[İstanbul'daki tarihi yapılar]

SIGHTSEEING IN ISTANBUL

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Nafredoan Hoca (hoca pronounced 'hcjah' and meani$ig teacher, or priest) is a delightful old gentleman who lived .atf^ut

700

On a visrf*to«<*^neighboring town, Na^reddin Hoca waii^gcosted fcy a passer-hy who asked him day of the week it was. "I say," Na^reddin Hoca replied " happen to be a stranger and I don* know what days of the week they have here."

find

“ --o— tseeing guide is offered for those visitors who may in Na§reddin Hoca's same predicament...

DOLMABAHCE PALACE

(May be visited on Teusdays and Fridays 1400-1700 by special arrangement with the Turkish Government Tourist office)

The Palace of Dolmabahce, located on the shore of the Bosphorus and across from the Sports Stadium, is one of Istanbul's most impressive buildings. It was built by Sultan Abdulmecit in

1853

he interior decorations of the palace include many remarkable examples of craftsmanship in alabaster, marble, porphyry and crystal. Rare and exquisite furniture, priceless carpets, paintings, valuable clocks, candlesticks, chandeliers and vases can be seen and enjoyed throughout the vast rooms and numerous hallways. Many rulers of foreign countries have stayed or been entertained here during their visits to Turkey.

It was in this Palace that MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATURK used to spend his summers and this is the place where he died. Room

71

lJ?"n furnishins s > with the exception of an elaborate rug with AiATURK's iikeness woven into it. A clock in the room is stopped at the time of his death -

9*05

10

1938

MOSQUE OF SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT (Any hour of the day)

This is considered, after the Selimiye Mosque in E d i m e , the second most important work of Sinan, the great Turkish architect. It is the most magnificent and largest of the imperial mosques in Istanbul. Towering over

-2-the third of -2-the seven hills on which Istanbul is built, -2-the Mosque of Süleymaniye was erected between the years of 1550 and 1557. It commem­ orates the most glorious period of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent, the Law-Giver and Empire Builder.

The two beautiful stained glass windows were brought by Süleyman from Persia, It ranks as one of the most impressive temples ever built with its remarkably fine lines, immense dome, extraordinary acoustics and 138 windows. The Mosque has four tall slender minarets with three balconies on the eastern pair and two cn the western pair. The ten

balconies signify that Süleyman was the 10th Ottoman Sultan, and the four minarets indicate that he was the fourth to rule Istanbul,

AYA SOFYA (Saint Sofia)

(Open daily except Monday, IOOO-I

630

Aya Sofya, wonder of Byzantine architecture, is generally recognized as one of the greatest temples ever built. Constantine the Great built the original church on its present site in 347 AD and called it Saint Sofia (Divine Wisdom). Fifty-seven years later it was destroyed by fire and rebuilt and destroyed again during the great Niko rebellion in'

532

During the time of the Byzantine Empire the church was the center of the most important ecclesiastic affairs and was where the emperors were crowned in lavish style. From 1453 Aya Sofya was used as a mosque and in 1934 it was converted to a museum.

The dome of Aya Sofya is acclaimed by all architects as one of the finest and most remarkable in the world. It is amazing for the fact that the forty windows are pierced through its base, not only lessening its weight but admirably lighting the great interior. This dome is 100 feet in diameter with a crown 180 feet above the floor.

THE SERAGLIO (TOPKAPI SARAYl)

(Daily except Tuesdays: 1000-1200; 1300-1700) (The Treasury is open Monday, Wednesday, and

-3-The Seraglio is the palace compound from which the Ottoman Sultans ruled their Empire from the 15th to 19th Centuries. It was originally built by Mehmet the Conqueror in the 15th Century and added to at random by the various sultans according to their whims and tastes. It was

virtually a city within a city containing not only the lavish residential quarters of the sultans but also mosques, lovely kiosks (summer pavilions), Harem section, schools, immense kitchens, stables, carriage houses, the Treasury, cabinet offices and other government buildings.

Today the Seraglio Palace is a truly magnificent museum of the entire Ottoman Empire's history containing within its ancient walls the largest and most beautiful collection of Chinese porcelain in the world; a fabulous Treasury with some of the most gorgeous and extraordinary jewels the world has to offer,all belonging to a sultan or member of the royal family; an Armory with a collection of all types of weapons in use until the last

century, many beautifully inlaid with precious gems; exquisite old Turkish embroideries, miniatures, velvets, brocades, Turkish calligraphy, the picture gallery with paintings of all of the Sultans, imperial coaches and the beautiful gardens .and grounds themselves.

SULTAN AHMET MOSQUE (THE BLUE MOSQUE) (Oper every day at any hour)

The "Blue Mosque" was built between 1609 end l6l6 by Sultan Ahmet I and derives its name from the bluish reflection of the diffused light upon the blue tiles which cover the interior walls. With its graceful cascade of domes and semi-domes and its six slender minarets, it is considered the loveliest of all the mosques in Istanbul. It is the only mosque in the world to have six minarets.

