Istanbul stands out among the popular tourist destinations. In it, like in a giant cauldron, cultures and customs, languages and peoples, architectural styles and trends have been brewed for centuries. The result is a colorful and multifaceted, bright and unforgettable, ancient and modern city, from which you do not want to leave and where you always want to return. The answer to the question of what to see in Istanbul is as multifaceted as the atmosphere of the tangled labyrinth of its medieval streets, where in the early morning mouth-watering aromas of coffee merge with a drawn-out call to prayer, and lazy cats, waiting for breakfast, arch their backs towards the first rays of the sun. Here you can find yourself on a different continent and even in a different time dimension in a few minutes, and therefore it is worth seeing Istanbul at least once in your life, so as not to regret later about the missed opportunity to become a little happier.
TOP 10 attractions of Istanbul
Blue Mosque
Every person who lives or has been in Istanbul has his own rating of local attractions, but the Blue Mosque invariably leads most of these lists. The construction of the magnificent symbol of Istanbul began in 1609, when Sultan Ahmed I, desperate to win at least one military battle, decided to ask the heavens for mercy in order to restore Turkey's prestige. It took seven years to build the mosque, but it was worth waiting even longer for such an amazing architectural masterpiece to appear.
The Blue Mosque seems to float above the surrounding on the shores of the Sea of Marmara in the Sultanahmet region. Her project successfully merged two architectural styles - typical Ottoman and Byzantine:
- The Blue Mosque was named due to the fact that more than 20,000 handmade tiles in blue and white were used to decorate the interior. The Turks call her Ahmadiye.
- The prayer niche is carved from a solid block of marble and contains a black stone from Mecca.
- The diameter of each of the four columns supporting the dome is five meters.
- Daylight enters the mosque from 260 windows.
- The mosque is surrounded by six minarets with 16 balconies.
- The diameter of the dome is 23.5 m, its height is 43 m, the area of the central hall is 53 x 51 m.
Next to the Blue Mosque is the tomb of Sultan Ahmed I. He died of typhus a year after the construction was completed. The Sultan, who made Istanbul famous for centuries, was only 27 years old.
Saint Sophie Cathedral
Today this magnificent temple has the official status of the Hagia Sophia Museum. For more than a thousand years, St. Sophia Cathedral of Constantinople was considered the largest Christian temple, until it was replaced at the first line of the rating by St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican. The height of Hagia Sophia is 55.6 meters, the diameter of the dome is over 30 meters.
The first Christian church appeared on this site in the 4th century, but then died in a fire. It was replaced by others, also burnt down shortly after the construction. In the 6th century, Emperor Justinian bought the land in the neighborhood and ordered the construction of a temple that would express the greatness of his empire.
St. Sophia Cathedral was built daily by 10 thousand workers. Marble for construction was delivered from the Greek islands, porphyry columns were brought from the Roman Temple of the Sun, jasper - from the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. Ivory, gold and silver were collected throughout the empire to make the new temple unprecedentedly luxurious. The cathedral was solemnly consecrated in 537.
The Ottoman conquerors turned the Hagia Sophia into a mosque and in 1453 added minarets to Hagia Sophia. The frescoes were painted over, but thanks to this they have been perfectly preserved to this day. The mosaics of the 9th century were also restored almost without loss.
Hagia Sophia is located opposite the Blue Mosque in the historic district of Istanbul.
Topkapi
For 400 years, the Topkapi Seral served as the seat of the sultans and kept numerous Ottoman treasures. It was built by Mehmed II at Cape Sarayburnu at the point where the Bosphorus meets the Sea of Marmara. The construction of the palace began in 1465 and lasted for 13 years.
For four centuries, 25 sultans managed to be the owners of Topkapi. The latter left the palace in the middle of the 19th century, moving to a new residence. In 1923, the Topkapi Seral was officially granted museum status.
The Topkapi area has several courtyards surrounded by a common wall. The area of the palace and park ensemble is 700 hectares, and the number of museum exhibits on display exceeds 65,000. The storerooms store an order of magnitude more, and Topkapi is on the list of the largest museums in the world.
Dolmabahce
In 1842, Sultan Abdul-Majid I ordered to build a new residence for himself and after 11 years he moved from Topkapi to Dolmabahce. The architect of the project was Karabet Amir Balyan, and the new Baroque palace became a real masterpiece, able to compete with the famous European royal residences. For example, when decorating the interiors, 14 tons of gold were used, Ivan Aivazovsky painted several paintings by the order of the Sultan, and the Bohemian glass chandelier donated by Queen Victoria weighed almost five tons.
