WELCOME ΤΟIstanbul

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.

The Belgrade Gate in the Theodosian Walls which were originally built in the 5th century during the reign of Theodosius II. According to a story related by Niketas Choniates, in 1189 the gate was walled off by Emperor Isaac II Angelos because, according to a prophecy, it was this gate that Western Emperor Frederick Barbarossa would enter the city through. It was re-opened in 1346, earning the name of Belgrade Gate, as many prisoners brought from Belgrade had settled in the area after the conquest of Serbia by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I. It then closed again before the siege of 1453 and remained closed until 1886, leading to its early Ottoman name, Kapalı Kapı ("Closed Gate").

This mosque, which is situated in Bayezid Square, was built by Sultan Bayezid II and completed in the years 1500–1505. The complex is composed of a mosque, a kitchen, a primary school, a hospital, a medresse, a hamam, a soup kitchen for the poor and a caravanserai. Bayezid Mosque is at the center of the complex. Its main dome is 16.78 meters in diameter and is supported by four pillars. The stone and wood craftsmanship and stained glass are artistic masterpieces. The courtyard paving materials and pillars used as a reservoir for ablutions were reclaimed from Byzantine ruins. These pillars in particular demonstrate the quality of Byzantine workmanship. The soup kitchen and Caravanserai are to the left of the mosque and are used today by the Bayezid State Library. The Turkish Foundation of Calligraphy uses the medresse far to the right of the mosque as a museum. Tombs are found on the Kiblah [Mecca] side of the mosque. Sultan Bayezid II, his daughter Selçuk Hatun and architect of Tanzimat Fermanı, Mustafa Reşit Paşa, are buried here.

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.

Boukoleon Palace (Bucoleon Palace) was the summer palace of the Byzantine emperors, which was built along the shores of the Marmara Sea in the south of the Great Palace of Constantinople. It is very probable that the palace was built in the fifth century CE, during the reign of Theodosius II (r. 408-450 CE). The palace’s name (Boukoleon) comes from the marble statue that once stood at its entrance: a lion (leon in Byzantine Greek) attacking a bull (bouc). Although the bull statue has been lost to the annals of time, the lion statue has been recovered and now is exhibited at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. The palace itself was part of a greater complex, stretching from the city’s north to its south, and included a Grand Palace, a structure that used to stand somewhere between today’s Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. It functioned as the summer palace of the Byzantine imperial family until the 11th century when the empire moved its headquarters to the Palace of Blachernae, situated near the Golden Horn. According to the written primary sources, the 1532 Istanbul earthquake damaged the palace highly. In addition, the railway line built in 1873 destroyed the western section of the palace. Today, the structure is in ruins and has no border with the Marmara Sea, due to the Kennedy Avenue built in 1963, but its monumental façade rising from the sea walls still stands for centuries.

Camondo (or Kamondo) stairs are stylish steps in Istanbul, near the Galata Tower in Beyoglu district. The stairs were built by a Jewish banker and philanthropist Abraham Salomon Camondo (1781-1873). Abraham wanted his children to have a shorter way from home to their school, so started to build the stairs in about 1870-1880 in what then was Constantinople. The staircase provided a shortcut not only to school of the famous banker’s children but also to the family-owned bank on what is now called Bankalar Caddesi (Banks Avenue). Today the stairs serve as a fashionable walk up to the Galata Tower in Istanbul and the city’s attractions.

Istanbul has a chocolate museum and it is the only one in Turkey. Located next to the Pelit Chocolate Factory, Pelit Chocolate Museum is one of the most popular museums in Istanbul despite its far location, Esenyurt. The museum opened its doors in 2013 and takes you on an adventure starting with the history of chocolate-making. Make sure to see the hundreds of objects made from chocolate including Hagia Sophia, Galata Tower, Leander’s Tower, and even a chocolate village! In addition, there is a small chocolate workshop for children. It is believed that more than three tons of chocolate were used in the making of the museum and do not miss this unique museum that is not only for children, but also for adults!

