If you’re looking for Constantinople, onetime capital of the Roman Empire, this Turkish goliath may not be the place to start.

As you enter the vast modern city of Istanbul (14 million people and still growing) from Attaturk airport, the history you pass through spans millennia.

You will likely arrive via the main highway, and see to your right the Sea of Marmara, one of the most trafficked pieces of water anywhere, with freighters constantly cruising between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and Russian points beyond. The ships are enormous, monuments to the modern age.

And on your left? Well, to your left is a slightly different vision.

The failed walls of ancient Constantinople stretch forever in alternating layers of reddish brick and grayish stone, lining the highway. The battlements (yes, battlements) that run along the top, like the walls themselves, are in such unsullied condition, you’re sure you'll catch a glimpse of a medieval soldier, perhaps a Norman mercenary, carrying a spear and staring down on you suspiciously. Are you part of another wave in the thousand-year-old invasion of barbarians into this sacred city?

Yes, you are.

But the plunder you’re seeking is more likely to be a few snapshots and a Turkish carpet than gold plates and a few slaves.

Even today, you’ll find Istanbul to be well defended. At least in the sense that the best defense is a good offense. And, if you believe nothing else in this article, believe that the merchants of Istanbul are on the offensive.

As you move to see Istanbul's sights, on every street you walk down, every alley you hazard, every byway you pass through, there will be a man with a plan waiting for you. Grabbing strangers off the street and "helping" them to a hotel, a travel agent, a bar, a restaurant, a shoeshine, a carpet, is exclusively the work of men in Istanbul.

Be particularly careful of the shoeshine boys and men. They are not above grabbing a passing ankle, and putting your foot on their portable stand. Sneakers are no deterrent. Experience shows that your shoes are unlikely to look any shinier, and your wallet will definitely be lighter, if you fall into their clutches.

OK, you’ve made it through the gauntlet of pitchmen. Where are you walking to? What’s on the must-see list for medieval and classical Istanbul?

Haghia Sophia

To journey back about as far as you’re likely to get, head first to Haghia Sophia (Church of Divine Wisdom), commissioned by Byzantium’s last Latin-speaking emperor, Justinian, and completed in 537.

The building stands as a 1,500-year-old monument to both religious belief and self-aggrandizement. The dome is by far the largest of the ancient world, and many of the mosaics inside are arguably the most beautiful.

Pay 10 lira (the Turkish currency, at about 1.3 lira to the dollar) to enter. What was a church, and then a mosque under Ottoman rule, is now a museum. The grounds Haghia Sofia sits on are littered with scraps of stone carved more than a millennia before. If you’re visiting in spring, stop and smell the tulips, which blanket much of the city and make a glorious entryway to the museum.

Once inside, the sun finally out of your eyes, the first thing that catches your attention isn’t what you see, it’s what you smell. It’s the smell of eternity. A light touch of all the worshippers to ever pass through the doors, a reminiscence of every candle ever lit with a prayer, and dust layered on dust, with a hint of mold beneath.

Keep tilting back your head and, eventually, your eyes will catch the crown of the dome, a million miles above your insignificant head.

Huge discs in green marked with golden Arabic letters hang equally spaced from four points around the basilica’s mezzanine. They were added by the Ottomans after the city was taken in 1453, and bear the names of Allah, Mohammed, the Prophet’s grandsons, and the caliphs who followed him. You can’t miss them, but you also can’t miss an enormous golden mosaic of the Virgin Mary, with Jesus sitting on her lap offering a blessing to all below. It glows from an apse at the far end of the Haghia Sophia from where you walk in.

The "infant" Jesus depicted in the mosaic looks older than any baby you’re likely to see, with features wizened to show his wisdom.

Light streams in from the many windows built into every wall, but the glass is clear, rather than stained. The high altar is long gone, but there is an Islamic pulpit or minbar, a wooden staircase leading to what looks like a small room with a conical hat as a roof.

Instead of a staircase, a switch-backed ramp leads to the mezzanine. Walking it feels very much like you’re in some kind of grotto.

Reach the top and light once again greets you. From the mezzanine, visitors are afforded a much closer view of the Virgin and Child mosaic, as well as an incredible depiction of the angel Gabriel. Also on the mezzanine is a gorgeously carved marble door, perhaps 7 feet high, dividing a long corridor.

And beyond that door?

Turn to your right and you’ll be confronted by a nearly transcendent beauty. A mosaic, swathed in gold, but with lines of each figure’s face picked out so carefully, so clearly, emotions leap from the wall. Pictured in the mosaic are the Virgin, Jesus and John the Baptist. Take a few minutes to stand in front of it, your jaw dangling loosely from your head.

The balcony also offers stunning views of the floor far below, much of it cloaked in shadow.

