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Şakirin Mosque is considered the most modern mosque in Turkey. The mosque, which opened on May 8, 2009, has a capacity for 500 people and was funded by the Şakir family. It is internationally known as the first mosque designed by a woman: the art historian and interior designer Zeynep Fadillioglu, who was the lead architect of the mosque’s interior design.The mosque, located in Üsküdar on the Asian side of Istanbul, breaks many taboos. The facades are wide open and consist of glass and decorative metalwork instead of walls. The prayer niche is a turquoise arch. The low-hanging chandelier is a unique feature, with drops hanging, symbolizing the reflection of a prayer, meaning that Allah’s light should fall on the worshiper like rain. A unique feature of the mosque is the fact that women have the most beautiful place to pray. Women sit on a light-flooded dome and enter the mosque like men through the main entrance. Altogether, the interior designer broke with the traditions of Ottoman architecture and even acted in a revolutionary way with some new ideas. But Islamic norms were also followed, for example the three low-hanging chandeliers are engraved with the 99 names of Allah and the sura “Nur” from the Quran.

The Basilica Cistern construction was commissioned by Emperor Justinian I and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, is 143 meters long and 65 meters wide. Its roof is supported by 336 marble columns, each measuring 9 meters in length, and cistern itself is capable of holding 80,000 cubic meters of water. The cistern was forgotten for centuries and only accidentally rediscovered by the Frenchman Peter Gyllius in 1545. While researching Byzantine antiquities in the city, he noticed that people in the neighborhood not only got a hold of water by simply lowering buckets through holes in their basements, they miraculously sometimes even caught fish this way. The cistern was cleaned and renovated in 1985 by the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality and opened to the public in 1987. It’s now one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions.

Hagia Sophia, Turkish Ayasofya, Latin Sancta Sophia, also called Church of the Holy Wisdom or Church of the Divine Wisdom, an important Byzantine structure in Istanbul and one of the world’s great monuments. It was built as a Christian church in the 6th century CE (532–537) under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I and was converted into a mosque by Fatih Sultan Mehmet after the conquest of Istanbul in 1453. In subsequent centuries Hagia Sophia was once an Orthodox patriarchal basilica, then a mosque, a museum since 1935, and a mosque back again in 2020. With its breathtaking domes that look like hanging in the air, monolithic marble columns and unparalleled mosaics,it is one of the wonders of the world’s architectural history. Hagia Sophia fascinates people not only with its awe-inspiring architectural design, but also by its gold-plated, silver-plated, glass, terracotta and colored stone mosaics, and the original ceiling mosaics of the 6th century. It also has 104 columns, some of which are brought from ancient cities. The "Omphalion” section where the emperors were crowned stands out with marble workmanship like these pillars. Located in the Sultanahmet neighborhood, Hagia Sophia is, without doubt, one of the best examples of Byzantine architecture and was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1985.

The Great Palace Mosaics Museum, also known as Istanbul Mosaic Museum, is an impressive mosaics museum that hosts one of the most beautiful mosaics in the world, that were preserved from the Great Palace of Constantinople, during the East Roman period from 610 until 641 A.C.. Especially the ones dated to AD 450-550. During the East Roman period, artists have made a huge mosaic with 40,000 pieces to the ground that covers 1,870 square meters. And afterwards, during the 7th and 8th century, the ground mosaics were covered with huge marble panels and they were forgotten until they were revealed in 1921. During the era of the Ottoman Empire, due the possible danger that may come from the sea, the Ottoman palaces were moved to Golden Horn region and a residential district was established over the area of the mosaics (having no idea that they were there), with the order of Fatih Sultan Mehmed, the conqueror of Istanbul. And after a big fire on this Ottoman residential area, those hidden mosaics have shown up. Diggings and excavation works started in the year 1921, continued in between 1935-1951 and finally the mosaics and the remnants of the Byzantine palaces have been revealed. And so the site was declared as the Great Palace Mosaics Museum in 1997.