Situated at the southern end of the Dolmabahçe Palace complex the mosque was built by order of Bezmiâlem Sultan, the second wife of the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II and the mother of Sultan Abdul Majeed I, who completed the construction of the mosque after the death of his mother. The mosque is commonly called the Dolmabahçe Mosque due to its location. It is a selâtin cami (imperial mosque), which means, it was built by a Sultan and the Sultan made the payments out of his own pocket. It was constructed between 1853 and 1855 by the architect Garabet Balyan who also supervised the construction of the Dolmabahçe Palace. The mosque’s architecture is a successful and classy blend of Baroque and Empire architectural styles. The main chamber of the mosque is relatively large and square in shape, each edge is 25 meters in length. Dolmabahçe Mosque has two long minarets with one şerefe (minaret balcony) each and they make them look like marble columns. From 1956-60 the mosque provided a venue for the Naval Museum, only resuming prayer services in 1967.

The Ottoman sultans shifted from Topkapi Palace to the newly built Dolmabahce in the 1850s. Designed by the renowned Armenian architect Garabet Balyan, it is the largest and most extravagant of all the palaces on the Bosphorus – especially the Ceremonial Hall with its famous Bohemian crystal chandelier glowing with 750 lamps, gifted by Queen Victoria. The true reason behind the construction of Dolmabahçe Palace was to cover up that the Ottoman Empire was in decline. Therefore, the new palace had to be lavishly decorated to impress the world. The result is a two-floor palace, covering an area of 45.000 m². Fourteen tons of gold were used to gild the ceilings. It also has the largest collection of Bohemian and Baccarat crystal chandeliers in the world. Starting with the move of the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from Topkapi Palace in 1856, the Dolmabahçe Palace was home to six sultans. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, used the palace as a presidential house in the summer. Troubled by health problems, he spent his last years in the palace until he died at 09.05 on November 10, 1938. In his honor, all the clocks in the palace are stopped at that exact time. The room in which he died is part of one of the palace tours.

Fatih Mosque was established between 1463 AD - 1470 AD, and it was part of the largest university in addition to sixteen colleges with Dar Al-Shifa (Nursing house), the guest house, and the library, all of which are located within what is known today in the Fatih district in Istanbul. The Mosque is one of the most beautiful archaeological and religious sites in Istanbul, and its current form is not the one on which it was built, due to the massive earthquake that struck Istanbul in 1766 AD, which led to its destruction, so it was rebuilt by the architect Muhammad Tahir Agha by order of Sultan Mustafa III in 1767 CE. It was built differently from what it was, and the only thing left of the old mosque was the inner courtyard surrounded by a portico covered with twenty-two domes supported by eighteen columns, in addition to the mihrab.

Flower passage originally started life as a theater in the 1800’s, then converted into rows of posh shops after a fire. During the Russian revolution of 1917, people fleeing Russia often came to Istanbul and many impoverished Russian noblewomen, including the Baroness, sold flowers in this passage. By the 1940s, the building was mostly occupied by flower shops, which gave it its current Turkish name Flower Passage. After the 1940s, beer houses and meyhanes settled into the building and then the flower shops had to leave the building and moved to somewhere else. Later on, only the name “Flower” was left on the name of the building. The building underwent a major renovation in 1988 and re-opened with its restaurants, taverns and pubs. In 2005 the roof and all the other visual parts were restored. Today, with its brilliant architecture, the Flower Passage is still one of the most stylish buildings of Beyoğlu district.

Galata Tower is one of the symbols of Istanbul and it is situated in Galata, on a hill seeing the historical peninsula of Istanbul. The origin of the Galata Tower goes back to the fifth century CE when Byzantines built a wooden tower named Magalos Pyrgos (Great Tower) in order to control the city of Constantinople and the Golden Horn. Due to the fires, earthquakes, and the Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusaders in 1204 the wooden tower was completely destroyed. In 1348, the Genoese community built today’s Galata Tower and named it Christea Turris (Tower of Christ). 67 meters long - Galata Tower was the tallest building in Istanbul until the construction of Beyazıt Tower in 1749. During the Ottoman period, Galata Tower functioned as a jail, observatory house, and watchtower. Today, the tower functions as a 360-degree viewing platform of Istanbul.

