The Bosphorus Suburbs
Dating from 1760, this long white yalı on the shore between Kandilli and Kuçüksu was built for Grand Vizier Mehmed İzzet Paşa, who served in this position…
Must-see attractions in Istanbul
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…
The Bosphorus Suburbs
In the square opposite the İstanbul Naval Museum is this Sinan-designed tomb of the admiral of Süleyman the Magnificent's fleet, Barbaros Heyrettin Paşa …
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…
Köprülü Amcazade Hüseyin Paşa Yalı
The Bosphorus Suburbs
A cantilevered box-like structure built for one of Mustafa II's grand viziers in 1698, this is the oldest yalı on the Bosphorus and was undergoing a major…
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…
The Bosphorus Suburbs
This frilly white yalı (seafront mansion) built in the late 19th century was designed by Alexandre Vallaury, architect of the Pera Palas Hotel in Beyoğlu.
The Bosphorus Suburbs
A wide white building with a red-tiled roof, this yalı was built in the late 18th century. Composer Franz Liszt stayed in it during his visits to the city.
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.
The Bosphorus Suburbs
This small mosque in the park to the east of the ferry dock was designed by noted architect Kemaleddin Bey in 1912.
Beyoğlu
A city landmark, this baroque-style mosque was built in 1874 and has recently been renovated.
The Bosphorus Suburbs
This small mosque in Kanlıca's main square was designed by Mimar Sinan and built in 1560.
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.
