TOPKAPI PALACE
TOPKAPI PALACE :is the symbol and the center of the Ottoman
Empire. By Bogazici (Bosphorus) and the Marmara sea, It stands as
an amazing building that was the great palace of the Ottoman
Sultans. When Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror took Istanbul in 1453, he
first ordered the construction of a new palace for this new Ottoman
capital. This was to become the palace known as Topkapi. The palace
is a collection of buildings arranged around a series of courtyards
and has incredible collections of jewels, China, pieces of Ottoman
and Islamic artwork .
SAINT SOPHIA MUSEUM
Saint Sophie(HAGIA SOPHIA MUSEUM);
It is known as the church of the Divine Wisdom. It was designed
to show the strength and wealth of the Roman Emperors. Once it was
the greatest Christian church in the world. Haghia Sophia, the
"Church of Holy Wisdom", was built by the Emperor Justinianin the
6th century. It was, for nearly a thousand years, the largest
enclosed spacein the world, and still seen as one of the world’s
most important architecturalmonuments. It was used as church for
916 years, as mosque for 481 years and wasconverted into museum in
1935.
SULTANAHMET MOSQUE (THE BLUE MOSQUE)
Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque):It is also known as the Blue
Mosque, because of its magnificient interior decorations of blue
Iznik tiles. Outside of the mosque stands the turbe or the tomb of
Sultan Ahmet. It is decorated with 17th century Iznik tiles. The
Sultan was buried here along with his wife and three sons. It was
built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Mehmet. It is
considered to be the last example of Ottoman classical
architecture.During the summer months, an evening light and sound
show history of it
BASILICA CISTERN
BASILICA CISTERN: It was built in the fourth century and is one
of the underground cisterns . It has been extensively excavated and
renovated and is worth visiting and exploring while listening to
the tunes of classical music. This extraordinary subterranean
structure, built by Justinian in 532 and is the largest surviving
Byzantine cistern in İstanbul. Now It is one of the city’s most
popular tourist attractions .The cistern was constructed using
columns, capitals and plinths from ruined buildings, and its
symmetry and sheer grandeur of conception are quite extraordinary.
There are two columns in the northwestern corner supported by
blocks carved into Medusa heads .
ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUMS
ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUMS: This is in close vicinity of Topkapi
Palace, in the direction of Gulhane park entrance. There are many
collections in the museum. From Egyptian and Assyrian empires to
Roman and Byzantine statues, marvellous sarchophagi, and pieces of
Temples. The rich collection of ancient art are brought from
anicent sites all over Anatolia (Turkey). The Istanbul Archaeology
Museums (Turkish: İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri) is a group of three
archeological museums located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul,
Turkey, near Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace.
The Istanbul Archaeology Museums consists of three museums.
1. Archaeological Museum (in the main building)
2. Museum of the Ancient Orient
3. Museum of Islamic Art (in the Tiled Kiosk).
It houses over one million objects that represent almost all of
the eras and civilizations in world history.
SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE
SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE : The Süleymaniye Mosque is an Ottoman
imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It
is the second largest mosque in the city, and one of the best-known
sights of Istanbul. The Suleymaniye Mosque was built on the order
of Sultan Suleyman (Suleyman the Magnificent).It was built by Mimar
Sinan, the great architect, and completed in just eight years and
The construction work began in 1550 and the mosque was finished in
1558.It is considered to be the most beautiful of all Imperial
mosques in Istanbul. It dominates the skyline of the Golden Horn.
Adjoining the mosque ,there are schools of theology, schools of
Medicine, and a caravanserai.
View of Suleymaniye Mosque from Karaköy across the Golden
Horn.
DOLMABAHCE PALACE
DOLMABAHCE PALACE : Dolmabahçe Palace was home to six Sultans
from 1856, when it was first inhabited, up until the abolition of
the Caliphate in 1924. The last royal to live here was Caliph
Abdülmecid Efendi. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first
President of the Republic of Turkey, used the palace as a
presidential residence during the summers and made some of his most
important works here. Atatürk spent the last days of his medical
treatment in this palace, where he died on November 10, 1938 This
palace was located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on
the European coastline of the Bosphorus strait.
GRAND BAZAAR
GRAND BAZAAR : The Grand Bazaar (meaning Covered Bazaar) in
Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the
world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 4,000 shops which
attract between 250,000 and half a million visitors daily.
