Sights in Turkey
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Aya Sofya
Sophia in Latin, Haghia Sofia in Greek and the Church of the Divine Wisdom in English, this extraordinary building is İstanbul's most famous monument.
Emperor Justinian had the Aya Sofya built as part of his effort to restore the greatness of the Roman Empire. It was completed in 537 and reigned as the greatest church in Christendom until the Conquest in 1453. Mehmet the Conqueror had it converted into a mosque and so it remained until 1935, when Atatürk proclaimed it a museum.
On entering his great creation for the first time almost 1500 years ago, Justinian exclaimed, 'Glory to God that I have been judged worthy of such a work. Oh Solomon! I have outdone you!' Entering…
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Topkapı Palace
This opulent palace complex is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world's royal residences put together. It was home to Selim the Sot, who drowned after drinking too much champagne; İbrahim the Mad, who lost his reason after being imprisoned for 22 years by his brother MuratIV; and the malevolent Roxelana, a former concubine who became the powerful consort of Süleyman the Magnificent. And they're just three among a long progression of mad, sad and downright bad Ottomans who lived here between 1453 and 1839.
Mehmet the Conqueror started work on the palace shortly after the Conquest in 1453 and lived here until his death in 1481. Subsequent sultans…
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Dance of Colours
This popular two-part performance features a whirling dervish and Sufi music segment followed by dances from 10 different regions of Turkey. Colourful costumes and professional dancers make for a good evening’s fun, with the added bonus that you don’t have to fork out for an indifferent meal.
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Blue Mosque
With his eponymously named mosque, Sultan Ahmet I (r1603–17) set out to build a monument that would rival and even surpass the nearby Aya Sofya in grandeur and beauty. Today it's more widely known as the Blue Mosque.
The mosque's architect, Mehmet Ağa, managed to orchestrate the sort of visual wham-bam effect with the mosque's exterior that Aya Sofya achieved with its interior. Its curves are voluptuous, it has six minarets and the courtyard is the biggest of all of the Ottoman mosques. The interior has a similarly grand scale: the blue tiles that give the building its unofficial name number in the tens of thousands, there are 260 windows and the central prayer space is…
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Basilica Cistern
When those Byzantine emperors built something, they certainly did it properly! This extraordinary cistern, built by Justinian in 532, is a great place to while away half an hour, especially during summer when its cavernous depths stay wonderfully cool.
Like most sites in İstanbul, the cistern has a colourful history. Known in Byzantium as the Basilica Cistern because it lay underneath the Stoa Basilica, one of the great squares on the first hill, it was used to store water for the Great Palace and surrounding buildings. Eventually closed, it seemed to have been forgotten by the city authorities sometime before the Conquest. Enter scholar Petrus Gyllius, who was…
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Bosphorus Night Cruise
One of the most enjoyable, and certainly most romantic, night-time activities in İstanbul is to take a Bosphorus ferry. Enjoy the view back to the Old City, the twinkling lights, the fishing boats bobbing on the waves and the powerful searchlights of the ferries sweeping the sea lanes.
The best ferry to catch for this purpose is the one from Karaköy (just over the Galata Bridge from Eminönü) to Kadıköy. Just go to Karaköy, buy two tokens (for the voyages out and back) and walk on board. When you reach Kadıköy you could head into the backstreets and grab a bite to eat.
A shorter ride is the one from Eminönü to Üsküdar. When you alight in Üsküdar, you could have a…
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Göreme Open-Air Museum
One of Turkey's World Heritage Sites, the Göreme Open-Air Museum is an essential stop on any Cappadocian itinerary and deserves a two-hour visit. First an important Byzantine monastic settlement that housed some 20 monks, then a pilgrimage site from the 17th century, the cluster of rock-cut churches, chapels and monasteries is 1km uphill from the centre of Göreme.
From the ticket booth, follow the cobbled path until you reach Aziz Basil Şapeli, the chapel dedicated to Kayseri-born St Basil, one of Cappadocia's most important saints. The grate-covered holes in the floor were the graves of the chapel's architects and financiers; the small boxes contained less-affluent…
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Topkapı Harem
These were the imperial family quarters, and every detail of Harem life was governed by tradition, obligation and ceremony. The word harem literally means 'private'.
Every traditional Muslim household had two distinct parts: the selamlık (greeting room) where the master greeted friends, business associates and tradespeople; and the harem (private apartments), reserved for himself and his family.
If you decide to tour the Harem at Topkapı Palace – and we highly recommend that you do – you’ll need to buy a dedicated ticket from the ticket office outside the Harem’s entrance. The fact that there is an extra entry charge means that many stingy tour companies neglect to bring…
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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.
More rather than less was certainly the philosophy of Sultan Abdül Mecit I, who, deciding that it was time to give the lie to talk of Ottoman military and financial decline, decided to move from Topkapı to a lavish new palace on the shores of the Bosphorus. For a site he chose the dolma bahçe (filled-in garden) where his predecessors Sultans Ahmet…
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Princes' Islands
Most İstanbullus refer to the Princes' Islands as 'The Islands' (Adalar), as they are the only islands around the city. They lie about 20km southeast of the city in the Sea of Marmara, and make a great destination for a day escape from the city.
You'll realise after landing that there are no cars on the islands, something that comes as a welcome relief after the traffic mayhem of the city. Except for the necessary police, fire and sanitation vehicles, transportation is by bicycle, horse-drawn carriage and foot, as in centuries past.
All of the islands are busy in summer, particularly on weekends. For that reason, avoid a Sunday visit. If you wish to stay overnight during…
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Galata Tower
The cylindrical Galata Tower stands sentry over the approach to 'new' İstanbul. Constructed in 1348, it was the tallest structure in the city for centuries, and it still dominates the skyline north of the Golden Horn. Its vertiginous upper balcony offers 360-degree views of the city, but we're not convinced that the view (though spectacular) justifies the steep admission cost.
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Ephesus
Ancient Ephesus was a great trading city and a centre for the cult of Cybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess. Under the influence of the Ionians, Cybele became Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon, and a fabulous temple was built in her honour. When the Romans took over, Artemis became Diana and Ephesus became the Roman provincial capital.
Of Turkey's hundreds of ancient cities and classical ruins, Ephesus is the grandest and best preserved. Indeed, it's the spunkiest classical city on the Mediterranean and the ideal place to get a feel for what life was like in Roman times.
In 356 BC the Temple of Cybele/Artemis was destroyed in a fire set by Herostratus,…
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Basilica of St John
Even despite a century of restoration, this once-great basilica of Byzantine Emperor Justinian (r 527–65) is still but a skeleton of its former self. Nevertheless, it makes for a pleasant stroll and warm-up to Ayasuluk Fortress, and the hilltop views are excellent.
The on-site information panel's plan and drawing highlight the building's original grandeur, as do the marble steps and monumental gate. Over time, earthquakes and attackers ruined Justinian's church, which was inspired by the local connection with St John, who reportedly visited Ephesus twice. The first (between AD 37 and AD 48) was with the Virgin Mary; the second (in AD 95) was when he wrote his gospel, on…
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Anıt Kabir
The monumental mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938), the founder of modern Turkey, sits high above the city with its abundance of marble and air of veneration. You enter via the Lion Road, a 262m walkway lined with 24 lion statues – Hittite symbols of power used to represent the strength of the Turkish nation. The path leads to a massive courtyard, framed by colonnaded walkways, with steps leading up to the huge tomb on the left.
To the right of the tomb, the extensive museum displays Atatürk memorabilia, personal effects, gifts from famous admirers, and recreations of his childhood home and school. Just as revealing as all the rich artefacts are his simple…
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İstanbul Archaeology Museums
It may not pull the number of visitors that flock to nearby Topkapı, but this superb museum complex shouldn't be missed. It can be reached easily by walking down the slope from Topkapı's First Court, or by trudging up the hill from the main gate of Gülhane Park. Allow at least two hours for your visit.
The complex is divided into three buildings: the Archaeology Museum (Arkeoloji Müzesi), the Museum of the Ancient Orient (EskiŞark Eserler Müzesi) and the Tiled Kiosk (Çinili Köşk). These museums house the palace collections, formed during the 19th century by archaeologist and artist Osman Hamdi Bey (1842–1910) and added to greatly since the republic was proclaimed.…
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Kariye Museum (Chora Church)
İstanbul has more than its fair share of Byzantine monuments, but few are as drop-dead gorgeous as the Chora Church. The fact that it's tucked away in the little-visited Western Districts of the city means that many visitors overlook it, but we counsel you not to do the same.
The church was originally known as the Church of the Holy Saviour Outside the Walls, but what you see today is not the first church-outside-the-walls on this site. This one was built in the late 11th century, and underwent repairs, restructuring and conversion to a mosque in the succeeding centuries. Virtually all of the interior decoration dates from 1312 and was funded by Theodore Metochites, a…
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Hippodrome
The Byzantine Emperors loved nothing more than an afternoon at the chariot races, and this rectangular arena was their venue of choice. In its heyday, it was decorated by obelisks and statues, some of which remain in place today. Recently re-landscaped, it is one of the city's most popular meeting places and promenades.
Originally, the arena consisted of two levels of galleries, a central spine, starting boxes and the semicircular southern end known as the Sphendone, parts of which still stand. The level of galleries that once topped this stone structure was damaged during the Fourth Crusade and ended up being totally dismantled in the Ottoman period – many of the…
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Süleymaniye Mosque
The Süleymaniye crowns one of the seven hills dominating the Golden Horn and provides a magnificent landmark for the entire city. It was commissioned by the greatest, richest and most powerful of the Ottoman sultans, Süleyman the Magnificent (r 1520–66), and was the fourth imperial mosque built in İstanbul.
