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Places to see in Istanbul, Turkey

There are four major sections of the city with touristic interest. Please click on the pictures for more of the items.

1. Old Town: Mostly the region around Sultanahmet
2. Beyoglu, (Pera District)
3. Bosphorus
4. Prince's Islands (suggested during summer)

Asian side is a residential area only. Nothing of historic or special interest exist, except the Asian side of Bosphorus. It is nicer to live there since it is quieter compared to European side.

The Blue Mosque - Sultanahmet Mosque

(Ahmediye Cami, Sultanahmet Mosque). Built 1609-1619, by court architect Mehmet Aga, a student of the renowned Sinan (responsible for the Suleymaniye palace). The Ahmedhiye Cami was Aga's way of showing the world he could outdo not only his master but also the Byzantine architects who designed the nearby St. Sophia cathedral, which the Blue Mosque resembles in many ways. Aga outfitted his design with no less than six minarets. The popular name Blue Mosque derives from the exquisite blue Iznik tiles which cover the inside

Hagia Sophia (Ayia Sophia, Santa Sophia, St. Sophia).

Originally, Constantinople's Church of the Holy Wisdom, commissioned by Justinian I and constructed from 532-537(!) to the designs of Anthemius of Tralles and Isodorus of Miletus. It was converted to a mosque upon the Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453, at which time the four minarets were added, and hundreds of mosaics on the walls were covering over with plaster. Today it is a museum of Byzantine art, revealing both its Islamic heritage -- in the great discs suspended from the vaults, covered with Arabic script -- and its Christian heritage: a cross surmounting the main dome

Süleymaniye Mosque

The largest and most imposing mosque in Istanbul, the city of domes and minarets, is the Suleymaniye. The aesthetic supremacy of its interior and exterior and its perfect proportions have been captivating the visitors for centuries. The Suleymaniye Mosque is an architectural masterpiece.

The complex surrounding the mosque was composed of schools, a library, baths, public kitchens, caravanserai, a hospital and shops. The beauty of the exterior of the mosque is best appreciated from a distance. This imperial edifice can be seen in all its magnificence from the Galata Tower or the Galata side of the Golden Horn.

Hippodrome

Istanbul's Byzantine Hippodrome was the heart of Constantinople's political and sporting life, and the scene of games and riots through 500 years of Ottoman history as well.

It's now a calm city park called the At Meydani (Horse Grounds) because of its function in Ottoman times

The site of the original Hippodrome, which extends away from the Sultanahmet mosque was laid out in 196 by the Roman emperor Severus. Constantine the Great turned it into a vast stadium capable of seating a hundred thousand spectators who watched horse and chariot races, gladiatorial combats, and other spectacles.

The Hippodrome was where the heart of Constantinople's social life beat and also where popular displeasure was given voice and sometimes erupted into riots and rebellion. Like other parts of the city, the Hippodrome was lavishly decorated with monuments and works of art of which only three examples from the Spina (the long structure running down the center of the stadium's course) have survived.

Obelisk

A second Spina monument that has survived is called "Orme Sutun" in Turkish and is known as the Column of Constantine Porphyrogenetus, after the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenetus (912-59) who sheathed the roughly-built pillar of stone in bronze. The bronze plaques were stripped away and looted during the Latin invasion of 1204.

The third monument on the "Spina" is also the oldest work from the ancient Greek world to have survived in Istanbul. Known in Turkish as "Yilanli Sutun", the Serpentine Column was brought here from the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. The shaft of this unusual monument consists of the intertwined bodies of three serpents whose heads originally supported a gold bowl measuring three meter's in diameter. The bowl disappeared long before the Christian era but the shaft of the column and part of the head of one of the serpents (albeit in a somewhat fragmented state) have nevertheless survived.

Basilica Cittern - Yerebatan Sarayi

The Basilica Cistern, also called the Yerebatan Sarayi or Yerebatan Sarnici, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that still lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey.

The cistern was built by Emperor Constantinus I during the 4th century and was restored and extended by Justinianus in the 6th century. The water came from the Belgrad forest via the Cebecikoy arch.

At the far end of the Cistern, there are two heads of Medusa which are put upside down or horizontal. The Medusa Heads are taken from an ancient Pagan site but they complement the pillars very beautifully and add a different taste to the building.

Grand Bazaar - Kapalicarsi

The world's biggest covered historic Bazaar with more than 58 streets and 4000 shops. It is one of the most famous spots of Istanbul, always filled with crowds who not only come to shop but to window-shop carpets, jewellery, leathers,handcrafts, home decoration items and many more.

The Grand Bazaar includes more than 4000 stores taday, and it is surrounded on all sides by tens of hans (commereial buildings). The hans that used to host caravans now host workshops where many goods are manufactured. In the Valde Han that was built in 1650 and has a set of stairs with 200 steps, there is no longer any sale. Carpet washing and repairs are carried out in the Mercan Ali Pasa Han and the Cebeci Han.