Located prominently in the Sultanahmet square of Istanbul, the Kaiser Wilhelm II fountain looks beautiful and inviting. It was commissioned by German Emperor Wilhelm II, after which it has been named. Made in Germany, in the neo-Byzantine style and ornamented inside with gold mosaic, it was erected in Istanbul in 1901 on Kaiser Wilhelm II’s birthday in order to symbolize the peaceful relations between Germany and Turkey.

Çamlıca Mosque, the 63,000-capacity mosque - that can be easily viewed from every corner of the city, was laid on August 6, 2013 and opened to worship on March 7, 2019. It is not only a mosque but also a complex, which includes a museum of Turkish Islamic art, a library, an art gallery, a conference hall, workshops as well as a car park with a 3,500-car capacity. It has six minarets representing the six beliefs of Islam. Four minarets are 107.1 meters tall, a tribute to the 1071 Manzikert victory of the Seljuk Turks against the Byzantine army that opened up Anatolia for Turkish domination. Its 72-meter high main dome represents 72 nations living in the city. The second dome with a diameter of 34 meters represents the car license number plate of Istanbul. There are 16 names of Allah inscribed inside the dome, symbolizing the number of states founded by Turks.

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.

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 bath, built in the name of the most prominent person of Harem, the wife of Kanuni, Hürrem Sultan. “Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamam” was built on the site of historical Baths of Zeuxippus which were demolished in 532. It is located between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. The Hamam, which was built by architect Mimar Sinan, had been open until 1910 and then it remained closed for a long time. The 75 m (246 ft) long structure is designed in the style of classical Ottoman baths and has two symmetrical separate sections. With a new idea in Turkish bath architecture, for the first time, female and male sections were on the same axis.

The Istanbul Archaeological Museum complex is one of the most underrated museums of Istanbul and actually consists of three museums: the Archaeology Museum, the Ancient Orient Museum, and the Islamic Art Museum (also known as the Tiled Kiosk Museum). It was founded by a master painter, Osman Hamdi Bey in 1875, in response to the removal of many of Turkey’s ancient artifacts destined for European museums. Besides its importance as the first Turkish museum, it remains one of the world’s largest museums with over one million works. Opened to the public in 1891, it houses a collection of Greek, Roman and Byzantine artifacts.

Istanbul Modern, also called as Istanbul Museum of Modern Art is the first private museum of Turkey that hosts modern and contemporary art exhibitions. One of the best museums in Istanbul especially for modern art lovers. The museum has recently become Turkey’s most popular and distinguished modern art museum.You’ll see permanent and temporary exhibitions from the early 20th century to the present day, a photography gallery, and several areas for educational and social programs. Abstract art works, landscape paintings and watercolor works are among the best works.

Istanbul Toy Museum, founded by the Turkish poet and writer Sunay Akın, is a one-of-a-kind place and an instant charmer for kids and adults alike. The artist’s private collection of toys, gathered from the auctions and antique shops from around the world, is now on display at an exquisite old wooden mansion on a side street just off the Bağdat Caddesi, the city’s main luxury shopping strip on the Asian side. Thousands of toys, some of which date back to the 1700s, have been organized into informative and entertaining scenes by a stage designer. Kids could learn about humanity’s quest for going to the moon at a section dedicated to space toys, while they would be informed about the industrial revolution at the section where classic toy trains are displayed. Regular theater acts and workshops for kids are also organized by the museum, where they could learn how to build toys, robots, and origami or discover the secrets of nature and space.

Consisting of a mosque, a madrassah (Islamic school), a hammam, a tomb and a fountain, this vast complex was designed and built between 1580-87 by celebrated architect Mimar Sinan, who at the time was in his nineties. The complex is named after Italian-born Kılıç Ali Pasha (Ali the Sword), who, after being pressed into service as a galley-rower in the mid-16th century, rose through the ranks of the Ottoman navy to become Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Empire. Like other Grand Admirals, he built his mosque complex in the area of the Ottoman naval docks and arsenal known as Tophane-i Amire, the surviving 15th-century portion of which is right across the street. The mosque itself was designed as – quite obviously, despite some slight differences – almost a scaled-down replica of the Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia). It’s a wonderful place to visit; much less crowded, yet as impressive as other famous mosques – so if you have limited time and want to see one of Istanbul’s houses of worship, then this would be a good choice.

