As you lie on a huge round pedestal of marble your gaze rises with the steam to views of the blue sky through the star-pierced dome above.

You are in a hamam, better known as the Turkish Bath. This is an experience not to be missed when visiting Istanbul. It's a tactile way to move back through time to the days of the sultans and harems.

The Cemberlitas Hamam in the Sultanahmet, or old district of Istanbul, was built in 1584 during the Ottoman Empire and is a short walk from the famous Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. It is one of several original hamams still operating in the city, although now heavily frequented by tourists.

While the main steam room remains much as it was -- wall to wall marble with rinsing alcoves -- changing rooms and lockers are part of the modern-day ritual. Inhibitions come off with your clothes as you enter the steam-filled room and see bodies of all shapes in various positions of repose, much like an Ingres painting.

It takes a minute to adjust to the extreme heat and a few more to allow yourself to relax. The women who scrub you down are big, strong and speak very little English. They rinse you off by pouring water from silver and copper bowls.

Follow this with a warm oil massage in an adjacent room. Glowing, you re-enter Istanbul's busy streets feeling as if you've been baptized into this exotic, ancient city where west and east blend beautifully along the Bosporus.

Modern Istanbul has been a hot destination for several years. Since it's been named a "European Capital of Culture 2010" by the European Union, it now is white hot (the EU, however, has yet to let Turkey join its ranks). The city has had many incarnations as Byzantium, Constantinople and now Istanbul. It is a place layered with history, culture and religion.

On the streets, five times a day, you hear the call to prayer for the faithful from the countless mosques' minarets that scrape the skyline. Turkey is a secular country but the call is a constant reminder that Islam is the predominant religion, and it plays as a soundtrack to the enigmatic nature of the place.

If you go

Air travel: Take Turkish Air. It flies direct out of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The food is excellent and drinks of all kinds are free. turkishairlines.com.

Transportation from Istanbul Ataturk International Airport is easy. The cab line forms in front of the terminal and the drivers are generally honest. Have your destination written down. Not all cab drivers speak English.

For more information go to tourismturkey.org

Accommodations: The Ottoman Hotel Imperial in Istanbul is small but well located next to the Hagia Sophia. Almost everything you want to see is within walking distance. The concierge is excellent and the staff speaks enough English to help you work out your itinerary. ottomanhotelimperial.com

Travel arrangements: If you want to plan ahead, ATB Holidays is very helpful. The agency can arrange transportation to Troy or other parts of Turkey as well as a Bosporus cruise. atbholidays.com

Ramadan in September is the ideal time to plan your trip. It's the Islamic month of fasting from sunup to sundown for the faithful, but it creates a party atmosphere every night on the streets as families and friends come out to eat. Big tents are placed around the city with free food for the poor. But no one is turned away, rich or poor. Walking is easy and the people are nice. Staying in the old district is perfect for sightseeing .

First stop for most newcomers is Hagia Sophia. The original was built by Constantine the Great, founder of Constantinople. This is the third structure on the site and was raided by the Crusaders in 1204, and much of what was plundered remains in Venice, Italy.

In the 1400s, the city was conquered by Sultan Memhet who turned the church into a mosque and added minarets. After centuries of being a church and then a mosque, it is now a museum. Inside, your eye is drawn up to the large round plaques, which refer to Allah in script. The Christian mosaics, still visible after countless wars and earthquakes, draw crowds to the second level. The reverence is as much to the man-made -- marble cut like lace, ironwork and columns -- as it is to the God it was built to honor.

Facing the Hagia Sophia just across the park is the Blue Mosque. Its name comes from the blue Iznik tiles that decorate the interior. Sultan Ahmet wanted to create a mosque grander than the Hagia Sophia. Built in the early 1600s, it is fully functional today. Guests must respect it as a holy place and women are given shawls to cover their heads and bare shoulders. Like all mosques, visitors take off their shoes before entering. Watch men pray -- bowing up and down as they face Mecca -- or just roam silently studying the beauty of the place.

