Between Hagia Sophia and the palace wall there is a cobbled lane that most visitors walk past without noticing. Sogukcesme Street is two hundred metres of restored wooden houses, painted in ochre and dusty pink, with no cars and almost no sound.
The houses date from the nineteenth century and were built for people working at Topkapi. By the 1970s they were close to collapse; the restoration that saved them turned the street into one of the few places in Sultanahmet where you can hear your own footsteps.
It costs nothing and takes five minutes, but it is worth timing well: early morning or late afternoon, when the light is low and the street is empty. From Romance Istanbul Hotel it is a short walk on the way up to Topkapi.
Category:
History