Top Attractions in Istanbul

Topkapı Palace

The Topkapı Palace is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the one of the major residency of the Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years of their 624-year reign. As well as a royal residence, the palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments. It is now a museum and as such a major tourist attraction. It also contains important holy relics of the Muslim world, including Muhammeds cloak and sword. The Topkapı Palace is among the monuments contained within the "Historic Areas of Istanbul", which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and is described under UNESCOs criterion iv as "the best example of ensembles of palaces of the Ottoman period." The palace complex consists of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. At its peak, the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people, and covered a large area with a long shoreline. It contained mosques, a hospital, bakeries, and a mint. Construction began in 1459, ordered by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Byzantine Constantinople. It was originally called the New Palace to distinguish it from the previous residence. It received the name "Topkapı" in the 19th century, after a gate and shore pavilion. The complex was expanded over the centuries, with major renovations after the 1509 earthquake and the 1665 fire. After the 17th century, the Topkapı Palace gradually lost its importance as the sultans preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosphorus. In 1856, Sultan Abdül Mecid I decided to move the court to the newly built Dolmabahçe Palace, the first European-style palace in the city. Some functions, such as the imperial treasury, the library, and the mint, were retained in the Topkapı Palace. Following the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1923, Topkapı Palace was transformed by a government decree dated April 3, 1924, into a museum of the imperial era. The Topkapı Palace Museum is administered by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The palace complex has hundreds of rooms and chambers, but only the most important are accessible to the public today. The complex is guarded by officials of the ministry as well as armed guards of the Turkish military. The palace includes many fine examples of Ottoman architecture. It contains large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasures and jewelry.

Yıldız Park

Yıldız Park is a historical, urban park in Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is one of the largest public parks in Istanbul. The park is located in Yıldız quarter between the palaces of Yıldız and Çırağan.

Taksim Square

Taksim Square, situated in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the central station of the Istanbul Metro network. Taksim Square is also the location of the Monument of the Republic which was crafted by Pietro Canonica and inaugurated in 1928. The monument commemorates the 5th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, following the Turkish War of Independence.

Istanbul University

Istanbul University is a prominent Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square in the Fatih district, on the European side of the city.

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia is a former Christian patriarchal basilica, later an imperial mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. From the date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as a Greek Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935. The church was dedicated to the Wisdom of God, the Logos, the second person of the Holy Trinity, its patronal feast taking place on 25 December, the commemoration of the birth of the incarnation of the Logos in Christ. Although sometimes referred to as Sancta Sophia, sophia being the phonetic spelling in Latin of the Greek word for wisdom, its full name in Greek is Ναός τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας, "Shrine of the Holy Wisdom of God". Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture". It remained the worlds largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520. The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and was the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site, the previous two having both been destroyed by rioters. It was designed by the Greek scientists Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles. The church contained a large collection of holy relics and featured, among other things, a 15-metre silver iconostasis. The focal point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly one thousand years, the building witnessed the excommunication of Patriarch Michael I Cerularius on the part of Pope Leo IX in 1054, an act which is commonly considered the start of the Great Schism. In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, who ordered this main church of Orthodox Christianity converted into a mosque. By that point, the church had fallen into a state of disrepair. Nevertheless, the Christian cathedral made a strong impression on the new Ottoman rulers and they decided to convert it into a mosque. The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels and other relics were removed and the mosaics depicting Jesus, his Mother Mary, Christian saints and angels were also removed or plastered over. Islamic features—such as the mihrab, minbar, and four minarets—were added. It remained a mosque until 1931, when it was closed to the public for four years. It was re-opened in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey. Hagia Sophia is currently the second-most visited museum in Turkey, attracting almost 3.3 million visitors annually. From its initial conversion until the construction of the nearby larger Sultan Ahmed Mosque in 1616, it was the principal mosque of Istanbul. The Hagia Sophia served as inspiration for many other Ottoman mosques, such as the Blue Mosque, the Şehzade Mosque, the Süleymaniye Mosque, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque.

Yıldız Palace

Yıldız Palace is a vast complex of former imperial Ottoman pavilions and villas in Istanbul, Turkey, built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was used as a residence by the Sultan and his court in the late 19th century.

Gülhane Park

Gülhane Park is a historical urban park in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey; it is located adjacent to and on the grounds of the Topkapı Palace. The south entrance of the park sports one of the larger gates of the palace. It is the oldest and one of the most expansive public parks in Istanbul.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Sultan Ahmet Mosque is a historic mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Its Külliye contains a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is still popularly used as a mosque.

Valens Aqueduct

The Valens Aqueduct is a Roman aqueduct which was the major water-providing system of the Eastern Roman capital of Constantinople . Completed by Roman Emperor Valens in the late 4th century AD, it was maintained and used by the Byzantines and later the Ottomans, and remains one of the most important landmarks of the city.

