Hagia Sophia
Pearl of Byzantium and Christianity in which, to the letter and with the permission of Sinan, all Ottoman architecture is summarized.
Hagia Sophia or, as the Turks call it, Ayasofya, is the symbol of Istanbul. It was built during the rule of Justinian between 532 and 537 and is one of the masterpieces of Byzantine art.
Between 1204 and 1261, Hagia Sophia was the Pope's church. In 1453 it was taken by the Ottoman Empire and converted into a mosque. The Ottomans provided the church with four inaretes, a theological school and a public dining room.
In 1935, Atatürk transformed the temple into a museum.
Topkapi Palace
So that you really know on the ground what it was like to live like a sultan.
Topkapi Palace is the best reflection of the imperial era in Istanbul and symbolizes the power that Constantinople achieved as the seat of the Ottoman Empire. From this palace the sultans ruled their empire until the mid-19th century.
Construction of Topkapi Palace began shortly after Mehmed II took Constantinople. The initial palace was inaugurated in 1465. During the following decades the palace was expanded by different rulers.
In 1856, Sultan Abdulmecid decided to move his residence to the Dolmabahçe Palace, a Western court palace.
Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque is the most important mosque in Istanbul. Its name in Turkish is Sultanahmed Camii, Sultan Ahmed Mosque, since it was built by Sultan Ahmed I between 1609 and 1616. It was inaugurated in 1617 during the mandate of Mustafa I.
Although at first glance it appears to have similar dimensions to Hagia Sophia, looking at the actual measurements we see that it is approximately half. The central dome is 23 meters in diameter and 43 meters high.
The Blue Mosque has six minarets which, at the time of its construction, caused a lot of controversy, since Mecca also had six. Later, to appease the faithful, a seventh minaret was built in Mecca to mark the difference.
Upon entering the Blue Mosque you understand the reason for its name: there are more than 20,000 blue tiles that adorn the dome and the top of the mosque. All tiles were brought from the city of Iznik (Nicea). The mosque's lighting comes from its more than 200 stained glass windows and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
Tips
To enter the Blue Mosque, like the rest of the city's mosques, you must wear appropriate clothing and take off your shoes before entering. Women must keep their shoulders and hair covered. If you don't have anything to cover yourself, at the entrance they will leave you everything you need to enter.
During worship hours the mosque is closed to tourists.
Mosaic Museum
It houses exceptional mosaics (SS. V-VI) from the Imperial Palace of the Byzantine emperors.
Beyazid Square
It forms one of the most monumental urban complexes in the city: the 85 m tower, the mosque, the booksellers' stalls, the neo-Moorish arch that gives access to the University...
Suleymanie Mosque
Or Suleiman the Magnificent: built as a replica of Hagia Sophia and to try to surpass it, something that was achieved at least in the height of the dome (it is five meters higher than it).
Valens Aqueduct
With its seven hundred meters it greatly beautifies the urban fabric of Istanbul.
Byzantine Walls
Both those surrounding the city Kennedy-Cadesi and those behind (next to Topkapi-Edirnekapi Cadd, .Silivrikapi Cadd.) are a Wonder and a World Heritage Site. A nice excursion can consist of exploring them and looking for remains of the past inscribed on their walls.
Grand Bazaar
Istanbul's Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) is one of the largest and oldest markets in the world. It is one of the best places in the city to shop for crafts, jewelry and clothing.
The covered area where the market is located is 45,000 square meters and about 20,000 people work there. The number of daily visitors ranges between 300,000 and 500,000 depending on the season.
The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul has more than 3,600 stores spread across 64 streets. To access the enclosure there are 22 doors, this labyrinth was renovated in 1481 by Mehmet II.
The origins of the Grand Bazaar date back to the time of Mehmed II, when in 1455 he built the ancient bazaar (Eski Bedesten) near his palace. As in many other cities, artisans' workshops were established around this building, forming guild streets.
Over time the buildings grew in number and the streets were covered. Shortly after the entire complex was walled.
By prescription, compulsive buyers should refrain.
Species Bazaar
Reminiscence of when Istanbul was the center of trade between East and West. Here came what was born in the spice store (looking for that birth, Christopher Columbus discovered America). Spices of a thousand colors, caviar, birds, leeches, delicatessen, etc.
The Spice Bazaar, also called Egyptian Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı), is one of the oldest markets in Istanbul and one of the best places in the city to buy typical products such as spices, sweets or dried fruits. It is located in Eminönü, a few steps from the Galata Bridge.
The Egyptian Bazaar is built in an L shape and has 6 entrance doors. It is a very colorful market and the shopkeepers decorate their stalls in such a way that visiting it is a pleasure for the senses.
The beginnings of the Spice Bazaar date back to 1663. It was built at the same time as the New Mosque and adjacent to it with the aim of maintaining it economically.
The name Egyptian Bazaar comes from when Istanbul marked the end of the Silk Road and was the distribution center for all of Europe, in fact, since the 13th century it was already trading spices with Venice.
During the 15th century, spices arrived from India and Southeast Asia to Egypt, and from here to Istanbul via the Mediterranean Sea.
Galata Tower
The Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) is one of the oldest towers in the world. Ordered to be built by Justinian, it was later in the hands of the Genoese (15th century) who protected their neighborhood with it. It is one of the most emblematic monuments of the city. From its top floor you can see the entire city and the Bosphorus.
The first Galata Tower was built of wood in the year 528 to serve as a lighthouse. In 1348 it was rebuilt by the Genoese under the name of Torre de Cristo.
