ABOUT ISTANBUL
Istanbul is an old city of wonders far exceeding
what words can tell! Istanbul is the only city in
the world built on two continents which Fatih Sultan
Mehmet the Conqueror changed in his era. by the
Bosphorus. Today, you can see the remains of many
ancient civilizations and their culture in harmony
with Turkish culture. The old versus the new, the
traditional versus the modern is a conflict a
visitor often observes. The city is full of
contrasts, and colorful views
It stands on the shores of the uniquely beautiful
Bosphorus (Istanbul Bogazi) where the waters of the
Black Sea combine with those of The sea of Marmara
and the Golden Horn. Istanbul is a province designed
to be the capital and it has been the capital of
three empires which used to dominate the world.
It is one of the richest cities in historical
background, as well as one of the most beautiful,
enchanting and alive cities of the world.
It has an atmosphere of its own with its life-style,
people and numerous attractions. In Istanbul, you
will have to be generous with time since it has so
much to show. The old palaces, the great mosques
with soaring minarets, ancient churches, museums,
bazaars, the Istanbul Strait and others are
wonderful sites worth seeing.
Wonderful photographs of historical sights, brigdes,
houses, specialty stores, the Bosphorus and of
course the mesmerizing Istanbul twilight will tell
more than a thousand words.
Dolmabahce Palace
The Dolmabahçe Palace, a blend of various European
architectural styles, was built between 1843-1856 by
Karabet Balyan, the court architect of Sultan
Abdulmecid. The Ottoman sultans had many palaces in
all ages, but the Topkapi was the official residence
until the completion of the Dolmabahce Palace.
The three-storied palace built on a symmetrical plan
has 285 rooms and 43 halls. There is a 600 m long
quay along the sea and two monumental gates, one of
them very ornate, on the land side. Well-kept,
beautiful gardens surround this seaside palace. In
the middle, there is a large ballroom with a ceiling
higher than the other sections. The entrance section
of the palace was used for the receptions and
meetings of the sultan, and the wing behind the
ballroom used as the harem section.
The palace has survived intact with its original
decorations, furniture, and the silk carpets and
curtains. It surpasses all other palaces in the
world in wealth and magnificence.
The walls and the ceilings are covered with
paintings by the famous artists of the age and
decorations made using tons of gold. All the
furnishings in the important rooms and halls are in
different shades of the same color. The ornate
wooden floors have different designs in each room,
and they are covered with the famous silk and wool
carpets of Hereke, some of the finest examples of
Turkish art.
Rare handmade artifacts from Europe and the Far
East'decorate every room in the palace. Brilliant
crystal chandeliers, candelabras and fireplaces add
to the lavish decor.
The ballroom is the largest of its kind in the
world. A 4.5 ton colossal crystal chandelier hangs
from the 36 m high dome. The hall, which is used for
important political meetings,receptions and balls,
was previously heated by an oven-like system under
the floor. Central heating and electricity were
later additions to the palace.
Of the six baths in the palace, the one in the
section reserved for men was made of unique and
beautifully carved alabaster.
The upper galleries of the ballroom were reserved
for orchestras and the diplomatic corps. Long
hallways lead to the harem, where the bedrooms of
the sultan and the quarters of his mother, other
ladies of the court and the servants were located.
An annex in the north was reserved for the crown
prince. The entrance to this building is from
Beşiktaş and it now serves as the Museum of Fine
Arts.
In the Republican era, Atatürk used to reside in
this palace when he visited Istanbul. He died here
in 1938 and before his body was taken to Ankara, it
was laid in state while the public poured in to pay
him their last respects.
Topkapi Palace
On a spot of land at the confluence of the
Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the Marmara Sea,
stands Topkapi Palace, a maze of buildings at the
center of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and
19th centuries. The construction of the Topkapi
Palace was ordered by Sultan Mehmet II in 1459. It
was completed in 1465. Since 1924 it has been a
museum displaying jewels, kitchen and porcelain
goods, costumes and more from early centuries.
The Treasury of the Museum of Topkapi Palace is
considered one of the most famous treasuries in the
world.Indeed, the number of maces, pendants
daggers, chests, book covers, candelabra, rings, and
various decorative articles adorned with such stones
as diamonds, emeralds, rubies, brilliants,
chrysolite, and turquoises are incalculable, and no
price can be placed on their worth. Next to these
gems sparkling like a bouquet of light, silver and
gold seem dull. Furthermore each one of these
painstakingly made articles possesses a memory, a
story and from the standpoint of art and history has
its own unique value.
