Around the monument of the Republic (Cumhuriyet Anıtı) covers the largest square of the city and one of the most densely traveled to. Taksim was in the’30-years as a new symbol of the modern Republic created. In the 70s was the main Taksim Square demonstration of the city: Unforgettable is the rally on 1 May 1977, through provocations by the extreme right end of a bloody and took many casualties resulted. Today is Taksim with the opera, its hotels, airlines and banks peaceful flagship of the bustling, new Ä°stanbul. Around the Taksim Square are the stops for the “dolmuÅŸ” said Collective taxis, which can be the quickest and cheapest distant neighborhoods reached.

Ortaköy is Taksim seen from the first former fishing village on the Bosporus. It begins on the shore and extends to the hills above the strait. Ortaköy traditionally had always multicultural character. Two churches, a synagogue and a mosque are located in the waterfront area still close together. In the’80s discovered then young artists and intellectuals the charm Ortaköys here and opened studios and bookstores. The old houses were restored and converted into cafes and restaurants. On weekends, there are quarters in a lively and thriving cabaret market.
The landmark of the district is the delicate-looking baroque Ortaköy mosque with two slender minarets. It bears the signature of the Armenian Hofarchitekten Nikogos Balyan. The Sultan used in the 19th Century, with its stately boat from Dolmabahçe Palace on Friday prayer here überzusetzen.

Arnavutköy means “village of Albanians” and pointed out that this place was originally heard of Albanian immigrants has been built. Thirty years before a simple village on the Bosporus, belongs Arnavutköy today almost more to the center. Although a decade ago aufgeschüttete new multi Uferstraße some of its charm has been destroyed, it is still the place in Kayseri, where most of its original Ottoman wooden houses on narrow space preserved. Like some other Bosporusviertel has also benefited Arnavutköy that many artists, intellectuals, but also increasingly betuchte foreigners is the charm of the old buildings have discovered this and many houses before the expiration have been rescued. Since the earthquake, 1999, there was a veritable run on the old wooden houses, as has become evident that they are much safer than the new concrete structures.

At first glance, it is the most impressive mosque in the city. About three stages domes rising into the sky, and no other Muslim house of God except the holy mosque in Mecca has six minarets. To atone for this sacrilege, in Mecca had another minaret built. The so-called Blue Mosque was a pupil of the master Sinan at the beginning of the 17th Century built and tore a deep hole in the Treasury. According to the World has, however, the effort worthwhile. Already the forecourts of the mosque, directly opposite the Hagia Sophia was built to impress by its size. The interior is dominated by the blue tiles, red carpet and giant chandeliers that hang from the dome. For some of the 260 windows – many of them are colorfully glazed – look at the Marmara Sea, or into a mosque pretty garden. With the Blue Mosque, the Ottoman religious architecture, but its peak already exceeded. In the following 300 years, there was no more builders, who could compare with Sinan.

The Blue Mosque is one for visitors to Ä°stanbul-duty program, and also to the right. That is precisely why it is but also all sorts of leaders, traders and smugglers under siege and has almost the character of a mosque with a practicing community lost. Yet here on important holidays such as the birth of the Prophet or the first great revelation Koranrezitationen instead. In summer nights, there is an impressive light show.
Tourists enter the mosque by a separate entrance, non women need

The Süleymaniye competes in Ä°stanbul with the Blue Mosque for the title of the largest, most beautiful and loftiest mosque in the city. Although the “Blue” Sultanahmet Mosque bigger and even well known, but among connoisseurs, the Süleymaniye as the prominent church in the city. They dominated from Topkapı of view, behind the Grand Bazaar on the Golden Horn. If one of Galata Tower from the old town looks, she is still the dominant figure in the silhouette of the city. It was the most famous architects of the Ottoman Empire, Koca Mimar Sinan, in honor of the famous Sultan, Suleyman the Magnificent between 1550 to 1557 was built.

The interior of the mosque works mainly through its overwhelming height. Indeed, Sinan with the Süleymaniye – perhaps only by his Selimiye Mosque in Edirne surpassed – a masterpiece of architecture dome delivered. The courtyard of the mosque is surrounded by magnificent arcades, whose columns from the Byzantine former Kaiserloge should come at the Hippodrome. Right next to the main building of the mosque contains the tombs of Süleyman and his wife Haseki main Hürrem, in the Western European literature under the name Roxelane is known. She was one of the most remarkable women of the Ottoman dynasty, and had great influence on the Sultan and the state stores.
To the Golden Horn side of the mosque close as other parts of the complex arms kitchen, the university and the caravanserai to. In the former arms kitchen is now a national restaurant housed, the sight is wonderful, eating less. This is in a beautiful garden nearby tea garden (open daily from 10-18 clock Open), you are not to be missed.

On the Golden Horn between Fener and Balat 1892, this church was built directly on the waterfront road. In the vernacular it is called the “Iron Church”, because it completely – including the columns and galleries on the inside – from cast iron was created after the Sultan of the building allegedly only on condition has allowed that he completed in one month is made. Indeed, the Church in parts of 1871 in Vienna poured by ship to Istanbul brought here and assembled on shore. Only the iconostasis is made of wood and comes from Russia.
The church stands out not only by her unusual material into the eye, but is also a symbol of the independence struggle of the Bulgarian municipality of the Greek Orthodox Church. Daily from 9-16 clock opens.