The Maiden's Tower is a tower lying on a small islet located at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait 200 m from the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul, Turkey. Since the times of Ancient Greece, it has served as a fort, a crypt, a tower for commercial observation, a tax collection center, a lighthouse, a quarantine hospital, and even made a cameo in the James Bond film, "The World Is Not Enough". The lighthouse is still in working order, but on the first floor, a restaurant is operating, and on the top is a coffee shop providing sweeping views over the Bosphorus Strait. You can get a hot or cold drink – and, of course, you’ll have an opportunity to visit a little museum. Apparently, the tower has a legend linked to it. Story has it that a powerful emperor built it to protect his beloved daughter from death after hearing a prophecy that she would die by a snake bite. Sadly, the snake did find its way to the tower eventually (inside a basket of fruits) and reportedly bit and killed the princess. In reality, however, it is far more likely that the place was built as a lighthouse to warn the ships entering the Bosphorus about the rocky islet the tower sits upon.

Suleiman the Magnificent was the tenth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire . In the west, he was known as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the east, he was known as Sultan Suleiman the Lawmaker for his righteous reign. He ruled as the Sultan from 1520 until his death in 1566 and embarked on 13 military campaigns. He spent 10 years and one month in total for these military campaigns during his reign. Thus, Suleiman was the longest reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who had the highest number of military campaigns and spent the longest time on these campaigns. The mausoleum or tomb of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent is located inside the Süleymaniye Mosque complex. It is located inside the walled enclosure behind the qibla wall of the mosque along with the mausoleums of his wife Hurrem Sultan (Roxelana). The mausoleum is surrounded by a peristyle with a roof supported by 24 columns and has the entrance facing east rather than the usual north. Under the portico on either side of the entrance are Iznik tiled panels. These are the earliest tiles that are decorated with the bright emerald green colour that would become a common feature of Iznik ceramics.

The Military Museum is one of the largest museums in Istanbul located in a former 19th-century military school 1km north of Taksim has a huge collection of militaria dating from the 13th century to recent times. Objects include everything from Ottoman armor to Atatürk’s underwear. Sadly, many exhibits (most notably the WWI rooms) lack English labeling. The large museum is spread over two floors. On the ground floor are displays of weapons and Turkish military uniforms through the ages and old-fashioned dioramas of major battles, including one of the Conquest. The upper floor has a hall devoted to Atatürk, who was a famous Ottoman general before he became founder and commander-in-chief of the republican army and first president of the Turkish Republic.

Miniatürk or Miniature Turkey Park is the largest miniature park in the world with its 60,000 square meter area, where models of various works in Turkey are exhibited . It is located in an old park area on the shore of the Golden Horn . Miniatürk, whose foundation was laid on 30 June 2001, was opened to visitors on 2 May 2003 with the slogan "A Small Model of the Big Country", became the showcase of Turkey . models were included. The voice guidance system next to the works is also implemented for the first time in Miniaturk. The system provides information in nine different languages. Taking its power and beauty from the 3000-year-old civilizations behind it, Miniaturk is not only a pleasant sightseeing park, but also a cultural and social responsibility project. Panorama Victory Museum and Kristal Istanbul Museums are also included in Miniaturk.

Built in 1755, the Nuruosmaniye Mosque (Nuruosmaniye Camii) was commissioned by Ottoman sultan Mahmud I in 1749. However, Mahmud I passed away before the construction of the mosque. The mosque was completed in 1755 during the reign of Osman III and was named Nuruosmaniye “the light of Osman” due to large numbers of windows allowing a lot of light inside the mosque. The complex is considered the earliest example of Ottoman Baroque architecture due to its Baroque architectural elements such as exaggerated ornamentation, a large dome, focus to light, a lot of windows, niched mihrab looks like a church apse, and polygonal courtyard.

