ISTANBUL

Tourist Tips:

Many places of tourist interest are concentrated in Sultanahmet, heart of the Imperial Centre of the Ottoman Empire. The most important places are in this area; Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofia, Sultan Ahmet Camii (the Blue Mosque), the Hippodrome, Kapali Carsi (Covered Market), Yerebatan Sarnici and the Museum of Islamic Art. In addition to this wonderful selection of historical and architectural sites, Sultanahmet also has a large concentration of carpet and souvenir shops, hotels and guesthouses, cafes, bars and restaurants, and travel agents.

Basilica Cistern:

This awesome columned cavern was the water source for both the Grand Palace of the Byzantine Empire and for the Ottomans' Topkapi Palace, and was built during the reign of emperor Justinianus in the 6th century.

The cistern is sorrounded by a firebrick wal with a thickness of 4 metres and coated with a special mortar for insulation against water. This cathedral-sized cistern is an underground chamber of 143 by 65 metres, capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres of water. The large space is broken up by a forest of 336 marble columns each 9 metres high. Curiously, the base of one of these columns is carved into the head of a medusa.

Maidens Tower:

Also known as Leander's Tower, it is one of the most romantic symbols of Istanbul. On a tiny island at the entrance to Istanbul's harbour, the first tower was constructed in the 12th century. The Turkish name is derived from a legend. According to the legend, the sultan had this tower built in order to secure his daughter from a prophesy that she would die from the poison of a serpent. The princess was eventually bitten by a poisonous serpent, smuggled out to the islet in a basket of grapes.

The present building dates from the eighteenth century. It has recently been remodelled and converted into a cafe and restaurant.

Golden Horn:

The Golden Horn is an estuary dividing the city of Istanbul. With the Sea of Marmara, the Golden Horn forms a peninsula with a deep natural harbour. This site was originally settled by ancient Greek colonists as the city of Byzantium. The Byzantine Empire had its naval headquarters there, and walls were built along the shoreline to protect the city (by then renamed Constantinople) from naval attacks. At the entrance to the Horn, there was a large, floating boom-chain (a huge line of logs bound together by chains) pulled across from Constantinople to the fortress of Galata on the northern side, preventing unwanted ships from entering.

After the Fall of Constantinople to Mehmed, Greek citizens, the Greek Orthodox Church, Jews, Italian merchants, and other non-Muslims began to live along the Horn in the Phanar (Fener) and Balat districts. Today the Golden Horn is settled on both sides, and there are parks along each shore. The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce is also located along the shore, as is a Muslim cemetery. The Galata Bridge, built in 1836, connects Old Istanbul with the districts of Galata and Eminonu. Two other bridges, the Atatürk Bridge and the Halic Bridge, are located further up the Horn. Until the 1980s the Horn was a dumping ground for industrial waste, but has since been cleaned up and is a popular tourist attraction in Istanbul.

Mosques:

Most mosques in Istanbul are open to the public during the day. Prayer sessions, called namaz, last 30 to 40 minutes and are observed five times daily. Tourists should, however, avoid visiting mosques midday on Friday, when Muslims are required to worship.
For women, bare arms and legs are not acceptable inside a mosque. Men should avoid wearing shorts as well. Women should not enter a mosque without first covering their heads with a scarf. Before entering a mosque, shoes must be removed.

Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque)

Facing St. Sophia stands the supremely elegant, six-minaret, imperial Sultanahmet Mosque. Built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Mehmet, the building is more familiarly known as the Blue Mosque, because its interior is covered with a magnificent paneling of blue and white Iznik tiles.

The location of the mosque is just opposite of the splendid Church of Hagia Sophia as it is trying to compete with it. That is actually true because Architect Mehmed wanted to construct a bigger dome then Hagia Sophia's but he could not succeed. Instead, he made the mosque splendid by the perfect proportion of domes and semidomes as well as the splendid minarets. There is an interesting story of the mosque; according to it, Sultan Ahmet I wanted to have a minaret made of gold which is "altin" in Turkish. The architect misunderstood him as "alti" which means "six" in English. However, when the architect was shivering as "am I going to be beheaded?", the Sultan Ahmed I liked the minarets so much. Prior to that time, no sultan had a mosque with 6 minarets.