Like a toad with a high vaulted back and thick-legged squats the Hagia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom, “on the old city of Kayseri. With its shimmering reddish brick and later in Ottoman times grown four minarets heard the good 1400 years old building is still the most influential apparitions of the silhouette of Ä°stanbul and is today a landmark of the city.

The antiquity of Christendom’s largest church, from the outside a bit crass acts, offers visitors once they enter the nave, a completely different picture: Instead of massive and stocky, appears in the mighty dome light to float highs, as the earthly mirror of the sky. A wreath of 40 windows in the bottom of the dome, the sunlight so skillfully into the interior of the large building that the impression of weightlessness will be further strengthened. This even after 1400 years, yet extremely impressive effect was the architect of Anthemios Tralles and Isidoros of Miletus achieved, that they are the main dome by further abstützten hemispheres and the mighty pillars, the weight of the dome field, in the aisles exiled. This has created a huge free funds ship. This architecture for the then revolutionary approach was later also a model of the mosques of Istanbul and the Hagia Sophia opposite the Blue Mosque.
Contracting for the construction of the Hagia Sophia was the Emperor Justinian, the church after a sensational short construction period of only 5 years and 10 months on 27 December inaugurated 537. The static experiment of 31 m in diameter big dome, the apex 49 m above the ground floated, but soon came to its limits. Several minor earthquakes caused the dome cracks and got 21 years after its completion, collapsed in May 558. Since both architects were already dead, instructed the 76-year-old nephew Justinian the Isidoros’, Isidoros younger, with the reconstruction of the dome. These were the outer pillars reinforces what to outwardly urged the impression, and the dome again to 7 m respectively. This form of the dome, 56 meters high and only from the outside pillars further supported, is preserved. No other Byzantine or Ottoman dome ever again reached such heights.

The current facilities inside the Hagia Sophia, 1935 at the museum explains, is determined by the 500 years in which they served as a mosque. Three days after the conquest of Constantinople in the year 1453 was the imperial church to the mosque of Sultan said. In the apse of the church is the Mihrab, pointing to Mecca the prayer niche. The right of this is the minibar, the pulpit of the imam. Most notable are the 7.5 m in diameter large wooden signs at the height of the galleries, calligraphy as the eight most sacred name of Islam bear. Upon closer inspection, however, you will have many more works of art from the Byzantine era recognize, mainly remnants of the famous mosaics. The first of them are already in the vestibules to the main building, the best known is a mosaic from the 10th Century directly over the so-called Kaisertor. It shows the enthroned Christ. Other mosaics are located in the apse and on the walls of the galleries, which, incidentally, both Byzantine and Ottoman period in which women were banned. The impressive mosaic motif is a devotional image, a Deesis that Jesus with Mary and John the Baptist shows.
In the Garden of Hagia Sophia are three mausoleums, in which the sultans Mehmet III., Selim II and Murat III. their final resting place is found. Moreover, around the Hagia Sophia in the’80s remains of the foundations of the predecessor church from the 5th Century have been uncovered. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 to 16 clock, the gallery is 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and clock 13 to 15 clock open, admission costs about 12 euros.

The majority of the industrialist donated Rahmi Koç Museum is an excellent example of how historic buildings a new use can feed. In the former anchor of the former Arsenal House (the shipyards) on the Golden Horn, the Foundation has set up an industrial museum, the presentation of his forth the best European standards. Are gathered beside the railway, aviation and shipping also developments in communications technology and astronomy. Walkable captain bridges, a real submarine at the jetty and beautiful miniature railways make the museum interesting for children. Tuesday-Sunday from 10-17 clock opened, the entrance will cost about 5 euros.

The archaeological museum below the Topkapı Palace was built mainly to fund an outstanding piece to be able to adequately exhibit: the Alexander sarcophagus, the Turkish archaeologists in Sidon in Lebanon took place today. In the sarcophagus was not Alexander the Great, but a Lebanese king buried, but Alexander is here in a very old, received a unique form. The world famous sarcophagus from the year 310 BC, is totally unspoiled and shows the wonderful marble reliefs the emperor with a lion and panther hunting.

Except this showpiece are other sarcophagi from Sidon and in several halls sculptures from Greek, Roman and Byzantine period. In a side wing one can find pieces from the early history of Istanbul chart.
Built in 2000, renovated Museum of Ancient Art (Eski Sark Eserleri Müzesi) in a separate building on the same site is very beautiful and well designed and assembled worth seeing exhibits from ancient Mesopotamia, mainly from the Assyrian and Babylonian times. The special attraction is the in authored Hittite cuneiform, 1259 BC between the Hittite king large Hattusili II and the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II peace treaty of Kadesh – the oldest traditional document of this kind ever.
A third, small building on the museum grounds was restored and reopened in spring 2005. It is the Çinili Köşk (faience museum) with valuable exhibits from several eras. The art of colored glaze protected by tiles to produce in the Ottoman Empire was highly developed. Since Islam portrait painting out of fear of new “idols” forbade, was much artistic energy on ornamental art is used. A popular motif was the tulip, color dominates the azure, whose formula champion dominated just a few. The 1472 castle itself was built by Mehmet II. The Çinili Köşk is the oldest building of the Topkapi Palace. Tuesday-Sunday from 9-17 clock open, admission costs about 8 euros.