Known as the Spoonmaker's Diamond, it has become
famous, a bright and shining oval gem shaped like
the bowl of a spoon.Various stories are told about
the Soonmarker's Diamond According to one tale, a
poor fisherman in Istanbul who found a shiny stone
among the litter, which he turned over one over not
knowing what it was. After carrying it about in his
pocket for a few days, he stopped by the jewelers
Market, showing it to the first jeweler he
encountered. The jeweler took a casual glance at the
stone and appeared disinterested, saying "It's a
piece of glass, take it away if you like, or if you
like I'll give you three spoons. You brought it all
the way here, at least let it be worth your
trouble." What was the poor fisherman to do with
this piece of glass? What's more the jeweler had
felt sorry for him and was giving three spoons. He
said okay and took the spoons, leaving in their
place an enormous treasure. It is for this reason
they say that the diamond's name became the
"Spoonmaker's Diamond".
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, it was
offered to the most distinguished foreign
dignitaries during their visits.
The main building of the Beylerbeyi Palace, which
consists of two main sections: the Harem and the
Ceremonial, was surrounded by lesser structures such
as the Yellow Mansion,the Pasa Apartments, the Music
Apartments,the Deer House, the Pigeon Sanctuary,the
Greater Aviary,the Lion House, the Imperial Stables
and the Marble Pavillion. Surrounding the palace
there was an area of 160,000 square meters
comprising a hunting area, a zoo and a garden with
different flora from all over the world.
Ciragan Palace
The best sites along the Bosphorus and the Golden
Horn had been reserved for the palaces and mansions
of the sultans or important personalities. Most of
these, however, have disappeared in time. One of
these, the large Çıragan Palace, burned down in
1910.
The palace, replacing an earlier wooden palace, had
been built in 1871 for Sultan Abdülaziz by court
architect Serkis Balyan. The construction took four
years and cost four million gold pieces.
The ceilings and the interior partitions were made
of wood, the walls were covered by marble. The
columns were superior examples of stonemasonry. The
palace was lavishly decorated with rare carpets,
gilded pieces and furniture inlaid with
mother-of-pearl.
Like other palaces on the shores of the Bosphorus,
the Çıragan had been the venue of various important
meetings. Its facades were decorated with colored
marbles, it had monumental gates, and it was
connected to the Yildiz Palace on the slopes behind
it with a bridge.
On the landside it was surrounded by high walls.
After remaining in ruins for many years, the palace
has been renovated and turned into a 5-star seashore
hotel with several new additions.
Yildiz Palace
Yıldız Palace and park covered an area of 500.000
square meters on the hillside overlooking the
Bosphorus between Besiktas, Ortakoy and Balmumcu.
This area of natural woodland became known as
Kazancıoglu Park after the Turkish conquest, and
probably became an imperial estate during the reign
of Sultan Ahmed I (1603-1617).
In addition to the State Pavilions at Yildiz Palace,
the compound includes a series of pavilions and a
mosque. It was completed by Abdulhamit II at the end
of the 19th century. The Sale, the largest and most
exquisite of the buildings, reveals the luxury in
which the sultans lived and entertained. Set in a
huge park of flowers, shrubs and trees gathered from
every part of the world, the palace grounds offer
one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the
Bosphorus. Because of restoration work, only the
Sale and park are open to the public.
Sultanahmet (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 gleams with a magnificent paneling of blue and white Iznik tiles.
Suleymaniye Mosque
The cascading domes and four slender minarets of Süleymaniye Mosque dominate the skyline on the Golden Horn's west bank. 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 golden age. On the crest of a hill, the building is conspicuous by its great size, which the four minarets that rise from each corner of the courtyard emphasize. Inside, the mihrab (prayer niche) and the mimber (pulpit) are of finely carved white marble; fine stained glass windows color the incoming streams of light. The mosque complex includes four medrese, or theological schools, a school of medicine, a caravanserai, a Turkish bath, and a kitchen and hospice for the poor.
Yeni (New) Mosque
Built between 1597 and 1663, the Yeni (New) Mosque hovers over the harbor at Eminönü, greeting the incoming ferryboats and welcoming tourists to the old city. Today, its graceful domes and arches shelter hundreds of pigeons who make this area their home. Marvelous Iznik tiles decorate the sultan's balcony.