Imperial Suleymaniye Mosque:

Considered the most beautiful of all imperial mosques in Istanbul, it was built between 1550 and 1557 by Sinan, the renowned architect of the Ottoman Empire's golden age. It was in the gardens of this complex that Suleyman and his wife Hurrem Sultan (Roxelane), had their mausolea built, and near here, also Sinan built his own tomb.

The Suleiman Mosque was ravaged by a fire in 1660 and was restored on the command of sultan Mehmed IV by architect Fossat. The restoration, however, changed the mosque into a more baroque style, damaging the great work severely. The mosque was restored to its original glory during the 19th century but during World War I the courtyard was used as a weapons depot and when some of the ammunition ignited, the mosque suffered another fire. Not until 1956 was it restored again. Today it is one of the most popular sights in Istanbul.

Hagia Sophia:

The Basilica of St. Sophia, now called the Ayasofya Museum, is unquestionably one of the finest buildings of all time. Built by Constantine the Great and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, its immense dome rises 55 metres above the ground and its diameter spans 31 metres. It is the largest free standing building in the world.

Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture. Of great artistic value was its decorated interior with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings. The temple itself was so richly and artistically decorated that Justinian is said to have proclaimed "Solomon, I have surpassed thee!"

The Hippodrome:

Hippodrome was built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 203 A.D. The hippodrome was a stadium which served as a meeting place for the politicians, for chariot races, wrestling, boxing, and other athletic activities that took place. The arena was over 400 meters long and 120 metres wide, In the fourth century the spectator capacity was increased to 100,000.

They organized the games in the hippodrome. Green took their seat to the left, the Blues to the right of the emperor's box. Women were not admitted. After the emperor had appeared in his box and greeted his people, the four gates beneath his box opened and from each raced a chariot drawn by four horses into the arena. The game lasted the whole day. The chariot track was covered with white sand which was brought from Egypt. The winner was awarded a prize which consisted of a crown made of flowers, some presents, bonuses and money.

Obelisk of Theodosius:

The Egyptian obelisk was erected by Tutmosis III 1504-1450 B.C. before the temple of Karnak at Heliopolis. The Obelisk, brought to Istanbul by Emperor Theodosius I was made of pink granite and its height is 17 metres. Originally, the obelisk was 27 metres in height, 10 metres higher than it is today and weighed 800 tons. It is unknown when and how the lower part disappeared.

The hieroglyphic inscription on the Obelisk describes the victory of the pharaoh and a sacrifice to the god of the sun Amon-Ra in which the pharaoh kneels at the foot of the god.

Beylerbeyi Palace:

In the 19th century, Sultan Abdülaziz built the Beylerbeyi Palace, a fantasy in white marble amid magnolia filled gardens, on the Bosphorus's Asian shore used as the Sultan's summer residence.

Istanbul Land Walls:

The Istanbul land walls, once an impenetrable fortification, stretch seven kilometers from the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn. Restored recently, and many times previously, these walls date from the fifth century and the reign of Emperor Theodosius II. UNESCO has declared the land walls and the area, which they enclose to be one of the cultural heritages of the world.

Rumeli and Anadolu Hisar Fortresses:

The Rumelihisari is a fortress located between Sariyer and Bebek districts of Istanbul. It was built by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, in 1451, before he conquered Constantinople, to prevent Crusaders coming from the Black Sea. The land that the castle was built upon was technically Byzantine territory and when the Byzantine emperor Constantine XI sent an embassy to Mehmed to protest the sultan had the ambassadors seized and executed. Constantine then knew the construction of the castle was the prelude to an attack on his city which followed two years later. These twin fortresses can be found along the Bosphorus river.