During the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the tower was occupied by Sultan Mehmet II.
His height, only 61 meters, is not what draws the most attention about his measurements. What is surprising is the diameter and width of the walls.
The diameter of the tower at the base is 16.5 meters on the outside and 8.9 meters on the inside. This difference indicates that the walls have a width of 3.7 meters at the base.
The width of the walls decreases as you ascend to the top, reaching just 20 centimeters at the top.
Galata Bridge
The Galata Bridge (Galata Köprüsü) is a 490-meter-long bascule bridge located in the estuary known as the Golden Horn, linking old Istanbul with the more modern area. The Galata Bridge not only connects different areas of the city, but also constitutes a symbolic bridge capable of uniting different cultures.
The bridge is full of life: at the top the fishermen release thousands of hooks to catch thousands of small fish daily (there is a school of hamsis, a species of anchovies, permanently under these waters), at the bottom, some restaurants, on one side, the typical fish sandwiches and public transport by boat or bus. During the Day, all of Istanbul passes through here, sooner or later.
The first bridge over the mouth of the Golden Horn was built in 1845. Several years later, in 1863, the arrival of Napoleon III caused it to be replaced by a wooden bridge. After this two more bridges were built in 1875 and 1912, and in 1992 the bridge that can be seen today was created.
Istiklal Caddesi and Taksim Square
Considered the heart of modern Istanbul, Taksim Square (Taksim Meydani) is located in the European part of the city, in a major commercial, tourist and entertainment district known for its restaurants, shops and hotels.
Due to the great relevance of the square in the city, it is the favorite place for holding public events and social celebrations, although it is also known as the starting point for different political demonstrations that on numerous occasions ended violently.
The name of the square, Taksim, means "distribution" in Turkish, and was given because it was the place where the city's water distribution had been centralized since 1732. Until the beginning of the 20th century the place made up the extreme north of the city but with its expansion it became the heart of the new Istanbul.
Taksim Square is an area full of bars, restaurants and some of the most luxurious hotels in the city. The Monument to the Water Carrier and the Monument to the Republic are preserved in the square.
From the square emerges one of the main commercial arteries of the city, Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Avenue), you must cross it on the nostalgia tram, enter its bookstores, its shops, its markets and passages to the station of the Tunel Funicular.
Dolmabahqe Palace
Dolmabahçe Palace replaced Topkapi Palace as the residence of the sultans from 1856 until 1924, the year in which the caliphate was abolished. The style of the palace is a combination of Western Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles mixed with traditional Ottoman style.
Dolmabahçe Palace was built between 1843 and 1856 by order of Sultan Abdülmecid. Four architects from the Royal Department of Architecture of the Ottoman Empire took part in its construction.
With a façade of more than 600 meters and an area of 15,000 square meters, Dolmabahçe Palace is the largest building in the country. With a Rococo air, its numbers sing: 285 rooms and 43 lounges in which you will see some 280 vases, 156 clocks, 58 crystal chandeliers, 36 Bohemian, Venetian, French and English crystal chandeliers. It houses about 11,500 km of handmade carpets, some of them silk. It is said that 14 tons of gold and 40 tons of silver were used to decorate the palace.
The visit has four parts: Selamlik, Harem, Clock Museum and Crystal Pavilion. The most important parts are the first two:
Selamlik
This part, which houses the administrative offices and official rooms, is the most striking part of the entire palace. The most notable parts are the Crystal Staircase and the Throne Room. This last room, due to its dimensions (2000 square meters and 36 meters high) and elegance (56 columns and the largest chandelier in the palace), is totally overwhelming.
The Harem
The Harem includes the private quarters of the Sultan and his family. This part of the palace is less interesting than the previous one and the visit lasts less time.
To visit Selamlik and the Harem you have to do it in a group. Although the guided tours are only in English and Turkish, there are brochures in other languages (including Spanish) to follow the directions.
Beylerbeyi Palace
Built in the 19th century, next to the Bosphorus and on the Asian side, commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz as a summer residence and official accommodation for foreign heads of state.
Savior of Chora
Byzantine monastery that has a magnificent collection of mosaics and frescoes. The set is very well preserved.
Prince Islands
They are a group of nine almost paradisiacal islands and islets, without cars, with beautiful houses and, some, with pleasant beaches.
Basilica Cistern
The Basilica Cistern is one of the many cisterns in Istanbul. The cisterns are tanks that were built so that the city would have water reserves in case it was attacked. Another name (much more attractive) by which the cistern is known is "Submerged Palace."
The Basilica Cistern was built in the time of Justinian I (527-565) to supply the Byzantine Palace. The location (to which it owes its name) was the underground of a basilica of which nothing remains today.
To fill the cistern, the aqueducts of Valente (still existing) and Hadrian were used. These aqueducts received water from the Belgrade Forests, about 20 kilometers from Constantinople.
The Yerebatan cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı, its name in Turkish) has dimensions of 140 by 70 meters and it is estimated that it could store about 100,000 m3 of water.
The Basilica Cistern has 336 columns 9 meters high. The styles of the columns are very varied, since they were reused from old structures and monuments.
The tourist walk is done along walkways that go above the water. These walkways were placed at the end of the 20th century, since previously the walk was done by boat.
Among the 336 columns of the basilica there are two that have as their base a head of Medusa, the mythological being that turned anyone who looked into stone.
There are various theories about what those large heads inside the cistern mean, although the most accepted theory is that they were placed there for practical purposes, to be used as the base of the columns.