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Little Hagia Sophia (Küçük Ayasofya Mh., Fatih/İstanbul) — The oldest surviving Byzantine monument in Istanbul, Küçük (“Little”) Hagia Sophia was constructed under the emperor Justinian near the southern city walls on the shores of the Sea of Marmara in 527–536 AD. In 1504, the building was converted into a mosque. In the 1950s, the area […]

Istanbul Modern / Istanbul Museum of Modern Art (Meclis-i Mebusan Cad. Liman İşletmeleri Sahası Antrepo 4, Karaköy, Istanbul) — The Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Turkey’s first private museum to organize modern and contemporary art exhibitions was founded in 2004 and occupies an 8,000 square meter site on the shores of the Bosphorus. Istanbul Modern […]

Istanbul Military Museum (Valikonagi Caddesi, Harbiye, Istanbul) – this is one of the world’s leading museums of its kind in terms of the richness and variety of its collections. Its foundations were laid as early as in the 15th century. After the conquest of Istanbul by the Turks in 1453, the Byzantine Hagia Irene Church […]

Istanbul Archaeology Museums (Alemdar Cad. Osman Hamdi Bey Yokuşu Sk, Sultanahmet / Fatih, İstanbul) — The İstanbul Archaeological Museums, which are affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, are located in İstanbul’s Sultanahmet neighborhood, on the Osman Hamdi Bey slope connecting the Gülhane Park with the Topkapı Palace. Its name is plural, since there […]

Hagia Sophia Museum (Sultanahmet Mh., Ayasofya Meydanı, Fatih/İstanbul) — Hagia Sophia is the one of the most visited museums and most prominent monuments in the world, in terms of art and the history of architecture. It has also been called “the eighth wonder of the world” by East Roman Philon as far back as the […]

Great Palace Mosaic Museum (Arasta Çarşısı, Sultanahmet Mahallesi Fatih İstanbul) — The Museum of Great Palace Mosaics is located in Arasta Bazaar within the Sultanahmet Mosque compound. The museum constituted in such a way that containing the mosaic pavement partially intact in the northeast section of the arcaded yard of the Great Palace of East-Roman […]

Galata Tower (Buyuk Hendek Cad., Istanbul) — The Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) is the most recognizable landmark of the Golden Horn. The cylindrical tower with its conical cap rises high above all other buildings on the east bank of the Golden Horn and provides a magnificent 360 degree view of Istanbul. The original tower was […]

Dolmabahce Palace (Vişnezade Mh., Beşiktaş/İstanbul) – this palace, built in 19th century, is one of the most glamorous palaces in the world. It was the administrative center of the late Ottoman Empire with the last of Ottoman Sultans was residing there. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic in Ankara, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk transferred all […]

Ciragan Palace (Ciragan Caddesi 32, Istanbul) – this palace was built by Sultan Abdulaziz between 1863 and 1872   Abdulaziz resided there until his death in 1876.  The word “Ciagan” is Persian for :”light spreading”.  His successor (Sultan Murad V – his nephew) moved in and stayed for just 93 days (when he was dethroned by […]

Chora Church (Ayvansaray Mh., Kariye Cami Sk. No:26, Fatih/İstanbul) — the Turkish word Kariye is derived from the ancient Greek word Chora meaning outside of the city (land).  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 […]