Located just before the Bosphorus Bridge, the Ortaköy Mosque has to have one of the most picturesque settings of all of the Istanbul mosques. Built on the sight of an 18th-century mosque, the current building was completed in 1855, to serve as the Grand Imperial Mosque to the Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid. It was designed by an Armenian architect, Garabet Balyan, and his son Nigoğayos Balyanl, who were also responsible for the nearby Dolmabahce Palace. It is neo-Baroque in style, with an ornate exterior, and large windows that allow light to flood into its plainer interior. The main chamber is small and square-shaped, its edge 12.25m in length. The ceiling is a dome shape, covered in pink mosaics. There are two tall minarets, each with a single sherefe (minaret balcony). Attached is the two storey Hünkar Kasrı (sultan’s summer palace). It has recently undergone a major renovation.

The Istanbul Postal Museum, aka PTT Museum Istanbul, is a postal museum dedicated to the historical development of mail and telecommunication services in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, exhibiting related equipment and instruments as well as a collection of postage stamps. It was established in 2000 by the Turkish Post, and is situated inside the Grand Post Office building at Sirkeci quarter of Fatih district in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Rahmi M. Koc Museum (Rahmi M. Koç Müzesi) is situated on the north side of the historic Golden Horn in Istanbul. Conceived by the Koç family, it’s the only major museum in Turkey dedicated to the history of transport, industry, and communications. The museum is divided into two parts; a new building on the Golden Horn side, and a converted Byzantine stone building right opposite. Its collection features thousands of items, most of which are from Mr. Rahmi M. Koç’s private collection. These items include full-size ships, vintage aircrafts, steam engines, submarines, agricultural machinery, and many more artifacts from İstanbul’s industrial past. The eclectic exhibits at the Rahmi M Koç Museum are particularly popular with children, as there are opportunities to sit in a classic car, take a cruise on a 1936 steam tug (summer weekends only), hop aboard a 1944 US naval submarine, and much more besides.

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 Sehzade Mosque is an Ottoman era mosque located in the Fatih district, on the third hill of Istanbul. Sulayman the Magnificent commissioned the mosque to commemorate his favorite son Şehzade Mehmed, who died aged only 21. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘Prince’s Mosque’. Mehmed was the eldest of Sulayman’s sons by his wife Hurrem, more commonly known as Roxelana. His exact cause of death is unknown, some are of the opinion he died from smallpox while others believe he was actually murdered.

The column was brought from Delphi where it was placed next to the altar of Apollo. It was made in the honor of winning the Platea war (BC 479) against the Persians whose shields were melted to make the column. The artifact, which has lost many parts, has been standing in Sultanahmet square for centuries.The three snakeheads on the column were in normal conditions until the 16th-17th century and were later destroyed. One of the snakeheads was found during an excavation in the 19th century and it is on display at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.

Locally known as Sent Antuan, the church of St. Anthony of Padua is the largest church of the Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul, Turkey. Built between 1906 and 1912, at the site where it stands today, this church looks stunning with its Venetian Neo-Gothic style of architecture. Designed by the Istanbulite Levantine architect Giulio Mongeri, who also designed many other important buildings in Istanbul and Ankara, this church adds to the artistic beauty and religious faith of Istanbul.

Built for Suleiman “The Magnificent” by the famous imperial architect Mimar Sinan in 1557, the Süleymaniye Mosque is modeled in part on the Hagia Sophia, and in part on a Byzantine basilica, in order to reflect the grandeur of the city’s past architectural monuments. In 1660, the Süleymaniye Mosque was ravaged by fire and was restored by Mehmet IV. Unfortunately, that restoration work had changed the mosque into a baroque-style structure and ruined the original architecture. The mosque has undergone many restorations ever since. The mosque complex consists of a caravanserai, an imaret (public kitchen), a madrassa (Islamic school), a hospital and a hammam. The public kitchen was constructed to serve food to the poor. The gardens behind the mosque consist of the tombs of Sultan Suleiman, his wife Roxelana, his mother Dilasub Saliham, his daughter Mihrimah and his sister Asiye. The tombs are fashioned on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The mosque is distinct from others as it contains the tomb of the great architect Sinan, designed by the occupant himself.

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.