Halic - The Golden Horn
This horn-shaped estuary, divides European Istanbul.
One of the best natural harbors in the world, the
Byzantine and Ottoman navies and commercial shipping
interests were centered here. Today, lovely parks
and promenades line the shores where the setting sun
dyes the water a golden color. In Fener and Balat,
neighborhoods midway up the Golden Horn, whole
streets of old wooden houses, churches, and
synagogues date from Byzantine and Ottoman times.
The Orthodox Patriarchy resides here at Fener. Eyüp,
a little further up, reflects the Ottoman style of
vermicular architecture. Cemeteries sprinkled with
dark cypress trees cover the hillsides. Many
pilgrims come to the tomb of Eyüp in the hope that
their
prayers will be granted. The Pierre Loti Cafe, atop
the hill overlooking the shrine is a wonderful place
to enjoy the tranquility of the view.
Hagia Sophia Museum
Hagia Sophia, which is considered as one of the
eight wonders of the world, also occupies a
prominent place in the history of art and
architecture. It is one of the rare works of this
size and age that has survived to our day. The
church (called Ayasofya in Turkish) is erroneously
known as Saint Sophia in the west. The basilica was
not dedicated to a saint named Sophia, but to Divine
Wisdom.
This was the site of a pagan temple, and the three
separate basilicas built here in different times
were all called by the same name. Although no
churches were built during the reign of Constantine
the Great, some sources maintain that the first
Hagia Sophia basilica was built by him. Actually,
the first small basilica with a wooden roof was
constructed in the second half of the 4th century by
Constantinius, the son of Constantine the Great.
When Justinian finally suppressed the revolt, he
decided to build a house of worship "the like of
which has not been seen since Adam, nor will it be
seen in the future." Construction started in 532
over the remains of the previous basilica and it was
completed in five years. In the year 537, elaborate
ceremonies were organized for the dedication of this
largest church of Christendom. The emperor spared no
expense for his church and placed the state treasury
at the disposal of the architects, Antheius of
Tralles and mathematician Isidorus of Miletus. The
design of the dome followed in the tradition of
Roman architecture, and the plan of the basilica was
even older. Round buildings had been successfully
covered with domes before. But in Hagia Sophia,
Justinian was attempting for the first time in the
history of architecture to build a gigantic central
dome over a rectangular plan.
Because of its dimensions which could not be
surpassed for the next thousand years and the
financial and technical difficulties involved in its
construction, people believed that such a building
could not have been achieved without the assistance
of supernatural powers. Although Hagia Sophia is a
6th century Byzantine work, it is an "experiment" in
the Roman architectural tradition that has neither a
predecessor nor a duplicate. The contrast between
the interior and the exterior and the large dome are
legacies of Rome. The outer appearance is not
elegant; it was built as a shell, without much care
for proportions. On the other hand, the interior is
as splendid and captivating as a palace. As a whole,
it is an "imperial" structure.
After serving two different religions with the same
god, 916 years as a church and 477 years as a
mosque, Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum on
Ataturk's orders. Between 1930 and 1935 the
whitewash on the walls was cleaned to reveal
mosaics, which are among the most important examples
of Byzantine art.
Galata Tower
Built on the site of an older tower in the 14th-15th
centuries, the Galata Tower offers the best view of
the Golden Horn, Old Istanbul, the entrance to the
Bosphorus and the Asian shore.
The tower was erected to observe the port and the
city, and after being used for various purposes over
the centuries, it has now reassumed its original
function of watch tower - this time to enjoy the
view. An elevator takes the visitors to the top two
floors of the tower that are today occupied by a
restaurant and a nightclub.
Nights are colorful here with belly dancers, folk
dance groups and singers performing in a typical
atmosphere and against the marvelous view in the
background.
Maiden's Tower
Maiden's Tower is one of the major landmark of
Istanbul. The tower known to the Turks as Maiden's
Tower and in English as Leander's Tower. The tower
was first built by Alkibiades in the 6th century BC
and around 350 BC a Macedonian admiral built a
splendid mausoleum for his dead wife here.
According to a Turkish legend a princess was locked
up in the tower by her father because of a prophecy
who alerted him saying that his daughter would die
by the bite of a snake. The father wanted to protect
her and put her in the tower. Unfortunately at the
end of the story, the princess dies by the snake
that was brought to the islet in a basket of grapes.
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