Historical Buildings and monuments
Blue Mosque
Historical Buildings in
- Old City
- The Blue Mosque : 1609-1616 It was the only mosque that was built with 6 minarets in Ottoman Empire. It is famous with its tiles.
- Hagia Sophia : he most important monuments that survived up to now. Hagia Sophia was built during rulership of Emperor Constantinus the 1st (324-337) ....
- Suleymaniye Mosque : It is built by Mimar Sinan between 1550-1557 in the name of Kanuni Sultan Suleyman ( Suleiman the Magnificient ). It is a part of Suleymaniye Kulliye which comprises of a library, madrasah, hospital, bathhouse, soup kitchen and old burial ground.
- Eyup Sultan Mosque : One of the most holy and important mosques , located on the site of the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari who was both a friend and standard bearer for the Prophet Muhammed, and was killed during the first Arab siege of Constantinople
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New Mosque
Yeni Camii : ( New Mosque ): A mosque with 66 domes whose four are in the corners.
- Tekfur Palace: The ruins of The Palace of the Porphyrogenitus which is built in 13th century.
- Aynalikavak Pavilion : Last example of traditional Ottoman architecture with duplex bloc on seafront and single block on seafront.Downstairs is a small museum which exhibits some of the instruments and gramophone records owned by Fatma Gevheri Sultana ), the granddaughter of Abdulaziz I
- Sultanahmet Square: A square in which you can visit the Blue Mosque , The Obelisk of Theodosius,
The Masonry Obelisk ( or Walled Obelisk ) ,
The Serpent Column ,
German Fountain,
The Tomb of Sultan Ahmet the First ,
The Turkish bathhouse of Hagia Sophia
- Nuruosmaniye Mosque and Kulliye: At the entrance of the Grand Bazaar. Built in 1749. It is composed of Mosque, madrasah, library, library,tomb, imaret
- Yavuz Sultan Selim Mosque: 8 pillars and 22 domes surround the courtyard. There are the tombs of Yavuz Sultan Selim and the princes and the daughters of Sultan Suleyman and Sultan Abdulmecit.
- Topkapi Palace: Contruction started in 1459. It is used as the center of the state until the middle of the 19th century. It has consisted a lot of structures: Manor houses,bedrooms,Treasure, kitchen, Room of Hirka-i Saadet where belonging of the prophet and calphs were kept, Gulhane hospital, Sultan III.Ahmed Library,Enderun school, the Church Hagia Irene , a stable . More ...
- Beyazit Tower: Built in 1828 , used as a watchtower of firemen
- Stephan (Bulgarian) Church : Built in 1898 in Balat street.
- Aya Yorgi Church: Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
- Haseki Hurrem Turkish bath: Located between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque is ordered by the Hurrem Sultan, lover of Suleiman the Magnificient and built by Architect Mimar Sinan.
- The Grand Bazaar : Founded in 1461 , it is the oldest and closed bazaar of the world. 30 700 meter squares area, 60 streets., 5 mosques, 8 fountains, 18 gates, 40 public houses, 1 stream.
- The Covered Bazaar (Bedesten): Ordered by Fatih Sultan Mehmet.
- The Spice Bazaar : Behind the New Mosque ordered by Turhan Sultan 1634-1664
- Mahmutpasha Bazaar: Located between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque is ordered by the Hurrem Sultan, lover of Suleiman the Magnificient and built by Architect Mimar Sinan.
- Tahtakale Bazaar: At the southwest of the Spice Bazaar
- The bazaar of Coppersmiths: Near the Grand Bazaar
- Galata Tower: It is built by Genovese in 1348.
- Boukoleon Palace (Hormistas Palace ) : Old imperial quay in Byzantine era until 13th century.
- Magnaura Palace:Byzantines Emperor used to receive foreign legates in this palace.
- The Cistern of Thousand and One Columns :built in the 4th century in order to meet the water need of the palace of Senator Philoxenus.It was the second biggest water reservoir of Istanbul. There were 224 columns ( 212 Today)
- The Basilica cistern:The biggest cistern of the city. It was built during the rulership of Justinanus the 1st. (527-565)
- Theodosius Victory Arch: Located on the southwestern side of the Beyazit Square.
