Are you a history lover? Well in this list you will find the top must visit historical places in Istanbul.
Hagia Sophia
It was originally constructed as a church during Byzantine times. The church was converted into a masjid in 1453, after Sultan Mehmed, the Conqueror took over what was formerly Constantinople. It has seen many restorations and repairs in the time since. Mimar Sinan and Kazasker Mustafa Izzet, two prominent Ottoman figures, worked on the site, which was later opened as a museum and added promptly to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. During the year 2020, the building was turned into a masjid.
Istanbul Archaeological Museums
The Istanbul Archeology Museums are a group of three archaeological museums in Istanbul, Turkey, close to Gülhane Park and Topkapi Palace. In Istanbul, there are three museums dedicated to archaeology: the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Ancient Orient, and the Museum of Islamic Art.
Galata Tower
On the European side of the city is the 67-meter-high (220-foot-high) tower which was built in 1348 as a watchtower and later rebuilt during the Ottoman era as an observation post against fires. With a narrow panoramic deck at the top, it offers a splendid view of the Golden Horn today. When it was constructed, the tower was the tallest building in the city. It has been repaired several times since a fire damaged it in the 19th century. This building was last renovated in the 1960s when its roof was rebuilt and its wooden interior was replaced by a concrete structure.
Sultan Ahmet Mosque
The magnificent Blue Mosque, dating back to 1616, is one of the most beautiful historical sites in Istanbul. The mosque is still open daily for prayers, so foreigners can experience secular Muslims' daily life in Turkey. Visitors to Sultanahmet Cami can view the blue stained glass windows free of charge or make a donation. The Blue Mosque in Istanbul is the most famous place in Turkey for its 260 windows and 6 minarets.
The Maiden's Tower
Originally called Leander's Tower, Maiden's Tower is an ancient tower on a small islet at the southern entrance of the Bosporus 200 meters (655 feet) from the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul. As well as being a tax collection tower and a defence tower, Maiden's Tower served many other purposes over the years such as a hospital and a radio station during the cholera epidemic in 1830. The tower was handed over to the Ministry of Defense and then to Maritime Enterprises, and currently, it functions as a private restaurant.
Topkapı Palace Museum
Topkapi Palace is one of Istanbul's most historically significant buildings. For more than 50,000 inhabitants, it served as a fully functional metropolis. It is a huge jumble of ancient structures such as kitchens, circumcision chambers, and the much-discussed harem as the controlling hub from which the Ottoman Empire ran. The arrangement is rather haphazard as a result of 400 years of additions and renovations, yet within the walls, ancient artefacts depict the lives of Ottoman sultans through their clothing, armoury, and jewellery, while prize items from Muhammad are housed in the sacred relic chamber.
Basilica Cistern
The cistern is most known to James Bond fans as the setting for his film "From Russia with Love." In a little boat, he cruised between the massive stone columns that supported the cistern that provided water to Sultanahmet, Istanbul's historic quarter. Large carp fish lighted by lighting are the only figures allowed in the water these days. Most people instead go to the cistern's rear to witness Medusa's distinctive upside-down heads.
St. George's Cathedral
The Church of St. George is the greatest Greek Orthodox cathedral still in use in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city and, until 1453, the capital of the Byzantine Empire as Constantinople. It has been the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople since the 1600s, whose leader is considered the primus inter pares (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians across the world.
Dolmabahçe Palace
Six sultans resided in Dolmabahçe Palace, which was erected under Abdülmecid I's orders. The palace held Caliph Abdülmecid Efendi, the last ruler of the Ottoman Empire, with its eclectic design incorporating features from baroque, rococo, and neoclassical styles, as well as traditional Ottoman architecture. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the creator of the Turkish republic, used the palace as his presidential home after the nation's formation. On November 10, 1938, Atatürk died at the palace, where he had spent his final days.
Grand Bazaar
Away from Sultanahmet's ancient historical quarter, first-time tourists frequently visit Turkey's largest and oldest marketplace, the Grand Bazaar, for a unique shopping experience. This edifice, which is made up of a convoluted network of passages and little courtyards, sells everything you can imagine. The Grand Bazaar's 61 covered streets and more than 3000 stores make it a perfect spot to buy gifts, yet prepare to be surrounded by crowds, as more than 250,000 people pass through its gates every day.
VALENS AQUEDUCT
Valens Aqueduct is located in the middle of Istanbul's ancient peninsula, adjacent to notable landmarks such as Pantokrator Monastery (Zeyrek Mosque), ehzade Mosque, Vefa Kilise Mosque, and Kalenderhane Mosque. An aqueduct is a construction that provides a continuous flow of water to a city and its residents. Underground water channels, water pipelines, tunnels, and aqueduct bridges are examples of these structures. Valens Aqueduct, about 920 meters long, is one of the aqueduct bridges of the Valens Aqueduct System, which transports water from Thrace to Constantinople (Byzantine Istanbul), about 240 kilometres away.
The Valens Aqueduct System took 28 days to be constructed, and the most recent research on the aqueduct suggests that it was 336 km long with its branches, over three times larger than the known length of any Roman water supply.
Cistern of Theodosius
The "Cistern of Theodosius" (Turkisk erefiye Sarnc) is located southeast of the Forum of Constantine, west of the "Cistern of Philoxenos." The cistern is approximately 24x40 meters in size and is composed of brick- lined with hydraulic mortar. Its roof is supported by 32 marble columns (4 rows of 8 columns) with Corinthian capitals and impost blocks, which are supported by a series of brick vaults. It appears to be from the fifth century.
While it is commonly referred to as the Theodosius Cistern, it was really located in the Fifth Region of Constantinople, which was northeast of this cistern. Other cisterns, like the Cisterna Maxima, which is claimed to be near the Forum of Constantine, are known to have been nearby.
Fener (the Vatican of the Greeks)
Fener, a very impressive neighbourhood, provides visitors with a fantastic experience with its authentic atmosphere, which includes many interesting churches, Fener Greek Patriarchate, unusual architecture and splendour, Fener Greek High School for Boys, narrow streets and slopes with colourful cafes, restaurants, and antique shops.
Fener has been a Greek neighbourhood since the 16th century, and rich Greeks who resided there rose to positions of power throughout the Ottoman Empire. The Greeks remained in Fener until the mid-twentieth century. Following then, destitute immigrants from eastern Turkey became increasingly prevalent.
Did you know Fener is known as the "Vatican of Greek Orthodoxy"? Fener is home to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Bulgarian Church of St. Stephen, one of the world's few prefabricated cast iron churches. The Fener Greek Patriarchate is still the mother church of Greek Orthodox Christianity across the world.
Balat (an old Jewish quarter)
Balat, which is neighbouring to Fener, attracts people in the same way that Fener does, with its colourful cafés and restaurants, antique and vintage stores, vestiges of Jewish past, and many synagogues and churches. Since the Byzantines, Greek-speaking Jews have lived in Balat. However, in the 15th century, exiled Sephardic Jews from Spain arrived in Balat.
The Balat region is likewise rich in Byzantine legacy. Because it was an old Jewish district, it was always poorer than Fener. Balat has a sizable Jewish population, therefore there are several synagogues and Jewish enterprises, as well as some churches and mosques.
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