The Fountain of Ahmed III is a large historical fountain and is one of Istanbul’s most beautiful rococo buildings of the so-called Tulip era. The fountain was erected in 1728 on the site of the Byzantine fountain Perayton, during the reign of Sultan Ahmed III, in whose honor it got its name. The fountain is a large square block of white marble with a domed roof with five small domes, luxurious decorations and paintings. The overall image of the fountain looks like a richly decorated casket. The facade of each of the four sides of the fountain is decorated in its own way, with curls, vines and flowers. Fountains are located in the niches of the pavilion, above which there are large calligraphic plates with stanzas from a poem dedicated to water. The poem is read clockwise around the fountain, starting from the northern shebil. The last stanza of the poem on the northwest facade depicts the chronogram of Sultan Ahmed III.

Adjacent to the Topkapı Palace, for centuries the park served as the outer garden of the Ottoman imperial palace - Topkapı Palace - and was not open to the public. Until 1912, Gülhane Park was an imperial park, yet it was opened to the public in 1912. Since 1912, it has served as an urban park with its hundreds of years old walnut and oak trees. Do not miss this magnificent park surrounded by the most important museums and monuments of Istanbul.

The Tiled Kiosk Museum was built in 1472 by Mehmet the Conqueror and is one of the oldest examples of Ottoman civilian architecture. The portico, which has 14 marble columns, was constructed during the reign of Sultan Abdül Hamit I (1774–89) after the original burned down in 1737. On display here are Seljuk, Anatolian and Ottoman tiles and ceramics dating from the end of the 12th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection includes İznik tiles from the period between the mid-14th and 17th centuries when that city produced the finest coloured tiles in the world. When you enter the central room you can’t miss the stunning mihrab from the İbrahim Bey İmâret in Karaman, built in 1432. The Kiosk was used as the Imperial Museum between 1875 and 1891. In 1953 it was opened to the public as a museum of Turkish and Islamic art, and was later incorporated into the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, housing the Museum of Islamic Art.

The Theodosius Cistern, believed to have been built under the reign of Byzantine emperor Theodosius II (428–43), was uncovered under an early 20th century mansion and a municipal building that was constructed in 1950. Measuring 1125 square-meters with its nine meter-high ceiling held up by 32 marble columns, the Theodosius Cistern is smaller, but approximately 100 years older than the nearby Basilica Cistern, which was built in 532 and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in İstanbul. A third underground reservoir in the same area, the Cistern of Philoxenos, dates to the fourth century. All three were part of a 250 km-long system that brought fresh water from the Belgrad Forest north of the city through the Aqueduct of Valens and eventually to the ornate drinking fountains that can still be seen scattered around İstanbul.

Dating back to the 5th century, the Cistern of Philoxenos is one of Istanbul’s surviving Byzantine subterranean reservoirs and a hidden gem that’s off the tourist trail. While its Turkish name, Binbirdirek Sarnıcı, translates into ‘1001 Columns’, the number isn’t used literally here but as a turn of phrase denoting multitude. The cistern is actually built on 224 columns standing more than 10 meters tall, most of which are engraved with a Greek mason’s mark. In recent years, the cistern has hosted a variety of events including concerts, fashion shows and exhibitions.

The first lighthouse on the coast of Constantinople appeared after the shipwreck of a merchant ship that ran aground in 1755. By the order of Sultan Osman III, the tower was built with a light source visible for three miles. The light source was an olive oil lamp. During the Crimea war of 1854-1856, the sailors of the Anglo-French squadron, when passing the Bosphorus, realised that the old lighthouse did not meet the modern requirements, and the the Turkish Sultan Abdulmecit  ordered to build a new one. The construction of the 26 meter high tower was conducted under the supervision of Parisian engineers. The lighthouse became operational in 1857, significantly facilitating navigation at the entrance to the Strait. The light source is located at an altitude of 36 meters above sea level and was originally a kerosene-potash lamp, its light was visible for 16 miles. Later, a carbide lamp was used. Currently, an electric lamp with a power of 1000 watts is used. The beacon gives flashes visible for 30 miles, every 6 seconds.