Even in high-tourist season, there is a certain quiet in the church. You feel it with your pores. The only thing that could truly disturb this place would be an earthquake, and it has even stood up to more than its fair share of those.

Basilica Cistern

From the Haghia Sophia, it’s a short walk over to the Basilica Cistern, also built by Justinian. The cistern is a huge underground chamber supported by hundreds of columns, artfully lit to create a hushed and somewhat creepy atmosphere. Pay your 10 lira and climb down the stairs.

The cistern still contains water, but the space itself isn’t particularly damp or clammy. Follow the elevated path that snakes through the forest of columns until you reach the very back of the hall. Down a few more stairs and you’ll confront Medusa. Thankfully, she’s no longer able to turn anyone to stone with a glance, being made of stone herself. Alternating red/pink and green lights give her an ever-shifting, slightly nauseating countenance.

The Basilica Cistern is a favorite for Turkish class trips, so if you don’t enjoy the echoing sounds of children, you’ll have to plan your visit carefully.

The Hippodrome

The first thing you’ll notice about the Hippodrome, where the Byzantines held their all-important chariot races, is that it doesn’t exist. In fact, it hasn’t existed for hundreds of years. Aside from a couple of obelisks, nothing on the site suggests that the Hippodrome ever existed.

Political factions in Constantinople were closely linked to the different chariot teams, the most important of which were the Blues and Greens. Riots between the teams’ supporters killed thousands and threatened to bring down the entire empire more than once.

Today, instead of a horse track of any kind, what you’ll see is a lovely public park, with paths tracing their way through manicured gardens. During the day, men in traditional Ottoman clothing walk around with samovars strapped to their backs and small plastic cups for tea on their fronts. The park is surrounded by shops and cafés, and behind it stands the famous Blue Mosque.

Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque is not blue, at least not on the outside. There are supposed to be blue tiles embedded above the second floor, but they are hard to see from the ground, which is where tourists stand or sit inside the mosque.

Unlike Haghia Sophia, the Blue Mosque (built in the early 1600s) is still used as a mosque by worshippers today. Tourists are not allowed to enter the mosque during prayers, which are held, in accordance with Islamic tradition, five times a day.

Before entering this mosque, or any mosque, you must first remove your shoes. The floor of the mosque is carpeted, and, unfortunately, the whole place smells more than a bit like feet. It’s not enough to stop you from gawking at the wonders inside.

Beautifully patterned stained-glass windows surround the visitor on all sides. Many of the panes are actually blue; their overall effect inspires awe. The biggest of men is brought into perspective in such a space.

Topkapi Palace

A walk of just a few blocks takes you from the sacred to the secular. From wondrous monuments to divine power to something a little more temporal and sensuous: Topkapi Palace, home of generations of Sultans.

This palace complex is within walking distance from anywhere you may choose to stay in Sultanahmet, and is hidden behind a somewhat forbidding wall.

This first wall surrounds a garden with lovely paths and views of the Sea of Marmara. Pass through the garden, and eventually you reach another gate. This inner gate leads into the palace complex itself.

Probably the No. 1 tourist draw in the city, Topkapi is almost always swarming with visitors. it's almost impossible to find a time to visit Topkapi without the hordes. The harem, where the Sultans lived their private lives with their womenfolk, can only be visited as part of a guided tour, which fill up quickly. If you want to sign up for one, arrive as early in the day as you can.

Topkapi is more than just the harem, though. Also on display, in what used to be the treasure houses, is an incredible collection of gems and gold. Emeralds as big as fists are set into gleaming silver settings and surrounded by waves of diamonds. True wealth beyond the dreams of avarice.

Almost as beautiful as the diadems and sword hilts is the view out over the Bosphorus. Sultans kept what is one of the most glorious observation points in the world for themselves. Look right and see Asia, look left and see Europe. The old flag of the Ottoman Empire held three crescents, representing the three continents to which it laid claim. This view reminds the visitor the flag was no idle boast.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for Byzantium and the magic of the lost Eastern Roman Empire, you won’t quite find them in Istanbul. The Byzantines have long since sailed into history. You may find their walls, and even the greatest monument to their faith, but, unlike Rome, the continuity of the city has been shattered.

Still, to hold that against such a great modern city would be foolish. Istanbul is clearly a place of dreams for the Turkish people, as many stream in from the countryside, looking for economic opportunity. Interestingly, there are no obvious signs of the chaos found in places like Cairo and elsewhere that are suffering the same pressures. Turkey’s economy is growing, and most of the people you’ll meet on the streets of Istanbul are looking steadily Westward. Talk often comes back to the European Union and how important it is for Turkey to be invited in.

Already, Istanbul, with its stylishly dressed women and sexy billboards has much of the flavor of a European city. But a European city with a uniquely Eastern flare.