Beyoğlu
Built in 1880, this is İstanbul's largest Greek Orthodox church and has a small but loyal congregation. Attacked during the anti-minority events of 6–7…
Must-see attractions in Istanbul
Istanbul
Sometimes called the İskele (Dock) Camii, this mosque was designed by Mimar Sinan for Süleyman the Magnificent's daughter Mihrimah. Built between 1547 and…
Istanbul
Buried here is Mehmet V Reşâd (1844–1918), the Ottoman sultan who reigned during the First Balkan War and the entry of his empire into World War I. He…
Sultanahmet
This was kilometre zero during the Byzantine Empire: the starting point of the Via Egnatia, the great road linking Constantinople with the Adriatic coast,…
Istanbul
Functioning as a somewhat tawdry shopping centre since 1990, this Ottoman hamam has retained its form and many of its original features. One of the oldest…
Princes’ Islands
Turkey's second president, İsmet İnönü, purchased this four-storey villa in 1934, four years before he assumed the presidency after Atatürk's death. He…
Istanbul
Eminzade Hacı Ahmet Paşa, comptroller of the Arsenal under Ahmet III, commissioned this mosque and attached medrese in 1722. Its unusual design features a…
Aya Efimia Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi
Kadıköy
This Greek Orthodox church dates from 1830, although there had been a previous church on the same site from the late 17th century. Legend tells us that St…
Istanbul
One of the most prominent sights on the Üsküdar skyline, this baroque-style mosque was built in 1760–61 by order of Sultan Mustafa III. At the time of…
Istanbul
Commissioned by Pertevniyal Valide Sultan, mother of Abdül Aziz, and built between 1869 and 1872, this architectural hodgepodge of a building has been…
İstanbul Foundation for Culture & Arts
Beyoğlu
This non-profit cultural foundation organises the city's best arts festivals and also operates the cutting-edge Salon performance venue, which is located…
Istanbul
Dating from Roman times, the Old City's major boulevard is home to Ottoman mosques, cemeteries, medreses (seminaries) and türbes (tombs), as well as shops…
Istanbul
This historic cemetery has two Jewish sections: one for Sephardic Jews and the other for Karaite Jews. Sadly, many graves have fallen victim to roadworks…
Istanbul
This palace-like building next to the Kasimpaşa iskele (ferry dock) was constructed in the 19th century and once housed the Ottoman Empire's Ministry for…
Istanbul
Designed by notable architect Kemalettin Bey and built between 1916 and 1926, this Ottoman Revivalist–style building originally functioned as an office…
Istanbul
Üsküdar's fish market is close to the iskele (dock), at the centre of a bustling shopping precinct. Shops sell fruit, vegetables, dried nuts, pickles and…
Mihrişah Valide Sultan Fountain
Istanbul
This gorgeous baroque sebil (fountain) decorated with pink marble and gilt is part of the late-18th-century Mihrişah Valide Sultan Complex.
Kadıköy
This Armenian church in the centre of the bazaar was built in the late 19th century, although an Armenian church in one form or another has occupied this…
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University
Beyoğlu
One of the city's best art and design schools occupies a number of buildings in Tophane, including the elevated 1803 tophane (arsenal) that gives the…
Beyoğlu
Off limits to visitors, this grand school building dates from 1907 and is one of the major landmarks along İstiklal Caddesi. The school is one of the most…
Istanbul
This ornate 18th-century imperial hunting pavilion is set in a pretty garden and houses a collection of historic Turkish musical instruments. There's also…
Istanbul
This Ottoman Revivalist–style fire station overlooking Fatih Anıt Park was designed by Konstantinos Kiriakidis, built at the start of the 20th century and…
Sultanahmet
This promontory, named after the sequestered living quarters occupied by the Topkapı Palace harem, separates the Golden Horn from the Sea of Marmara.
Beyoğlu
This attractive 19th-century arcade off the Fish Market is full of shops that once sold antiques but now seem to stock little except tourist tat.
Beyoğlu
The curvaceous 18th-century Camondo Stairs, one of Beyoğlu's most distinctive pieces of urban design, run south from Kart Çınar Sokak.
Beyoğlu
A city landmark, this baroque-style mosque was built in 1874 and has recently been renovated.
Istanbul
One of İstanbul’s historic landmarks, this fortress has a history as substantial as its massive but now sadly dilapidated structure. It dates from the…
Koç University Research Centre for Anatolian Civilizations
Beyoğlu
With a wealth of scholarly knowledge and archival photos to draw on, the exhibitions regularly staged on the ground floor of this university-affiliated…
Beyoğlu
Named after the 18th-century stone taksim (water storage unit) on its western side, this square is the symbolic heart of modern İstanbul. Hardly a triumph…
Istanbul
İstanbul is a maritime city, so it's appropriate that one of its most distinctive landmarks is on the water. The tower, which has an observation deck,…
Sultanahmet Archaeological Park
Sultanahmet
Excavations here have uncovered parts of the Great Palace of Byzantium. The park has been closed for restoration for almost a decade, with no signs of it…
Beyoğlu
The oldest hamam in the city, this Çukurcuma landmark was built in 1454 and renovated by order of Sultan Abdülmecid I in 1844. We don't recommend that…
Beyoğlu
This monument in the middle of Taksim Meydanı was designed by Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica. It commemorates the Turkish War of Independence and the…
Beyoğlu
Local life in Cihangir gravitates around this 19th-century green-and-white mosque, with plenty of cafes, teahouses and eateries in the immediate area. It…
Sultanahmet
This late 16th-century mosque, rebuilt in the 1860s and renovated in the 1960s, was originally constructed by Hacı Üveys bin Kevser, a governor and…
Beyoğlu
Dating from 1838, this Armenian church is hidden behind massive black doors on the eastern (Taksim) side of the Fish Market. Visitors can enter when the…
Sultanahmet
In the residential neighbourhood of Küçük Ayasofya, this hamam dating to 1503 is now a ruin.