- Bozdogan Arch (Hadrianus or Valens Arch) Built in order to provide water to Istanbul in Byzantine era.
- Rustempasa Mosque:It was ordered by the Grand Vizier Rustem Pasha who was the son-in-law of Sultan Suleyman.It was completed after his death by his wife Mihrimah Sultan. 1561.
Monuments in Old City:
- The milion stone: The start up of the road to Europe, considered as the center of the world during the Byzantine era.
- The German Fountain : 1898, Octogonal domed fountain presented to Sultan by the German Emperor Wilhelm the 2nd.
- The Column of the Constantine:It is erected after the capital city change from Rome to Istanbul in A.D.330
- The Egyptian (Theodosius) Obelisk : It was brought to Istanbul from Egypt and erected at the hippodrome in 390 during the rulership of Theodosius the 1st.
- The Serpent Column :Constructed by using the melted bronze trophies acquired by the Greek cities after the war against the Persians.( 5th century )
- Masonry ( Walled ) Obelisk : It is a monument woven from raw carved stones. It is also named as The Column of Porphyrogenitus.
- Fountain of Ahmet III : A square fountain built in 1729 by the Grand Vizir Damat Ibrahim Pacha upon the command of Sultan Ahmet III in the name of his other Rabia Emetullah Gulnus Sultan
- European side
- Ciragan Palace : Built in 1871 by the Architect Serkis Balyan with the order of Sultan Abdulaziz. Today it is used as Kempinski Hotel. More ...
- Dolmabahce Palace : built by Sultan Abdulmecid in Bosphorus and was finished in 1856 . Palace was composed of 16 sections. 110.000 m2 area. It is used as museum-palace from 1984. More ...
- Yildiz Palace : Complex of buildings built by Sultans Abdulmecid I and Abdulaziz. It has got 60 rooms and 4 hall rooms. More ...
- Ortakoy Mosque:( Great Mecidiye mosque ) Neo-Baroque style mosque built between 1854-1856 by Nikogos Balyan at the waterside of the Ortakoy pier square in Besiktas. You can see Islamic calligraphy executed by Sultan Abdulmecid himself
- Aga Mosque:Built in 1597 in Taksim
- Firuz Aga Mosque:Built by the instruction of Firuz Aga in Beyoglu, the head treasury keeper of II.Bayezid in 1491
- Arab Mosque:Built in 717 when Istanbul was besieged by Arabs
- Ihlamur pavilion:Built during the reign of Sultan Abdulmecit. Sultan's summer house with beautiful garden . Peacocks, ducks etc...
- Aynalikavak Palace:Former Ottoman palace near Beyoglu constructed during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I
- Tunnel: Built by the British and the French in 1875 cooperatively. It connects Beyoglu to Galata by the underground railway.
- Flower passage:Famous with its alehouses and restaurants in Taksim. There were flower shops at the begining of the 20th century. Flower passage name remained as remembrance.
- Saint Antoine Church: Built in 1912 in Taksim by Italian architect Gulio Mongeri
- Statue of the Republic: It is built in 1928 by Pietro Canonica and put in the Taksim Square. Area planning by Moniceri.
- Asian side
- Beylerbeyi Palace : Built during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz.1861-1865 . More ...
- Atik Valide Mosque : Designed by thr famous architect ( Mimar )Sinan:. It includes also a hamam ( bath ) closer to the mosque, an imaret (soup kitchen), medrese (Islamic school of higher studies), darussifa (hospital) and han (caravanserai). In Uskudar district.
- Valide Mosque : built by Sultan Ahmet III between 1708 and 1710 for his mother, Gulnus Emetullah. in Uskudar district.
- Hidiv pavilion: Built in 1907 by Italian architect Seminati by the order of Abbas Hilmi Pasha
- Kucuksu pavilion: 1857 . Architect Nikogos Balyan by order of Sultan Abdul Mecit
- Maiden's Tower: Located on a small islet located at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus , Salacak Uskudar. It is used as a lighthouse, a watchtower, a traffic control center and a prison. Now it hosts the tourists in a tea/coffee house , restaurant and a museum.
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