Architecture sights in Turkey
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Aya Sofya
Called Hagia Sofia in Greek, Sancta Sophia in Latin and the Church of the Divine Wisdom in English, İstanbul's most famous monument has long and fascinating history. Built by Emperor Justinian, it was constructed on the site of Byzantium's acropolis, which had also been the site of two earlier Aya Sofyas.
The first of these was a basilica with a timber roof completed in 360 by Constantine's son and successor, Constantinius, and was burned down in a riot in 404; and the second was a building commissioned by Theodosius II in 415 and destroyed in the Nika riots of 532. Justinian's church, which dwarfed all other buildings in the city, was completed in 537 and reigned as the…
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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 pr…
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Ancient Theatre
A well-preserved ancient theatre is about all that's left of ancient Antiphellos, which was the Lycian town here. The ancient theatre, 500m west of the main square, is in very good condition and was restored some time ago.
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Hippodrome
The Hippodrome (At Meydanı) was the centre of Byzantium’s life for 1000 years and of Ottoman life for another 400 years. In its heyday, 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 to the south of the Hippodrome. 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 original columns were used in construction of the Süleymaniye Mosque.
The Hippodrome has been the scene of countless political dramas during the long life of the city. …
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Eyüp Sultan Mosque & Tomb
This mosque complex occupies what is reputedly the burial place of Ayoub al-Ansari (Eyüp Ensari in Turkish), 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. When Mehmet the Conqueror besieged Constantinople in 1453, he built a grander and more fitting tomb. The mosque that he built on the site became the place where the Ottoman princes came for the Turkish equivalent o…
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Fatih Mosque
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. Unfortunately, the mosque you see today is not the one Mehmet built. The original stood for nearly 300 years before toppling in an earthquake in 1766. Though rebuilt, it was destroyed by fire in 1782. The present mosque dates f…
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Ephesus Ancient City
The best-preserved classical city in the eastern Mediterranean is Ephesus. Note that there are two entry points to the ancient site, roughly 3km apart. You may prefer to be dropped off at the upper entrance (the southern gate or güney kapısı) so that you can walk back downhill through the ruins and out through the lower main entrance.
To avoid the heat of the day, come early in the morning or in the late afternoon, when it's less crowded with tour groups. If you can, avoid public holidays altogether. Note that the terrace houses cost extra (and take about an hour) to visit. If your interest in ruins is slight, half a day may suffice, but real ruins buffs will want to m…
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Ottoman Houses
Just walking through Çarşı is a feast for the eyes. Virtually every house in the district is an original, and what little modern development there is has been held in check. Many of the finest historic houses have been restored, and as time goes on, more and more are being saved from deterioration and turned into hotels, shops or museums.
Kaymakamlar Müze Evi, the most interesting of three old houses that have been turned into museums, has all the typical features of Ottoman homes. It was owned by a lieutenant colonel and still feels like an address of note as you climb the stairs towards the wooden ceiling decoration. Tableaux recreate everyday scenes such as bathing…
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Selimiye Mosque
It's impossible to miss the Selimiye Mosque, Edirne's grandest and most central mosque, designed by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. Constructed for Sultan Selim II (r 1566-74) and finished just after his death, it is smaller but more elegant than Sinan's tremendous Süleymaniye Camii (1557) in İstanbul, and it's said that Sinan himself considered it his finest work.
To best appreciate the mosque you should enter from the west, as the architect intended, rather than through the terraced park and the arasta (row of shops) to the south. The broad, lofty dome - marginally wider than that of İstanbul's Aya Sofya - is supported unobtrusively by eight pillars, arches a…
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Palace of Constantine Porphyrogenituschi
Sacred buildings often endure because they continue to be used, even though they may be converted for use in another religion. Put simply, there’s something a bit dodgy about razing a place of worship, and not too many people want to do it. No such squeamishness surrounds secular buildings such as palaces, though, and history shows that these are often torn down and rebuilt to cater to the tastes and needs of different generations. İstanbul is no different – the Byzantine palaces that once crowded Sultanahmet Sq are all gone, and so is most of the Great Palace of Blachernae, which was also in this neighbourhood. Only the Tekfur Sarayı remains. Though the building is only …
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Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Mosque
Sinan designed this mosque in 1571, at the height of his architectural career. Though named after the grand vizier of the time, it was really sponsored by his wife Esmahan, daughter of Sultan Selim II. Besides its architectural harmony, typical of Sinan’s greatest works, the mosque is unusual because the medrese is not a separate building but actually part of the mosque structure, built around the forecourt. If the mosque isn’t open, wait for the guardian to appear; he may offer photos for sale and will certainly appreciate a tip. When you enter, notice the harmonious form, the coloured marble and the spectacular İznik tiles – some of the best ever made. The stained gla…
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Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos
Built between 1292 and 1294, the Church of the Theotokos Pammakaristos, or Church of the all-praised Mother of God, briefly served as the headquarters of the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch (1455–1587). Not long after the Conquest, Mehmet the Conqueror visited here to discuss theological questions with Patriarch Gennadios. They talked in the southern side chapel known as the parecclesion, which was built to a cross-shaped plan and has a small dome, a gallery and a narthex. Though not as splendid as those in the nearby Chora Church, the paracclesion’s Byzantine-era mosaics have been beautifully restored and are well worth seeing, particularly the Pantocrator and 12 Prophet…
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Sacred Way
From the Great Theatre, walk south along the marble-paved Sacred Way, also known as the Marble Way, noting the remains of the elaborate water and sewerage systems beneath the paving stones, and the ruts made by wheeled vehicles (which were not allowed to drive down Harbour St). The large open space on the right was the 110-sq-m agora (marketplace) dating back to 3BC and once the heart of Ephesus' business life. It would have been surrounded by a colonnade and shops selling food and craft items.