It is the world's biggest covered historic Bazaar. It is one of
the most famous spots of Istanbul, always filled with crowds who
come to both shop and see window-shop carpets, jewellery,
leathers,handcrafts, home decoration items and many more. The
construction of Grand bazaar began in 1455 and opened in 1461. It
is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet
shops.
TURKISH AND ISLAMIC ART MUSEUM
TURKISH AND ISLAMIC ARTS MUSEUM :It was the Palace of Ibrahim
Pasa, now is a museum containing a large collection of Islamic
artwork. The Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum is a museum located in
Sultanahmet Square in Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey.It was
constructed in 1524, the building was formerly the palace of
İbrahim Pasha, who was the first grand vizier to Suleyman the
Magnificent.The collection includes notable examples of Islamic
calligraphy, tiles, and rugs as well as ethnographic displays on
various cultures of Turkey,
BEYLERBEYI PALACE
BEYLERBEYI PALACE :It is located on the Asian side of the
Bosphorus and slightly to the north of Dolmabahce Palace.It is
right under the first bridge which connects Asia and Europe. The
palace is a nice example of Ottoman architecture. Beylerbeyi means
‘Lord of Lords’. Beylerbeyi Palace was commissioned by Sultan
Abdülaziz (1830–1876) and built between 1861 and 1865 as a summer
residence and a place to entertain visiting heads of state.
CHORA CHURCH (MUSEUM)
Chora Church;(Chora Museum) It is known also as St. Saviour,
this church is famous for its mosaics. The second most important
Byzantine church in Istanbul, has beautiful frescoes with the theme
of death and resurrection. The church is situated in Istanbul, in
the Edirnekapı neighborhood, which lies in the western part of the
municipality of Fatih,In Istanbul. In the 16th century, the church
was converted into a mosque by the Ottoman rulers, and it became a
museum in 1948. The interior of the building is covered with fine
mosaics and frescoes.
EYGPTIAN (SPICE) BAZAAR
SPICE BAZAAR: It is a small bazaar, known in Turkish as SPICE
BAZAAR. As the name suggests that the shops have hundreds of
different spices and different types of food, from caviars to
pistachios. Istanbul's Egyptian (Spice) bazaar is at the southern
end of the Galata Bridge, is filled with the fragrance of the
exotic East. Spices, dried fruits, nuts and seeds, lokum (Turkish
Delight) and other edibles fill most of the shops, though jewelry
and other high-margin goods have begun to move in.
ANATOLIAN FORTRESSANADOLUHISARI (ANATOLIAN FORTRESS):
Anatolian Fortress is located on the Asian shore of the city
,Istanbul at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus Strait. Sultan
Yildirim Bayezit built this fortress in 1395 on the ruins of an old
temple dedicated to Zeus. The fortress is much smaller (7.000 m2 -
1,7 acres) in size when you compare it with Rumelihisari on the
European side of Istanbul. Its towers are about 25 meters (82 feet)
high with 2-5 meters (7-16 feet) tickness. The fortress was also
named "Güzelce Hisar" in some historical documents. Today, Anadolu
Hisari is an open air museum but only outer walls can be visited,
and the road passes just through it.
RUMELI FORTRESS
RUMELIHISARI (RUMELI FORTRESS):
Rumeli fortress was built by the sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in
four months only and directly opposite to Anatolian fortress in
1452 during preparation for the final attack on Constantinople,
Byzantine Empire. The fortress is located at the narrowest section
of the Bosphorus Strait .It had 4 main and 1 smaller gate, and 3
large and 1 smaller tower. From a small mosque inside, only its
minaret survived. Rumelihisar suffered from big earthquakes but was
always restored, final restoration was done in 1953 and opened as a
museum. Today, the fortress is open to the public as an open-air
museum and hosts many concerts and dramatic performances in its
amphitheater usually during the summer months.
SAINT ANTONIO PADOVA CHURCH
SAINT ANTONIO PADOVA CHURCH: It is alternatively known as the
Sant'Antonio di Padova Church and is the largest church of the
Roman Catholic Church in Constantinople/Istanbul, Turkey. It is
located on Istiklal Avenue in the Beyoğlu district.The original St.
Anthony of Padua Church was built in 1725 by the local Italian
community of Istanbul, but was later rebuilt.The church is
considered a minor basilica and is run by Italian priests.
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