Coloured Anatolian weavings can be found in the Mercan Cukur Han, and beds, blankets and linen in the Safran Han. Another of the most beautiful hans in the bazaar is the Zincirli Han. Jewellery processors are the majority here, and it has pink-painted walls that soften even the greyest air in winter. In Cebeci Han, on the other hand, you can find port-hale lids, bells, fans, watches, to torches, propellers, anchors in the shop where second-hand sea materials are said, get your carpets repaired in carpet repairing workshops and find replicas of old artifacts at the coppersmith 's shop in the corner. One of the two bedestens that form the core of the bazaar is the Ic Bedesten (inner bedesten), a.k.a. the Cevahir Bedesteni.

The other is the Sandal Bedesteni, taking its name from a kind of fabric woven using silk and cotton threads alternately for each line. This is where you get attracted by the gleam of antiquities. You can find antique specialists for ancient objects, porcelains, silver, ceramics and ornamented engravings, and tour the stores filled up with ancient, valuable and beautiful artifacts. You can touch coffee cups of finest porcelain, silver cigarette boxes from the 18th century, spoons, glasses, candlesticks with stems of coloured glass, and see the jewels of the Ottoman era.
Carpets, kilims, sumachs, 'cicim's... Next to the traditional carpets coming from Usak, Gordes, Sivas, Ladik, Kayseri, Konya, and Hereke, the tulles flowing in from the east of Konya plain are also worthy of attention.There are also the Filikli spreads, the production of which has stopped since many years ago. The fabrics known as Angora or mohair used to be woven in 60 cm wide and 200 cm long pieces, then brought together in threes tir fours to form wall covers, bed spreads or sitting groups. These, too, are among the artifacts that come out of the trunks of the Grand Bazaar.

The Grand Bazaar is a whole culture in itself, a whole wride ocean that has preserved its existence for many centuries. Let's enter into the gleaming world of the Grand Bazaar through one of its 18 gates, find its hidden prizes and mix into its cultural atmoshphere.

Spice Bazaar - Misir Carsisi

The second largest covered market in the city, was part of the mosque complex. Other surviving parts of the complex are the tombs and the magnificent fountain. On the mosque side of the L-shaped Spice Bazaar, there is a popular flower market and cafes, and fish, vegetable and grocery stores occupy the other side. Once all of the shops inside the bazaar used to sell spices, but over the time some have turned into dried fruit, grocery and gift shops or jewelers. It is one of the attractive sites in Istanbul with its vivacious and distinctive atmosphere.

Galata Tower - Galata Kulesi

The Galata Tower (Turkish Galata Kulesi) is located in Istanbul in Turkey to the north of the Golden Horn. One of the city's most striking landmarks, it is a huge, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline on the Galata side of the Golden Horn.

The original tower was destroyed during the Fourth Crusade, but it was rebuilt as the Tower of Christ in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. It was the apex of the fortifications of Genoese Galata. The view from it is spectacular. Give it a try.

Maiden's Tower - Kiz Kulesi

The architectural structure of the Maiden's Tower (Kız Kulesi) dates back to 341 BC. This cape, which was an extension of the Bosphorous straits at the time (there are rumours that it was a peninsula before) used to be called "vus". At this date, after being a mausoleum built on marble columns for the wife of Commander Chares, a chain was pulled from its location at Sarayburnu to the island where the tower was located, in 410 BC, to make it a customs area controlling the entries and exits of the Bosphorous strait. At 1110 AD, the first apparent structure (tower) was built by the Emperor Manuel Comnenos.

Chora - Kariye Camii

The Church of the Holy Savior of Chora, called in Turkish, Kariye Camii, is after Hagia Sophia the most interesting Byzantine church in the city. Not so much for the building itself, pretty as that is, as because of the superb series of mosaics and frescoes which it preserves and which have been magnificently restored and cleaned by the Byzantine Institute of America.

Princes' Islands

The Princes' Islands are a chain of nine islands off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey, in the Sea of Marmara. The largest island is Büyükada.

Today, the islands are popular tourist destinations for day trips via ferry from Istanbul. Motorized vehicles are forbidden on most of the islands, so visitors explore the islands by foot, bicycle, in horse-drawn carriages (fayton), or by riding donkeys.

Istiklal Avenue - Taksim Square

Istiklal Caddesi (Istiklal Avenue), is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul, Turkey. Located in the Beyoglu neighborhood of Istanbul, it is a gallant pedestrian street, approximately 3 km long, that houses tens of exquisite boutiques, music and bookstores, art galleries, cinemas, theaters, cafés, bars, libraries, pubs, coffeehouses, historical patisseries, chocolateries, technological centers, and restaurants, all of which are seamlessly integrated into the elegant 19th century Turkish architecture.

The cosmopolitan Avenue also houses an array of historical and politically significant buildings, such as the Çiçek Pasajı ("The Flower Courtyard", where small, intimate restaurants and taverns are found), Balık Pazarı ("The Fish Bazaar"), the St.Antoine, Santa Maria and the Armenian Churches (among many others), several sinagouges, a mosque, academic institutions established by various European nations such as Germany, Italy, Austria, and France in the early 19th century, consulates of several nations including France, Greece, Sweden, Armenia, Russia, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom.