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Church Of St Stephen Of The Bulgars
Back in 1871, when this Gothic Revival cast-iron church was constructed from pieces shipped down the Danube and across the Black Sea from Vienna on 100 barges, the idea was novel to say the least. It's hard to say which is the more unusual: the building and its interior fittings - all made completely of cast iron - or the history of its congregation.
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Çiçek Pasaji
Back in the days when the Orient Express was rolling into Old Stamboul and promenading down İstiklal Caddesi was the fashionable thing to do (how little things change…), the Cité de Pera building was the most glamorous address in town. Built in 1876 and decorated in Second Empire style, it housed a shopping arcade as well as apartments.
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Çinili Camii
This little mosque is unprepossessing from the outside, but - boy oh boy - wait till you see the interior! It is brilliant with İznik faïence, the bequest of Mahpeyker Kösem (1640), wife of Sultan Ahmet I (r 1603-17) and mother of sultans Murat IV (r 1623-40) and İbrahim (r 1640-8).
It's a 10-minute walk here from the Atik Valide Camii.
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Çirağan Palace
Not satisfied with the architectural exertions of his predecessor at Dolmabahçe, Sultan Abdül Aziz (r 1861-76) built his own grand residence at Çırağan, on the Bosphorus shore only 1.5km away from Dolmabahçe. The architect was Nikoğos Balyan, one of the designers of Dolmabahçe and here he created an interesting building melding European neoclassical with Ottoman and Moorish styles.
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Deniz Müzesi
Though this museum is picturesquely situated on the Bosphorus shore, most landlubbers (including us) find it just a tad dull. Still, those of the naval persuasion will no doubt feel like dropping an anchor here for an hour or so. Though the Ottoman Empire is most remembered for its conquests on land, its maritime power was equally impressive.
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Dolmabahçe Harem-Cariyeler
This pink building houses the harem and concubines' quarters, which are not as lavish as the Selamlık but still worth touring. Though relatively cramped and plain by Dolmabahçe standards (which isn't saying much), they have some bizarre features, including the huge ornate bed used by Sultan Abdül Aziz, who was known by his subjects as Güresçi (the Wrestler) due to his great size, considerable strength and predilection for the sport.
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Dolmabahçe Palace
These days it's fashionable for architects and critics influenced by the less-is-more aesthetic of the Bauhaus masters to sneer at buildings such as Dolmabahçe. The crowds that throng to this imperial pleasure palace with its neoclassical exterior and over-the-top interior fit out clearly don't share their disdain, though.
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Dolmabahçe Selamlik
The tour starts by passing through opulent salons and halls to a room with glass cabinets displaying gaudy crystal, gold and silver tea sets. After visiting the palace mosque and ablutions room, things really start to get extravagant at the staircase, with a French crystal balustrade made by Baccarat.
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Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate
The Ecumenical patriarchis a ceremonial head of the Orthodox Church, though most of the churches in Greece, Cyprus, Russia and other countries have their own patriarchs or archbishops who are independent of İstanbul. Nevertheless, the symbolic importance of the patriarchate, here in the city that saw the great era of Byzantine and Orthodox influence, is considerable. The patriarchate has been located in this district since 1601.
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Egyptian Consulate Building
Bebek's shops surround a small park and a mosque; to the east of these is the ferry dock, to the south is the former Egyptian consulate building. This gorgeous Art Nouveau mini-palace was built by the last khedive of Egypt, Abbas Hilmi II, who also later built Hıdiv Kasrı above Kanlıca on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. You'll see its mansard roof and ornate wrought-iron fence from the ferry.
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Eyüp Sultan Camii & Tomb Off
This mosque complex occupies what is reputedly the burial place of Ayoub al-Ansari, a friend of the Prophet's and a revered member of Islam's early leadership. Eyüp fell in battle outside the walls of Constantinople while carrying the banner of Islam during the Arab assault and siege of the city from 674 to 678. He was buried outside the walls and, ironically, his tomb later came to be venerated by the Byzantine inhabitants of the city.
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Fatih Camii Off
The Fatih was the first great imperial mosque built in İstanbul following the Conquest. For its location Mehmet the Conqueror chose the hilltop site of the ruined Church of the Apostles, burial place of Constantine and other Byzantine emperors. The mosque complex, finished in 1470, was enormous; set in extensive grounds, it included in its külliye 15 charitable establishments such as religious schools, a hospice for travellers and a caravanserai.
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Fethi Ahmet Paşa Yalı
On the Asian shore of the Bosphorus is the Fethi Ahmet Paşa Yalı, built in the late 18th century. The word yalı comes from the Greek word for 'coast', and describes the waterside wooden summer residences along the Bosphorus built by Ottoman aristocracy and foreign ambassadors in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, now all protected by the country's heritage laws. This one is known as the 'pink yalı '.
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Fethiye Camii
The Fethiye Camii was built in the 12th century as the Church of the Theotokos Pammakaristos or Church of the Joyous Mother of God. It is usually closed so if you want to enter you'll need to organise a time with the caretaker at Aya Sofya (212-522 0989). The original monastery church was added to several over the centuries before being converted to a mosque in 1573 to commemorate Sultan Murat III's victories in Georgia and Azerbaijan.
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Florence Nightingale Museum
The experience of visiting the Selimiye Army Barracks, where this museum is housed, is even better than the museum itself. The barracks, built by Mahmut II in 1828 on the site of a barracks originally built by Selim III in 1799 and extended by Abdül Mecit I in 1842 and 1853, is the headquarters of the Turkish First Army, the largest division in the country, and is an extremely handsome building, with 2.5km of corridors, 300 rooms and 300 windows.
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Galata Bridge
Nothing is quite as evocative as walking across the Galata Bridge. At sunset, when the Galata Tower is surrounded by shrieking seagulls and the mosques atop the seven hills of the city are thrown into relief against a soft red-pink sky, the view from the bridge is spectacularly beautiful.
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Galata Mevlevihanesi
If you thought the Hare Krishnas or the Harlem congregations were the only religious orders to celebrate their faith through music and movement, think again. Those sultans of spiritual spin known as the Whirling Dervishes have been twirling their way to a higher plane ever since the 13th century and show no sign of slowing down soon.
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Galata Tower
The cylindrical Galata Tower stands sentry over the approach to 'new' İstanbul. For centuries the tallest structure in Beyoğlu, it dominates the skyline north of the Golden Horn. Originally constructed in 1348, the tower was the high point (at 67m, literally and figuratively) in the Genoese fortifications of Galata, and has been rebuilt many times.
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Grand Bazaar
The bazaar is the heart of the city in much more than a geographical sense and has been so for centuries. With over 4000 shops and several kilometres of lanes, as well as mosques, banks, police stations, restaurants and workshops, it's a covered city all of its own. Though there's no doubt that it's a tourist trap par excellence, it's also a place where business deals are done between locals, and where import/export businesses flourish.
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Great Palace Mosaics Museum
When archaeologists from the University of Ankara and the University of St Andrews (Scotland) dug at the back of the Blue Mosque in the 1950s, they uncovered a stunning mosaic pavement dating from early Byzantine times. Restored from 1983 to 1997, it is now preserved in this museum. Thought to have been added by Justinian to the Great Byzantine Palace , the pavement is estimated to have measured from 3500 to 4000 sq metres in its original form.
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Gülhane Parki
Gülhane Parkı was once the palace park of Topkapı. Now, crowds of locals come here at weekends to enjoy its shade, street food and the occasional live concert. The trees here are lovely and the views over the water impressive, but many of the fountains and other features added in recent times are blots on the landscape - the horrible concrete water feature near the main gate being the major offender.
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Hıdiv Kasrı
High on a promontory above Kanlıca is Hıdiv Kasrı, a grand Art Nouveau villa built by the last khedive of Egypt as a summer residence for use during his family's annual visits to İstanbul.
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Hippodrome
The Hippodrome was the centre of Byzantium's life for 1000 years and of Ottoman life for another 400. The scene of countless political dramas during the long life of the city, the rival chariot teams of 'Greens' and 'Blues' had separate sectarian connections. Support for a team was akin to membership of a political party and a team victory had great effects on policy. A Byzantine emperor might lose his throne as the result of a post-match riot.
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İstanbul Archaeology Museums
It may not pull the number of visitors that flock to nearby Topkapı, but this is a stunner of a museum complex that shouldn't be missed. It can be easily reached by walking down the slope from Topkapı's Court of the Janissaries First Court, or by walking up the hill from the main gate of Gülhane Parkı, just near the tram stop.
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İstanbul Modern
In recent years İstanbul's contemporary art scene has boomed. Facilitated by the active cultural philanthropy of the country's industrial dynasties - many of which have built extraordinary arts collections - museum buildings are opening nearly as often as art exhibitions. İstanbul Modern, funded by the Eczcıbaşı family, is the big daddy of them all.
