Architectural, Cultural sights in Turkey
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A
Güzel Sanatlar Galerisi
Delve into Urfa's back streets and you'll find examples of the city's distinctive limestone houses with protruding bays supported on stone corbels. Although many of these houses are falling into decay (and some are far too large for modern families), a few have been restored, most notably the house of Hacı Hafızlar, near the PTT, which has been turned into an art gallery, the Güzel Sanatlar Galerisi.
The art is usually pretty awful but the courtyards and fine carved stonework are a joy to behold and they don't mind you wandering through.
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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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B
Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum
The best way to see inside one of these old houses is to visit one of the museums inside the city walls. For example, the poet Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı (1910-56) was born in a two-storey black basalt house built in 1820, in a side street about 50m north of the Ulu Cami. It now houses the Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum which contains some of the poet's personal effects and furnishings.
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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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Refectory
A few steps from the Yılanlı Kilise, don't miss the Refectory , with its long dining table and benches cut from the rock. At the end of the table is a trough in the floor that was probably used for pressing grapes. Attached to the refectory is a larder, where you can see storage shelves carved into the walls, and a kitchen. Another smaller, nameless church here retains a rock-cut iconostasis.
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C
Hellenistic theatre
Hack across the hillside in a westerly direction from the Martyrium of St Philip the Apostle and eventually you'll come to a completely ruined Hellenistic theatre along unmarked goat tracks. Looking down you'll see the 2nd-century agora, one of the largest ever discovered. Marble porticoes with Ionic columns surrounded it on three sides, while a basilica closed off the fourth.
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D
Hazeranlar Konağı
Just past the steps up to the Pontic Tombs is the Hazeranlar Konağı, constructed in 1865 and restored in 1979. The restored rooms are fully furnished in period style and have models to illustrate their use. Whether you'll enjoy the Directorate of Fine Arts gallery in the basement probably depends on what's showing (historical photos at time of research).
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E
Küçüksu Kasrı
Sultan Abdül Mecit’s answer to a simple picnic blanket was Küçüksu Kasrı, an ornate lodge built in 1856–7. Earlier sultans had wooden kiosks here, but architect Nikoğos Balyan designed a rococo gem in marble for his monarch. You’ll see its ornate cast-iron fence, boat dock and wedding-cake exterior from the ferry.
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F
Hıdiv Kasrı
High on a promontory above Kanlıca is Hıdiv Kasrı, a gorgeous art nouveau villa built by the last khedive of Egypt as a summer residence for use during his family’s annual visits to İstanbul. You can see its square white tower (often flying a Turkish flag) from the ferry.
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Kırmızı Yalı
Opposite Bebek on the Asian shore is Kırmızı Yalı, constructed in 1790 and one of the oldest still standing; a bit further on, also past the village of Kandilli, is the long, white Kıbrıslı Mustafa Emin Paşa Yalı.
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G
Kurşunlu Cami
A bit west of Cumhuriyet Meydanı stands the Ottoman-style Kurşunlu Cami. Also called the Ahmet Paşa Camii after its founder, it was completed in 1585 possibly following plans drawn up by the great Sinan (who was born in a nearby village).
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Köprülü Amcazade Hüseyin Paşa Yalı
Just past Anadolu Hisarı (before the Fatih Bridge) is Köprülü Amcazade Hüseyin Paşa Yalı, built right on the water in 1698. It is the oldest mansion on the Bosphorus and is in a deplorable state of repair.
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Hüsnü Züber Evi
A short walk uphill behind the Sultan Murat II Hamam (follow the signs) brings you to the restored Ottoman Hüsnü Züber Evi. Like the Ottoman House it's sporadically staffed, but worth a try anyway.
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H
Atatürk Evi
Also worth having a look at nearby is the modest but stylish Atatürk Evi, a small, originally furnished Ottoman-era house where Kemal Atatürk stayed when he visited Kayseri.
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I
Sahabiye Medresesi
Back towards the citadel, be sure to have a look at the Sahabiye Medresesi, an Islamic theological school which dates from 1268 and now functions as a book bazaar.
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İl Özel İdaresi Kültür Ve Sanat Merkezi
In the market area, try to find the İl Özel İdaresi Kültür Ve Sanat Merkezi, a splendid house restored in 2002. It was once a church.
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K
Taş Han
Head along Atatürk Caddesi and you'll see the partly ruined Taş Han (1758), an Ottoman caravanserai.
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