Church of St. Mary of the Spring

The Monastery of the Mother of God at the Spring or simply Zoödochos Pege, is an Eastern Orthodox sanctuary in Istanbul. The present church, built in 1835, bears the same dedication as the shrine erected in this place between the end of the fifth and the beginning of the sixth century. After several renovations, this building was destroyed in the first half of the fifteenth century by the Ottomans. The complex got its name from a nearby holy spring, reputed to have healing properties. For almost fifteen hundred years, this sanctuary has been one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Greek Orthodoxy.

Dolmabahçe Palace

Dolmabahçe Palace located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European coastline of the Bosphorus strait, served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922, apart from a 22-year interval in which Yıldız Palace was used.

Anadoluhisarı

Anadoluhisarı is a fortress located in Istanbul, Turkey on the Anatolian side of the Bosporus, which also gives its name to the quarter around it. It was built between 1393 and 1394 by the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I "The Thunderbolt" as part of his preparations for the Second Ottoman Siege of Constantinople, which took place in 1395. Sultan Bayezid built it on the ruins of a temple of Uranus Originally named Güzelcehisar Anadoluhisarı, constructed on an area of 7,000 m², is situated at the narrowest point with 660 m of the Bosporus strait and next to a creek named Göksu . The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, the second bridge spanning Bosporus, is located just north of the fortress. Another fortress, Rumelihisarı, was built between 1451 and 1452 by Sultan Mehmed II opposite of Anadoluhisarı on the European side in order to obtain absolute control over the sea traffic of the Bosporus Strait, which was especially vital for the Genoese in Galata, who were allied with the Byzantines and had colonies in the Black Sea such as Caffa, Sinop and Amasra. Anadoluhisarı was erected as a watch fort. It has a 25 m high, quadratic main tower within the walls of an irregular pentagon with five watchtowers at the corners. There is a masjid in the fortress. It is the oldest Turkish architectural structure built in Istanbul. The fortress was named "Güzelce Hisar" in historical documents. Sultan Mehmed II reinforced the fortress with a 2 m thick wall around it, which had three watchtowers. Some extension buildings like warehouse and houses were added as well. Due to changes made in the past, it no longer retains its original appearance. Following the conquest of Constantinople, it served as a military prison. The Turkish Ministry of Culture restored the site in 1991 1993. Today, this small fort creates a picturesque appearance with the old wooden houses leaning to its walls and its surroundings. Anadoluhisarı is a museum, but not open to public.

Odalar Mosque

The Odalar Mosque was an Ottoman mosque in Istanbul. The building was originally a Byzantine-era Eastern Orthodox church of unknown dedication. In 1475, after the Fall of Constantinople, it became a Roman Catholic church, dedicated to Saint Mary of Constantinople, until finally it was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans in 1640. The mosque was destroyed by fire in 1919, and since then has fallen into ruin. As of 2011, only some walls remain, hidden among modern buildings.

Adile Sultan Palace

Adile Sultan Palace is the former royal residence of Ottoman princess Adile Sultan. It was donated to the state by Adile Sultan to be used as a school building for the Kandilli Anatolian High School for Girls and is today a cultural center. It is located in the Kandilli neighbourhood of Istanbul, Turkey.

Aynalıkavak Palace

Aynalıkavak Palace is a former Ottoman palace located in the Hasköy neighborhood of Beyoğlu district in Istanbul, Turkey. It was constructed during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I with various additions and changes over time. It is under the administration of the Turkish Department of National Palaces.

Feriye Palace

The Feriye Palace is a complex of Ottoman imperial palace buildings along the European shoreline of the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey. Currently, the buildings host educational institutions such as a high school and a university. The palace complex was commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz in 1871, and designed by architect Sarkis Balyan. The buildings were built to meet the need of the extended family members of the imperial court for residence. The palace, which was constructed in addition to Dolmabahçe Palace and Çırağan Palace, took the name "Feriye" meaning "secondary" or "auxiliary" in Ottoman Turkish language. It consists of three main buildings on the waterfront, a ward for concubines, a small two-story building and outbuildings on the backside. On May 30, 1876, Sultan Abdülaziz was deposed by his ministers. He moved to Feriye Palace at his own request after a four-day stay in Topkapı Palace. Shortly after, he was found wrists cut at Feriye Palace. This was documented as a suicide at the time. Various members of the Ottoman imperial court resided in Feriye Palace until March 3, 1924, the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate by the parliament of the newly founded Republic of Turkey. The buildings remained vacant for a period of time following the external deportation of the last caliph Abdülmecid II together with the court members.