THE BASILICA CISTERN (YEREBATAN) (Daily except Sunday, 1300-1760)

Istanbul is bestowed with many remarkable public works from olden times, among which its cistern is deserving of special attention.

It belongs to the age of Justinian and contains 336 columns with Corinthian capitals bearing the imperial monogram. The cistern supplied water to the Grand Palace of Justinian and in Turkish times it fed the gardens of Topkapi Palace (the Seraglio). It is still fed with water and gives the impression of a dark underground sea. The water was conveyed from a distant forest by large water pipes and aqueducts of Hadrian and Valence. The aqueduct of Valence is still in existence in the middle of Istanbul spanning two hill tops. The airline buses connecting the city with the airport pass under this aqueduct on the way to and from the city.

THE HIPPODROME (At MEYDANI) (Can be visited at any time)

Jt-circles or stadiums, the old Byzantine capital had a large hippodrome for horse and chariot races. Its construction was started early in the third century A.D. by the Roman Emperor Septimum Sevirus and was completed 127 years later by Constantine the Great in 330 A.D. The Hippodrome is 370 meters in length, the largest hippodrome in the world. It was surrounded by 30 to ¿K) tiers of seats and highly

decorated with masterpieces of art or monuments of a remote past which were brought to the city for that purpose. Today the original level of the Hippodrome is below ground level and only three of the monuments may still be seen. They are the Theodosian Obelish, the bronze Serpentine Column from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi in Greece, and a masonry column once sheathed by gilded bronze panels.

The Theodosian Obelisk, a huge monolisk, was brought from Egypt in 400 A.D. by the Emperor Theodosius. It was made by Pharoh Thotmes III in 1600 B.C. for the Sun God in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. Only the upper half of the obelisk is original. The sculpture base is Byzantine and depicts scenes from the life of the Emperor and the events held at the Hippodrome.

KARIYE CAMII

(Open every day except Tuesday from 1000-1200,

1300

1600

Located in the old part of Istanbul near the E d i m e Gate, this

ancient building is considered one of the most interesting early Byzantine churches in Istanbul because of its unrivaled mosaics and frescoes.

The brilliance and beauty of these mosaics and frescoes decorating the upper parts of the walls, the vaults and domes is beyond description.

THE ISLAMIC MUSEUM

(Open every day but Thursday from

1300

1700

Contains vast collections of old carpets, Korans beautifully

decorated, monograms of the sultans and many other items of old Turkish and Islamic art.

ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

(Open every day except Monday - 0930-1200, 1300-1700)

Is famous for its collections of relics from ancient Phoenician, Greek, and Roman civilizations. It also contains the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great. It is located in Gulhane Park close to the Seraglio,

-5-THE MUSEUM OF ORIENTAL ANTIQUITIES (Open every day except Monday -

from

0930-1200

Also located in Gulhane Park close to the Seraglio, it contains a rich collection of antiquities from the Hittite, Assyrian and Egyptian civilizations.

FATIK MUSEUM

(open every day except Thursday 1000-1200 and

1300

1700

Contains the relics and belongings of Mehmet the Conqueror.

ATATÜRK MUSEUM

Is located in the house in which Ataturk planned the Great Revolution of 1919-1922.

NAVAL MUSEUM

(Open every day except Monday and Tuesday - 1000-1700)

Containing old maps, charts, and models of sailing vessels. It is located close to Dolmabahce Palace by the Dolmabahce Landing.

YEDIKULE MUSEUM (Open every day 1000-1700)

Also called the Castle of the Seven Towers and the Golden Gate, it is partly Roman, partly Turkish structure. It was used as the state prison and the state treasury of the Ottoman Empire. The western side consists of four towers adjoined to each other by walls and the Golden Gate erected by Theodosius as the Roman Triumphal Arch in 390 AD,

The Eastern part was constructed during the reign of Sultan Fatih Mehmet and consists of three towers which are joined by walls to the Byzantine structure. The whole forms a circular castle around a courtyard.

CEMBERLITAS

(THE COLUMN OF CONSTANTINE THE GREAT)

Located near Beyazid Square, it is of red porphyry nearly 35 meters high and was built by Constantine to commemorate the selection of the city as capital of the Roman Empire. It was originally surmounted by a colossal statue of Constantine portrayed as Apollo. Damaged by fire it is now

MftSr ^he Gonques"t Istanbul in 1458, Sultan Fatih Mehmet built Eyüp Mosque to commemorate Eyüp, who was one of the close friends and disciples of the Prophet Mohammet. Its present form dates back to 1800, The Mosque is one of Istanbul’s most picturesque spots and every Friday thousands of people go there to worship. While there a visit to

Pierre Loti's cafe which commands a fine panorama of the Golden Horn is worthwhile altho meals are not served - only tea.

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