The mausoleum of Sultan Mahmud II is a family tomb of the Ottoman sultans in Istanbul, near which there is a cemetery with the graves of famous Ottoman politicians and writers. Today, the mausoleum with the cemetery is a landmark of Istanbul and they can be visited. The mausoleum was erected after the death of Mahmud II in 1839 by order of his son Sultan Abdul-Majid I. The mausoleum was built on land allocated by Mahmoud’s sister, Esme Sultan. The architects of the mausoleum were the Ottoman Armenian architects Bogos and Hovhannes Dadyan. The building was completed in 1840. Later , other sultans and members of the Ottoman dynasty were buried in the mausoleum: Bezmialem-Sultan, Abdul-Aziz, Abdul-Hamid II, Yusuf Izzeddin-efendi, Esma Sultan and others. The mausoleum-tomb in the Empire style is an octagonal building covered with marble. The dome of the mausoleum is decorated with relief wreaths and flowers. Inside the building there is a marble inscription written by calligrapher Mehmet Hashim. The crystal chandelier inside the tomb was sent by Queen Victoria I of the United Kingdom. The gilded wall clock in the mausoleum is a gift from the Emperor of France Napoleon III.

Every great city has a central square, and Istanbul does not disappoint. Meaning ‘division’ or ‘distribution,’ Taksim used to be the point where the main water lines from the north of the city were collected to be branched off to other parts of it. This square is a common meeting point for locals filled with restaurants, shops, and hotels, where you will truly experience modern Istanbul. Starting from the center of Taksim square, take a look at the monument of the Republic, crafted by the famous Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica. It commemorates the fifth anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, following the Turkish War of Independence and features revolutionary leaders such as Atatürk and İsmet İnönü.

The Bosphorus Bridge is one of two bridges that spans the Bosphorus Strait, connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. At 1560 meters long, the Bosphorus Bridge was the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1973 and was the first bridge to connect Europe and Asia since a bridge spanning the Dardanelles in 480 B.C. Today, it is the 21st longest suspension bridge in the world. In 2007, an LED lighting system was installed to illuminate the bridge at night and the computerized system is now used to create a colorful light show every evening. While the bridge is typically closed to pedestrians, it opens each October for the Istanbul Eurasia Marathon – the only marathon that crosses from one continent to another.

The Turkish word Kariye is derived from the ancient Greek word Chora meaning "outside of the city". It is known that there was a chapel outside of the city before the 5th century when the city walls were erected. The first Chora Church was rebuilt by Justinianus (527-565) in place of this chapel. Chora Church (Chora Kirke) was destroyed during the Latin invasion (1204-1261) and repaired in the reign of Andronikos II (1282-1328) by the Treasury Minister of the palace, Theodore Metochites (1313). It was expanded towards north, an exonarthex was added to its western side and a chapel (Parecclesion) to its southern side, and it was decorated with mosaics and frescoes. The mosaics and frescoes in the Chora are the most beautiful examples dating from the last period of the Byzantine painting (14th century). After continuing to serve as a church following the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the building was converted into a mosque in 1511 by Vizier Hadim Ali Pasha. It was converted into a museum in 1945, and during the restoration in 1948-1959 carried out by the Byzantine Institute of America, the mosaics and frescoes were uncovered and brought to the daylight.

The Museum of Innocence is named after the novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk. The museum, organized according to the plot in the novel, received the European Museum of the Year award in 2014. There is a nostalgic atmosphere in the museum, which reflects the Istanbul of the 70s and 80s. Although the Museum of Innocence is in essence a romance novel, it actually describes the change Istanbul has gone through over time. Orhan Pamuk has collected all the items used by the fictional characters in the novel and is now exhibiting them in the museum. The museum, which was established with the restoration of a historical building, is located in Cihangir, one of the coolest districts of Istanbul. Located on Cukurcuma Street, famous for its antique shops in Cihangir, the museum is also very close to Aga Hamami, the oldest bathhouse in Istanbul.

