Your first day in Istanbul will “wow” you at every turn with possibly more attractions than there are minarets. It's the living history on the Europe side of the city that you'll be focusing on today.
Originally built as an Orthodox Christian cathedral by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, it's been rebuilt many times and has changed hands between the Romans and eventually the Ottomans where it was then repurposed as a mosque.
The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) is an active mosque but is open to visitors. It was built between 1609 and 1617 and has its nickname because of the blue tiles that surround the interior walls.
You spent the first day getting a grasp of Istanbul's past with its magnificent history of empires, monumental architecture, religion, and culture through the hamam experience.