Although it's not the largest of the Ottoman mosques, the recently restored Süleymaniye is certainly the grandest. It was designed by Mimar Sinan, the most famous and talented of all imperial architects. Although Sinan described the smaller Selimiye Camii in Edirne as his best work, he chose to be buried here in the Süleymaniye complex, probably knowing that this…
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Troy
The approach to Troy, 36km from Çanakkale, is across rolling grain fields. This is the ancient Troad, all but lost to legend until German-born Californian treasure-seeker and amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann (1822-90) excavated atop a promising hill in 1871. He uncovered four superimposed ancient towns, destroying three others in the process.
The window where you buy your admission ticket is just past the village of Tevfikiye, 500m before the site. Guidebooks (with maps) to the site are available at souvenir shops near the ticket box.
In Homer's Iliad, Troy was the town of Ilium. The Trojan War took place in the 13th century BC, with Agamemnon, Achilles, Odysseus…
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Military Museum
For a rousing museum experience, present yourself at this little-visited museum located 1km north of Taksim. Try to visit in the afternoon so that you can enjoy the concert given by the Mehter, which occurs most days between 3pm and 4pm. The large museum is spread over two floors. On the ground floor are displays of weapons and Turkish military uniforms through the ages, as well as glass cases holding battle standards, both Turkish and captured. These include Byzantine, Greek, British, Austro-Hungarian, Italian and Imperial Russian standards. Also on show are an old-fashioned diorama of the Conquest and a tapestry woven by Ottoman sailors (who must have had lots of time…
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Patriarchal Church of St George
Dating from 1836, this church is part of the Greek Patriarchate, a compound of buildings nestled behind the historic sea walls fronting the Golden Horn. Inside are artefacts including Byzantine mosaics, religious relics and a wood-and-inlay patriarchal throne. The most eye-catching feature is an ornately carved wooden iconostasis (screen of icons) that was restored and lavishly gilded in 1994.
The patriarchal throne is in the middle of the nave. Made of walnut inlaid with ivory, mother-of-pearl and coloured wood, it is thought to date from the last years of Byzantium.
Other treasures include the 11th-century mosaic icon that is on the south wall to the right of the…
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Kiz Kulesi
It's appropriate that the Kız Kulesi, one of this maritime city's most distinctive landmarks, is on the water. Arriving at Üsküdar by ferry, you'll notice the squat tower on a tiny island to the right (south), just off the Asian mainland. In ancient times a predecessor of the current 18th-century structure functioned as a tollbooth and defence point; the Bosphorus could be closed off by means of a chain stretching from here to Seraglio Point.
Some think its ancient pedigree goes back even further, calling it Leander's Tower after the tragic youth who drowned after attempting to swim across a strait to Europe to visit his lover, Hero. The object of his desire, who held…
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Great Palace Mosaic Museum
When archaeologists from the University of Ankara and the University of St Andrews (Scotland) excavated around the Arasta Bazaar at the rear of the Blue Mosque in the mid-1950s, they uncovered a stunning mosaic pavement featuring hunting and mythological scenes. Dating from early Byzantine times, it was restored from 1983 to 1997 and is now preserved in this museum.
Thought to have been added by Justinian to the Great Palace of Byzantium, the pavement is estimated to have measured from 3500 to 4000 sq m in its original form. The 250 sq m that is preserved here is the largest discovered remnant – the rest has been destroyed or remains buried underneath the Blue Mosque and…
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Rahmi M Koç Industrial Museum
In the old Çengelhan the new Rahmi M Koç Industrial Museum is perfect for kids (and adults) who prefer a hands-on approach to staring at a bunch of pots behind glass, and has slightly less emphasis on transport than its original branch in İstanbul .
Walk straight ahead once you've entered the gate and you'll see, on your left, the citadel mosque, the Alaettin Camii, which dates from the 12th century but has been extensively rebuilt.
To your right a steep road leads to a flight of stairs taking you up to the Şark Kulesi (Eastern Tower), with panoramic city views. Although it's much harder to find, the tower at the north, Ak Kale (White Fort), also offers fine views. If…
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Safranbolu
Hidden away in hill country, Safranbolu boasts a glorious collection of old Ottoman houses so beautifully preserved that it qualifies as a Unesco World Heritage site, on a par with Florence. It's a place to slow down and enjoy ambling along narrow cobbled lanes, observing traditional trades and crafts practised just as they were in Ottoman times.
During the 17th century, the main Ottoman trade route between Gerede and the Black Sea coast passed through Safranbolu, bringing commerce, prominence and money to the town. During the 18th and 19th centuries Safranbolu's wealthy inhabitants built mansions of sun-dried mud bricks, wood and stucco, while the larger population of…
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