London Mayor Sadiq Khan explores Istanbul’s historic landmarks

ISTANBUL

Sadiq Khan poses for a photo near Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Mosque.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan tours Istanbul’s historic peninsula, taking in major landmarks, attending Friday prayers at the Sultanahmet Mosque and strolling through the iconic Grand Bazaar.

Accompanied by Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Coşkun Yılmaz, Khan visited the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Sultanahmet Square, where he viewed works representing different periods of Turkish and Islamic art.

He later attended Friday prayers at the historic Sultanahmet Mosque before walking along Divanyolu Street to the Grand Bazaar, one of the world’s oldest covered markets, dating back to 1461.

Khan toured the 565-year-old bazaar, which houses around 4,000 shops and dozens of streets, and visited its famous rooftop, internationally recognized for a motorcycle chase scene in the 2012 James Bond film “Skyfall.”

During the visit, Khan expressed admiration for the bazaar’s centuries-old trading culture to the daily Hürriyet. The market remains an active commercial center, with some businesses run by families for generations.

The mayor also spoke about the similarities between Istanbul and London, noting that both cities have been shaped by cultural diversity and their historic waterways, the Bosphorus and the River Thames.

He praised London’s Turkish community for its contributions to the city and said that he was particularly fond of Turkish cuisine, singling out künefe, a traditional cheese pastry soaked in syrup, as one of his favorites.

As a gesture marking his visit, Yılmaz presented Khan with a copy of the Quran featuring calligraphy by renowned Ottoman calligrapher Mehmed Şevki Efendi.

In a social media post, Khan described attending Friday prayers at Sultanahmet Mosque as a privilege and a moment of reflection at one of the world’s most significant places of worship. He said he was proud that people of different backgrounds could feel at home in London, contribute to the city and freely practice their faith.

Khan, who also visited Hagia Sophia and met representatives of Istanbul’s business community, praised the city during his tour, joking that Istanbul was the world’s second-most beautiful city, after London.