Miniatürk

Miniatürk is a miniature park situated at the north-eastern shore of Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. It was opened May 2, 2003. Miniatürk covers a total area of 60,000 square metres . It is one of the world's largest miniature parks with its 15,000 m2 model area. The park contains 122 models in 1:25 scale. It contains structures from in and around Turkey, as well as interpretations of historic structures.

Basilica Cistern

The Basilica Cistern, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The cistern, located 500 feet southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.

Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. In 2014, it is listed No.1 among worlds most-visited tourist attractions with 91,250,000 annual visitors.

Istanbul Zoology Museum

Istanbul Zoology Museum, more precisely Zoology Museum of Istanbul University is a natural history museum, located in Istanbul Universitys Vezneciler Campus at Fatih, Istanbul featuring animal collections. It was founded in 1933 and rearranged in 1989. The museum is owned and maintained by the Department of Biology at Faculty of Science.

Monastery of Stoudios

The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios", often shortened to Stoudios, Studion, or Stoudion,, was historically the most important monastery of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The residents of the monastery were referred to as Stoudites . Although the monastery has been derelict for half a millennium, the laws and customs of the Stoudion were taken as models by the monks of Mount Athos and of many other monasteries of the Orthodox world; even today they have influence. The ruins of the monastery are situated not far from the Propontis in the section of the city called Psamathia, todays Koca Mustafa Paşa. It was founded in 462 by the consul Stoudios, a Roman patrician who had settled in Constantinople, and was consecrated to Saint John the Baptist. Its first monks came from the monastery of Acoemetae.

Yoros Castle

Yoros Castle is a Byzantine ruined castle at the confluence of the Bosphorus and the Black Sea, to the north of Joshuas Hill, in Istanbul, Turkey. It is also commonly referred to as the Genoese Castle, due to Genoa’s possession of it in the mid-15th century.

Obelisk of Theodosius

The Obelisk of Theodosius is the Ancient Egyptian obelisk of Pharaoh Thutmose III re-erected in the Hippodrome of Constantinople by the Roman emperor Theodosius I in the 4th century AD.

Beylerbeyi Palace

The Beylerbeyi Palace is located in the Beylerbeyi neighbourhood of Istanbul, Turkey at the Asian side of the Bosphorus. An Imperial Ottoman summer residence built in the 1860s, it is now situated immediately north of the 1973 Bosphorus Bridge.

Dubai Towers Istanbul

Dubai Towers Istanbul was a skyscraper project that was to be built in the district of Levent, in Istanbul, Turkey. It comprised a twin-tower complex which was to contain extensive office space, residential apartments and penthouses, retail outlets and boutique hotels. Had it been completed, the towers would have become the two tallest buildings in Turkey. Tower 1 was expected to reach a height of more than 300m and Tower 2 over 350m . The site for the project was the former IETT Bus Garage, on Büyükdere Avenue in the financial district of Levent. This prime plot of land is located amongst many of Istanbul's current crop of skyscrapers - across the road from the Sapphire of Istanbul (Turkey's current tallest building),and will reach 261m in height. The project was proposed by developers Sama Dubai (formerly Dubai International Properties) who saw Istanbul as potential for foreign investment. The project will cost US$500,000,000 and is part of a US$5billion investment into the city. The agreement states that Sama Dubai will hold 80% of DTI's shares, while the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, which currently owns the land plot, will hold 20%. The project was cancelled in 2012.

Little Hagia Sophia

Little Hagia Sophia, formerly the Church of the Saints Sergius and Bacchus, is a former Eastern Orthodox church dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus in Constantinople, converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire. This Byzantine building with a central dome plan was erected in the sixth century by Justinian, likely was a model for Hagia Sophia, and is one of the most important early Byzantine buildings in Istanbul. It was recognized at the time as an adornment to the entire city, and a modern historian of the East Roman Empire has written that the church, "by the originality of its architecture and the sumptuousness of its carved decoration, ranks in Constantinople second only to St. Sophia itself".

Chora Church

The Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora is a former Byzantine church, later Ottoman mosque, and current museum in the Edirnekapı neighborhood of Istanbul. The neighborhood is situated in the western part of the municipality of the Fatih district. In the 16th century, during the Ottoman era, the church was converted into a mosque, before becoming a museum in 1948. The interior of the building is covered with the original Byzantine-era mosaics and frescoes unearthed after its secularization.