In the future, Dolmabahce served as the residence of Ataturk, and now a museum is open in it. Visitors' special attention is paid to the crystal staircase, Ataturk's bed, where he died, the luxurious ceremonial hall and the Beylerbey summer palace.
Bosphorus
Once in Istanbul, you can watch Europe merge with Asia. The border of the two parts of the world is the Bosphorus, which connects the Black and Marmara seas. The length of the strait is about 30 km, its maximum width and depth are 3700 m and 80 m. The shores of the Bosphorus are connected by two underwater tunnels and three Istanbul bridges:
- The newest bridge is named after Sultan Selim the Terrible. The ferry was commissioned in 2016, its length is 1408 m.
- The Bosphorus Bridge is the oldest. It was built in 1973 and the length of its main span is 1074 m.
- In 1988, the Sultan Mehmed Fatih Bridge appeared in Istanbul. Its length is 1090 m.
The most important transport artery, the Bosphorus is actively used by merchant ships and provides access from the countries of Southeast Europe to the Mediterranean Sea and the world's oceans. Tourists find the Bosphorus no less attractive: pleasure boats ply along the strait and ride guests of Istanbul, demonstrating magnificent views of the beautiful city.
Basilica Cistern
The ancient underground reservoir of Constantinople Basilica Cistern is the largest of the 40 found near Istanbul. In such reservoirs, a supply of water was stored in case of a siege of the city by an enemy or drought. Water to the Basilica Cistern was delivered through the Valens aqueduct - the longest in the city. The water sources were located 20 km north of Istanbul in the Belgrade forest.
The Basilica Cistern was built over two hundred years. The work was completed in 532 during the reign of Emperor Justinian. The dimensions of the reservoir are impressive even today: the basilica can hold 80,000 cubic meters of water. The vaulted ceiling is supported by 12 rows of columns, totaling 336, each 8 m high. Refractory bricks were used to build the 4-meter-thick walls. The ceiling is supported by columns from ancient temples and two of them have stone images of the Gorgon Medusa at the base.
Since 1987, a museum has been opened in the Basilica Cistern.
Suleymaniye
The largest and second most important mosque in Istanbul was built in the middle of the 16th century by the order of Suleiman I the Magnificent. She is named after him Suleymaniye. The structure is located in the Vefa area.
The huge Muslim temple accommodates more than 5,000 worshipers at a time. The height of the Suleymaniye dome is 53 m, and its diameter exceeds 26 m. Tiles and stone carvings, forged elements and colored stained-glass windows, mosaics and paintings were used to decorate the interiors.
In the courtyard of Suleymaniye you will see the mausoleums where the sultan, who built the largest mosque in Istanbul, and his beloved wife Khyurrem lie.
Maiden's Tower
The tower on a small island in the Bosphorus is often mentioned in the list of the most famous landmarks in Istanbul. The time and history of its construction are not known for certain, and it is believed that the Maiden Tower appeared during the reign of Constantine the Great as a watchtower. During the existence of the Ottoman Empire, the tower served as a lighthouse, then was used as a prison and isolation ward when cholera broke out in Istanbul. You can get a closer look at it during a tour of the Bosphorus. The owners of the restaurant, which opened in it in 2000, are also invited to visit the Maiden Tower.
Big bazaar
One of the largest covered markets in the world is located in the old part of Istanbul. On its 66 streets, more than 4,000 shops, shops and boutiques open every morning, where you can buy spices and fruits, jewelry and precious stones, souvenirs and household utensils, glass, leather, fur and wood products.
The history of Kapala-Charshi begins in the middle of the 15th century, when Sultan Mehmed II ordered the construction of the first covered premises for trade. The most ancient galleries that have survived from those times are located in the center of the bazaar. 18 gates lead to the interior of Kapala-Charsha and tens of millions of tourists pass through them every year.
The streets inside the bazaar, which looks like a city within a city, have retained their old names, and you can walk along Samovarna Street, Kolpachnikov Street or Kalyanshchikov Street.
War museum
Interested in military history? Take a look at the Istanbul Museum, the exhibition of which is the second in the world in the variety and number of exhibits on this topic. Two dozen exhibition halls present a collection of firearms collected since the 16th century, ammunition and armor, military maps and camp tents.
From 15 to 16 every day a brass band plays on the site in the museum.
