SULTANAHMET
DISTRICT
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. During
the summer months an evening light and sound show both entertain and inform.
The cascading domes and four slender minarets of Suleymaniye 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. It was in the gardens of this complex that Suleyman and his wife
Hurrem Sultan, Roxelane, had their mausolea built, and near here also that
Sinan built his own tomb. The mosque complex also includes four medrese,
or theological schools, a school of medicine, a caravanserai, a Turkish
bath, and a kitchen and hospice for the poor.
Another
skillful accomplishment of the architect Sinan, the Rustem Pasa Mosque was built in 1561 on the orders of Rustem Pasa, Grand Vizier and son-in-law
of Suleyman the Magnificent. Exquisite Iznik tiles panel the small and
superbly proportioned interior. The imperial Fatih Mosque, constructed
between 1463 and 1470, bears the name of the Ottoman conqueror of Istanbul,
Fatih Sultan Mehmet, and is the site of his mausoleum. Standing atop another
of Istanbul's hills, its vast size and great complex of religious buildings
medreses, hospices, baths, a hospital, a caravanserai and a library, make
it well worth a visit. The great Mosque of Eyup lies outside the
city walls, near the Golden Horn, at the supposed place where Eyup, the
standard bearer of the Prophet Mohammed, died in the Islamic assault on
Constantinople in 670 A.D. The first mosque built after the Ottoman conquest
of the city, this greatly venerated shrine attracts many pilgrims. Built
between 1597 and 1663, the Yeni (New) Mosque hovers over the harbor at
Eminonu, 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
MUSEUMS
The
Basilica of St. Sophia, now called the Ayasofya Museum, is unquestionably
one of the finest buildings of all time. Built by Constantine the Great
and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, its immense dome rises
55 meters above the ground and its diameter spans 31 meters. You should
linger here to absorb the building's majestic serenity and to admire the
fine Byzantine mosaics. (Open every day except Monday). 
The
Archaeological Museums are found just inside the first court of Topkapi
Palace. Included among the displays are the celebrated Alexander Sarcophagus
among its treasures of antiquity The Museum of the Ancient Orient displays
artifacts from the Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Haiti and Hittite civilizations.
(Open every day except Monday.) Originally built as a kosk, or pavilion,
by Mehmet the Conqueror in the 15th century, the Cinili Kosk, which houses
the Museum of Turkish Ceramics, contains beautiful Iznik wares from
the 16th century and fine examples of Seljuk and Ottoman pottery and tiles.
(Open every day except Monday). Like the Ayasofya Museum, the St. Irene
Museum was originally a church. It ranks, in fact, as the first church
built in Istanbul. Constantine commissioned it in the fourth century and
Justinian later had the church restored. Reputedly the building stands
on the site of a Christian temple. (Open every day except Monday.)
The
dark stone building that houses the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art was built in 1524 by Ibrahim Pasa, Grand Vizier to Suleyman the Magnificent,
as his residence. It was the grandest private residence ever built in the
Ottoman Empire. Today it holds a superb collection of ceramics, metalwork,
miniatures, calligraphy, textiles, and woodwork as well as some of the
oldest carpets in the world. (Open every day except Monday.) Across the
street from the Ibrahim Pasa Palace is the Museum of Turkish
Carpets which contains exquisite antique carpets and kilims gathered
from all over Turkey (Open every day except Sunday and Monday) Near St. 
Sophia
is the sixth century Byzantine cistern known as the Yerebatan Sarnici. Three hundred and thirty-six massive
Corinthian columns support the immense chamber's fine brick vaulting. (Open
every day except Tuesday) The Mosaic Museum preserves in situ exceptionally
fine mosaic pavements of the fifth and sixth centuries which remain from
the Great Palace of the Byzantine emperors. (Open every day except Monday) The Kariye Museum, the 11th century
church of "St. Savior"
in Chora, is after St. Sophia, the most important Byzantine monument in
Istanbul. Unremarkable in its architecture, inside, the walls are decorated
with superb 14th-century frescoes and mosaics. Illustrating, scenes from
the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, these brilliantly colored paintings
embody the vigor of Byzantine art. Restored wooden houses in the area surrounding
the church offer tea and coffee in a relaxed atmosphere far removed from
the city's hectic pace. (Open every day except Tuesday)
The
Aviation Museum in Yesilkoy traces the development of flight in Turkey
(Open every day except Monday). The great field tents used by the Ottoman
armies on campaigns are displayed in the Military Museum. Other
exhibits include Ottoman weapons and the accoutrements of war. The Mehter
Takimi (Ottoman military band) perform Ottoman martial music between 3:00
and 4:00 p.m. (Open every day except Monday and Tuesday) The house in which
Ataturk lived in Sisli now serves as the Ataturk Museum and displays
his personal effects. (Open every day except Saturday and Sunday) In the
Besiktas district the Naval Museum displays the great imperial caiques
in which the Sultans were rowed across the Bosphorus, as well as many other
interesting exhibits of Ottoman naval history (Open very day except Monday
and Thursday). Also in Besiktas, the Museum of Fine Arts displays
Turkish paintings and sculptures from the end of the 19th century to the
present clay (Open every day except Monday and Tuesday). Located within
the gardens of Yildiz Palace, the City Museum preserves and
documents the history of Istanbul since the Ottoman conquest. (Open every
day except Thursday) Also within the gardens are the Yildiz Palace Theatre
and the Historic Stage Costumes Museum, with its richly decorated
scenery and stage, and its exquisite costumes.
Rahmi Koc Industry Museum,
in the suburb of Haskoy on the coast of the Golden Horn, an Ottoman period
iron- and steel-works building formerly called Lencei-liane, houses industrial
development exhibits. (Open every day except Monday). Up the Bosphorus
in the picturesque suburb of Buyukdere, the collections of the Sadberk
Hanim Museum fill two charming 19th century wooden villas. A private
museum which originally displayed Turkish decorative arts, it has recently
been expanded with a new collection of archaeological finds. (Open every
day except Wednesday)
