Though crowded with tourists, for example, the neighbourhood of Sultanahmet remains a popular place for locals looking to connect with Old Istanbul.

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Strung along the coast, 20-minutes north of the Sultanahmet neighbourhood, these three perfect pockets of suburbia are where modern Istanbul life plays out.

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These original classes proved so popular that in 2008 she closed the hotel and moved into a new purpose-designed cooking school in Sultanahmet, where she now offers hands-on half-day classes focussing on traditional Anatolian dishes.

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In historic Sultanahmet, where the Ottoman sultans sought to outdo each other with grandiose building programs, muezzins at each of the imperial mosque complexes give their vocal chords a vigorous morning workout, prompting the faithful to their prayers and hotel guests to their breakfast.

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