airy and spacious.

And unlike in many other markets around the world, the sellers don’t harass you. This is Europe, after all. FACTFILE: Turkish Airlines flies returns Heathrow to Istanbul from £170. Hotel double rooms: Ramada Plaza Istanbul City Centre from £148 per night. Wyndham Grand Istanbul Levent from £140, Ramada Hotel and Suites Istanbul Golden Horn from £44. Ramada Encore Istanbul Bayrampasa from £40. See www. wyndhamhotels.com/en-uk/hotels/ istanbul-turkey. For food, drink and nights out see kivabominti.com and bosphorus-brewing.com.