One of the three archeological museums near the Topkapi Palace, The Museum of the Ancient Orient exhibits many remarkable artifacts from the vast history of Anatolia, Egypt and Mesopotamia, located just in front of the main Archaeology Museum building. For its time, Ancient Orient Museum (and Istanbul Archeology Museums in general) was one the rarest examples of a building that was built solely for the purpose of being a museum. Some of the artifacts that deserve special attention are: Shalmaneser III: The large statue of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser is definitely a standout. He ruled his country between 858 – 824 BCE and the inscriptions on the statue tell about his titles, wars and characteristics. Egyptian Grave: Exhibited in a large glass box, this Egyptian grave has many contents: 2 coffins, mummies, canopic jars (which stored the organs of the mummified bodies in Ancient Egypt), head part of a coffin, baskets and a chest. Ptah – Seker Statues: These detailed wooden statues of the protector god Ptah and the god of cemetery Seker represent an Ancient Egyptian belief. They believed that putting an embalmed piece of a dead person’s body into a box, sealing it with wax and putting Ptah and Seker statues on top made the person immortal.

The Stone of Milion is all that remains of the 4th-century triumphal gate that served as the Byzantine zero-mile marker of all roads: all distances were measured from here. At the same time, it was the starting–point for the measurements of distances from Byzantine Constantinopolis to the European cities of the Eastern Roman Empire. The domed building of the Milion rested on four large arches, and it was expanded and decorated with several statues and paintings. It survived the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 , however the structure was damaged during attempts to make the vault wider in the 16th century and the stone fell from its original place. During excavations in the 1960s, some partial fragments of it were discovered under houses in the area.

The tomb of Sultan Ahmet I, the Blue Mosque’s great patron, is on the north side of the mosque facing Sultanahmet Park. Ahmet, who had ascended to the imperial throne aged 13, died in 1617 aged only 27. The tomb was built between 1617 and 1619. It’s topped by a dome and is decorated with fine Iznik tiles. It contains beautiful examples of Ottoman woodwork, tile, and calligraphy, but its occupants are full of tragic tales, power struggles, and deceit. Sultan Ahmed I was the 14th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (r. 1603-1617). He took the throne at the age of 13 and broke with the Ottoman tradition of fratricide upon his enthronement. Ahmed was pious and made many donations, especially to the holy places of Mecca and Medina. He built the great Blue Mosque near the Hagia Sophia. Of his seven sons, Osman II, Murad IV, and İbrahim I eventually succeeded to the throne. Buried with Ahmet are his wife, Kösem, who was strangled to death in the Topkapı Harem, and his sons, Sultan Osman II (r 1618–22), Sultan Murat IV (r 1623–40) and Prince Beyazıt (murdered by order of Murat).

Hurrem Sultan or Roxolana was born in Ruthenia (then an eastern region of the Kingdom of Poland, now Ukraine) around 1506, captured and sent to Istanbul as a slave around 1520, entered the "Royal Ottoman Harem" (part of the house reserved for women) as a servant, became a concubine and, finally, the legal wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who received the first ever title of "Haseki Sultan" (Imperial wife). Hurrem Sultan gave birth to Sultan Suleiman 6 children, including the next Ottoman Sultan Selim II. Hurrem Sultan died on 15 April 1558 and was buried in a domed mausoleum decorated in exquisite Iznik tiles depicting the garden of paradise, perhaps in homage to her smiling and joyful nature. Inside the mausoleum, there are three graves. Largest tomb-stone belongs to the grave of Hurrem Sultan, wife of Sultan Suleiman, second belongs to Selim II and third belongs to Hanim Sultan, daughter of Hatice Sultan.

Tophane Fountain is located in Tophane, a quarter in the Beyoğlu district. It was commissioned by Sultan Mahmud I in 1732. As the third largest fountain in Istanbul, it has the highest walls. In the years between 1700 and 1740, it was common that monumental fountains with wide eaves were built in the middle of such squares. At that time, there was a transition from classical Ottoman style to European Baroque. The Tophane Fountain is one of the late works from this period. For its construction, all shops were torn down in order to keep the square as free as possible and to make the fountain the center of attention. In 2006, the fountain was restored by Sabancı Group Company. During the restoration works, the ornaments of the fountain were enriched with high-carat gold.