Outside are shops and the ancient Roman hippodrome with an odalisque from Egypt. Just across the trolley tracks is the Basilica Cistern. This underground place was built in the Byzantium era and supplied water to the Palace of Constantinople. The water level is kept low and is lit so visitors can explore the many different columns that help support the ceiling and street above. The head of Medusa is placed sideways and used as a base to one of the columns. The position keeps Medusa from wreaking havoc.

The 336 columns were salvaged from Roman ruins. There are hundreds of smaller cisterns underneath Istanbul. The cistern also provided water to the Topkapi Palace, which is just behind Hagia Sophia. It is a favorite with tourists for its treasures and harem rooms.

As for treasures to take home, head to the Grand Bazaar, a covered labyrinth packed with pashmina, lanterns, jewels, spices, food, tunics, swords, antiques, hamam bowls, towels and, of course, carpets and kilims. The dollar is strong in Turkey and bargaining is expected. If you want to be respected bargain hard, but keep smiling. It's such a rush to know you can get a camel driver's hat that sells for $33 in the airport for about $4 (U.S.). Once you get to the airport, the bargaining is over. The best advice is find it, love it, bargain and buy it.

While you are roaming the park between the mosques and palace, you will undoubtedly be approached by friendly people asking "Are you from Seattle?"

That's the way rug dealers draw you into a conversation. They offer to help you and then invite you to see their shop. Everyone and their brother is a rug dealer, or knows a rug dealer. You can extricate yourself politely by saying "no thanks" and moving on. They might follow but just keep going. They will just look for the next tourist who appears to be from Seattle.

While there, don't forget about eating; food in Turkey is exceptional. You know you aren't in Kansas or Seattle with the first bite of ice cream. It's chewy! From the famous Turkish delight (those jelly-like candies) and baklava to gozleme (thin pancakes rolled out by hand and filled with whatever you like), doner kebabs and Koftecisi -- a Turkish meatball (they are spicy, tasty torpedoes of savory goodness) -- it is all wonderful.

Fish lovers and vegetarians also will enjoy the cuisine; seafood and eggplant are staples of the Turkish diet. Istanbul sits at the crossroads of cuisine so you can enjoy everything from sushi to spaghetti. Hamdi, once an old men's club and now a restaurant, provides a good view of the Bosporus and traditional fare. It is very close to the Spice Market making it an easy choice for dinner after a day of haggling.

The Spice Market sits next to the Yeni Camii (New Mosque), which was built between 1597 and 1603. Pigeons flock between the mosque and the Spice Market. Also known as the Egyptian Market, it is older than the Grand Bazaar and a little less touristy and still used by locals for shopping. It's another great spot to continue honing your negotiating skills. From there you can cross the Galata Bridge over the Bosporus and head toward the Galata Tower in Taksim and the Beyoglu District. Istiklal the main street is "pedestrian only" except for the historic trolley that runs back and forth along it.

Shops, restaurants, vendors, hookah bars and Turks playing backgammon line the walk. Locals and tourists alike flock to this area. Istanbul's population of more than 12.5 million is one of the youngest in Europe making it vibrant, evolving city.

A relaxing way to see it all is on a cruise on the Bosporus. The massive Dolmabahce Palace, built by Sultan Abdulmecid between 1843 and 1846, can be fully appreciated from the water. The sultan wanted to impress his European counterparts with the wealth and taste of Turkey and blended Ottoman and European architecture.

The crystal staircase features a Baccarat crystal and mahogany banister. The main entertainment hall is so big it takes three days to heat. It was built in time to watch the sun set on the Ottoman Empire. The father of the modern Republic of Turkey, a man of the people, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, died in the palace. All the clocks in the Dolmabahce are stopped at 9:05, the time of his death.

But it's the opulence and extravagance of the place that people come to see. And it's the contradictions and confluences of the creativity that is Istanbul, which will have you wanting to return if only for all the things you didn't have a chance to see or eat or buy.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.