By Lisa Mitchell BBC News Online in Istanbul, Turkey

It already had airport-style metal detectors and the bellboys run scanners over guests' bags before they take them to their rooms.

'Turkey is safe,' says Yakup Sari at the Blue Mosque

The same security is in place at the Topkapi Palace, the jewel in the city's crown and its top tourist attraction.

Such security was installed as a precaution to protect its star attraction, the Imperial jewels, including the 36 carat Kashoggi diamond.

But following suicide bombings over the past week that have killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds, the armed guards are taking on the role of protecting citizens rather than stones.

For a winter weekend out of season, the palace was still relatively busy.

All the foreign language guides were occupied, although the majority of visitors were Turkish.

There are fears in the cash-strapped country that tourists will stop visiting and its chances of joining the European Union will drop considerably if it is seen as a terrorist target.

"Please tell people that Turkey is still a safe place to come," said Yakup Sari, office manager at Istanbul's other great landmark, the Blue Mosque.

He had been pleased to report that on the Friday night after the fatal attacks on the British consulate and HSBC bank, visitor numbers were actually up.

Swedes Arne and Margaretha Akerberg continued with their travel

It was a special day for Muslims - the birthday of the Quran - but Davut Delen, who collects donations at the mosque's exit, said he thought some people had been motivated to come by the attack.

"Many people had come specially to pray for peace in the world," he said.

Among the foreigners undeterred by Thursday's horrific scenes were Arne and Margaretha Akerberg from Sweden.

"We phoned our foreign office before we left and they had not yet decided on their advice on travelling so we had to make up our own minds," said Mr Akerberg.

"I think we made the right decision, but it is always in the back of your mind: 'Is this busy area a target?'"

Young Parisians Arnaud and Sandrine Dubois felt unafraid wandering around the historic Sultanahmet.

When you are here in the sunshine, it is easy to forget what happened so close by Arnaud Dubois French tourist

"It feels quite normal," said Mr Dubois.

"When you are here in the sunshine, it is easy to forget what happened so close by."

At the American Ritz Carlton guests began cancelling their bookings within hours of attacks.

As a fellow American, Joan Patterson could understand their concerns.

"We thought that because there had been the attacks on the synagogues the week before, Istanbul would be the safest place to be," she said.

"It just shows how unpredictable these terrorists are."

However, she and her family had pushed on with their visit and were glad their hotel was in such as obscure part of town "even we have trouble finding it".

Meanwhile, at the larger hotels, particularly the American chains, security guards were stopping every car coming in, checking the boot and running a mirror under it.