Since its first wooden construction in 1749, the tower has served as a fire watch tower and was used for signaling maritime navigation information to the ships on the Golden Horn. Seven years later, during the Great Fire of Çibali, the Beyazıt Tower was severely damaged and replaced by a second construction on the same location. In 1826, however, this building was completely destroyed during the riots in Sultan Mahmud II’s reign. In the same year, another tower was built of wood, which was designed by the Armenian architect Krikor Amira Balyan. A short time later, however, the new tower was set on fire during the Janissary revolts. Today’s Beyazıt Tower dates back to 1828. The 85-meter-high tower, made of stone, was built by Senekerim Amira Balyan, the younger brother of Krikor Amira Balyan, in Ottoman style and named after Sultan Beyazıd II. With its current function as a weather tower, it displays weather conditions in different colors. Blue represents sunny weather, green means rain, yellow fog and red snow.

The Tower of Justice has always been surprisingly inconspicuous, although it was intended to be built as a symbol of the sultan’s eternal stance against injustice. The tower was built as an extension of Topkapı Palace and is easily recognizable as the tallest part of Topkapı Palace. The Tower was constructed by Mehmet II after he captured Constantinople. Mehmet II developed an elegant system for council meetings, starting with the state council being chaired by the grand vizier. The Sultan separated himself from his council by glass dividing walls, which made him invisible. If the sultan had intended on watching the meeting, he drew the curtains, indicating to the council members understood he had been watching. If not, the council members would have never known whether or not the sultan had watched. All critical state decisions were determined in the Justice Tower. The tower experienced everything alongside the Ottoman Empire. It witnessed its last exciting decision in summer of 1826 when the state council decided to destroy the Janissary army. Mahmud II approved of the action, and monster canons were put in place and the Janissaries were exterminated. The battle took place in history as Vaka-i Hayriye. It means an Auspicious event.

An aqueduct is a structure for constant supply of water into a city and its people. They consist of underground water channels, water pipes, tunnels, and aqueduct bridges. In 330 CE, Constantine I (Constantine the Great) declared Constantinople as the new capital of the Roman Empire. Subsequently, the city’s population increased dramatically and the main need of the inhabitants was water. Therefore, the construction of the Valens Aqueduct started in 345 CE during the reign of Constantius II (337 - 361 CE). However, the construction of the aqueduct finished and started to function in 373 CE, during the reign of Valens I (364 - 378). This is the reason that the aqueduct is called Valens Aqueduct.

Originally built as the welcoming point for visitors from Europe and beyond, Yedikule Fortress, known commonly in history as the ‘Fortress of Seven Towers’ lies in front of the Golden Gate . Once the most magnificent entrance to the Byzantine capital, it had three gold-plated gates, of which the middle one was larger than the two side gates, which can still be seen today. The Byzantine complex was an important site especially for the Ottomans, who expanded Yedikule after the conquest of Istanbul. It served them as a treasury, dungeon and place of execution at the same time. The most famous prisoner of Yedikule was the young Sultan Osman II, who was strangled on 20 May 1622 in one of the towers. One of the most expensive builds of its time, Yedikule Fortress originally had four towers. The first tower in the Yedikule fortress was built by II. Theodosius in 413 and his son had four high observation towers built. Three more towers were added in 1543 by Mehmet the Conqueror. You can see the towers even today, and they are named as the Flag Tower, Sultan Ahmet III Tower, the Armory Tower, the Dungeon Tower, Top Tower, Treasure Tower, and Young Osman Tower. The Young Osman Tower was the site of Sultan Osman II’s death, during his imprisonment.

At the beginning of the 12th century, this complex, formerly used as a monastery, was built by Emperor John II and his wife Irene, who can be seen on one of the mosaics in the Hagia Sophia as an imperial family. After the conquest of Constantinople, the Ottomans converted the church into a mosque and named it Molla Zeyrek Camii. Nikephoros, who was a famous architect at that time, built two churches connected in the middle with a funerary chapel and surrounded by a hospital, a nursing home, a mental hospital and several monastery cells. Since 1206, Hodegetria, the Icon of Constantinople has been kept in the monastery as a unique reliquary. The complex of the Zeyrek Mosque houses, after the Hagia Sophia, the second largest still existing church, built in the Byzantine period. Until recently, the Zeyrek Mosque was on the list of the most endangered 100 cultural monuments of the World Monuments Fund. However, the complex is being carefully restored by the Koç Foundation.