Istanbul Military Museum

Istanbul Military Museum is dedicated to one thousand years of Turkish military history. It is one of the leading museums of its kind in the world. The museum is open to the public everyday except Mondays and Tuesdays. The museum initially opened in Saint Irene Church. Later in 1950, it was moved to the First Army Headquarters building in Cumhuriyet Caddesi, Harbiye, not far from Taksim Square in Istanbul. Harbiye district was the site of the Ottoman imperial military academy, the empires "West Point" or "Sandhurst" and is still an important military installation. A fine collection of historical weapons, uniforms and tools of various periods of the army are on display. The highlights are the magnificent campaign tents and standards. Outside the museum, interesting Ottoman cannons and mortars, a rail gun, aircraft, helicopters are on display. The military museum and culture center was renovated and reopened at its present building in 1993 with a very successful and contemporary exhibition concept. Today in 22 rooms about nine thousand pieces from the Ottoman era through World War I are exhibited, out of a total collection of fifty thousand objects. It holds striking historical treasures such as the chain that the Byzantines stretched across the mouth of the Golden Horn to keep out the Sultans navy in 1453 during the siege of Constantinople. The east wing of the museum is used for temporary exhibitions, meetings and similar activities. On the ground floor, the display of bows and arrows in the first room is followed by sections containing the weapons and other regalia of the cavalry, curved daggers and lancets carried by foot soldiers in the 15th century, 17th century copper head armor for horses and Ottoman shields carried by the janissaries, and sections devoted to Selim I, Mehmet the Conqueror, the conquest of Istanbul, weaponry from the early Islamic, Iranian, Caucasian, European and Turkish periods. This floor also houses a unique collection of helmets and armor, as well as the sections allocated to firearms and great field tents used by sultans on their campaigns. On the upper floor there are rooms where objects from World War I, the Battle of Gallipoli, and the Turkish War of Independence, and uniforms from more recent times are displayed. There is also a room which is dedicated to Atatürk,the very eminent Turk, who studied here in this building when it was a military academy between 1899-1905. The Janissary Band "Mehter Takımı", world’s oldest military band gives concerts of march music in traditional uniforms each afternoon. The Ottomans was the first to use musicians in military campaigns and to integrate music into the life and work of the army. After a town had been conquered, the Mehter preceded the conquering Ottoman commander on a procession through the town, playing slow-cadence marches in exotic minor modes. The boom of kettledrums, invented by the Mehter, the wail of oboes and clash of cymbals, was meant to glorify the conquest and impress upon the populace that they were now part of an entirely different civilization. In 1957, the museum was reorganized by General Ahmet Hulki Saral.

Republic Monument

The Republic Monument is a notable monument located at Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey to commemorate the formation of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Built in two and half years with financial support from the population and unveiled by Dr. Hakkı Şinasi Pasha on August 8, 1928, it was designed by Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica. The 11 m high monument portrays the founders of the Turkish Republic, prominent are depictions of Kemal Atatürk, who commissioned the work, his assistant İsmet İnönü, and Fevzi Çakmak. The monument has two sides, the side facing northward depicts Atatürk at an earlier period and the other one facing Istiklal Caddesi has Atatürk and his comrades dressed in modern, western-European clothing, symbolizing him in both his roles, as military commander-in-chief and as statesman. Mikhail Frunze, an important leader of the October Revolution, and Kliment Voroshilov, a Marshal of the Soviet Union, are among the group behind Atatürk. Their presence in the monument, ordered by Atatürk, points out to the military aid given by Vladimir Lenin during the Turkish War of Independence in 1920. Cumhuriyet Anıtı is an important site, where official ceremonies on national holidays are being held.

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit

The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, alternatively known as the St. Esprit Cathedral, located on Cumhuriyet Avenue, 205/B, in the quarter of Pangaltı in Şişli district, the former Harbiye, between Taksim Square and Nişantaşı, is one of the principal Catholic churches in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the second largest Roman Catholic church in the city after the Basilica of S. Antonio di Padova on İstiklal Avenue in Beyoğlu. The church was built in Baroque style in 1846 under the direction of the Swiss-Italian architect Giuseppe Fossati and his colleague Julien Hillereau. St. Esprit has been a destination of several papal visits to Turkey, including those of Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. A statue of Pope Benedict XV stands in the courtyard of the cathedral. Giuseppe Donizetti, a musician at the court of Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, is buried in the vaults of the church.

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Top Attractions in Istanbul

Topkapı Palace

Yıldız Park

Taksim Square

Istanbul University

Hagia Sophia

Yıldız Palace

Gülhane Park

Sultan Ahmed Mosque

Valens Aqueduct

Church of St. Mary of the Spring

Dolmabahçe Palace

Anadoluhisarı

Odalar Mosque

Adile Sultan Palace

Aynalıkavak Palace

Feriye Palace

Miniatürk

Basilica Cistern

Grand Bazaar

Istanbul Zoology Museum

Monastery of Stoudios

Yoros Castle

Obelisk of Theodosius

Beylerbeyi Palace

Dubai Towers Istanbul

Little Hagia Sophia

Chora Church

Istanbul Military Museum

Republic Monument

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit

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