Note the fine carvings of gladiators that survive along the Sacred Way.
On the left as you approach the end of the street is an elaborate building, which used to be called a brothe…
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Gül Mosque
Rarely visited by anyone other than local worshippers, this cross-domed church building dates from the 11th century. Originally known as Church of St Theodosia, it is now called the Gül (Rose) Mosque. Legend has it that on Theodosia’s saint day (29 May) preceding the Conquest, worshippers filled the church with rose petals in her honour and prayed that the Ottomans wouldn’t be successful in breaching the city’s walls. Their prayers went unanswered, but when soldiers of Mehmet’s army entered they saw the petals and renamed the building Gül Mosque. In fact, the building was used as a shipyard warehouse after the Conquest and wasn’t converted into a mosque until the reign of…
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Molla Zeyrek Mosque
This mosque complex was originally an important Byzantine sanctuary comprising a monastery (church, library and hospital), second church and chapel joining the two churches. Empress Eirene had the monastery built between 1118 and 1124 (she features in a mosaic at Aya Sofya with her husband Emperor John II Comnenus) and her husband built the second church and chapel on the site after her death; the mosque occupies the church that Eirene built. The complex is the second-largest still-standing church built by the Byzantines (after Aya Sofya) and was until recently included on the World Monument Fund’s List of the world’s 100 most endangered cultural heritage sites – it’s now…
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Şemsi Paşa Mosque
This charming mosque complex right on the waterfront was designed by Sinan and built in 1580 for grand vizier, Şemsi Ahmet Paşa. It is modest in size and decoration, reflecting the fact that its benefactor (whose tomb has an opening into the mosque) only occupied the position of grand vizier for a couple of months under Süleyman the Magnificent. When this book went to press, the mosque and its adjoining medrese were closed for restoration. Next to the mosque you’ll find the run-down Şemsi Paşa Çay Bahçesi, a decent place to recover from a hectic schedule of Üsküdar mosque viewing if the weather is fine. Behind it, there’s always a posse of fishermen trying their …
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Sultan Selim Mosque
By all accounts the sultan to whom this mosque was dedicated (Süleyman the Magnificent’s father, Selim I, known as ‘the Grim’) was a nasty piece of work. He is famous for having his father poisoned and for killing two of his brothers, six of his nephews and three of his own sons. Odd, then, that his mosque is one of the most loved in the city. The reason becomes clear when a visit reveals the mosque’s position on a lawned terrace with spectacular views of the Golden Horn – picnic spots don’t come much better than this. The building itself, constructed in 1522, was undergoing a major renovation when this book was going to print. Inside, its tilework and painted woodwork pr…
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Aqueduct of Valens
Rising majestically over the traffic on busy Atatürk Bulvarı, this limestone aqueduct is one of the city’s most distinctive landmarks. Commissioned by the Emperor Valens and completed in AD 378, it was part of an elaborate system sourcing water from the north of the city and linking more than 250km of water channels, some 30 bridges and over 100 cisterns within the city walls, making it one of the greatest hydraulic engineering achievements of ancient times. The aqueduct linked the third and fourth hills and carried water to a cistern at Beyazıt Sq before finally ending up at the Great Byzantine Palace. After the Conquest it supplied the Eski (Old) and Topkapı Palace…
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Ottoman houses
Wander into Kaleiçi, now a historical zone protected from modern development. Many of the gracious old Ottoman houses have been restored, then converted to pensions, hotels, or, inevitably, carpet and souvenir shops. The northern part of Kaleiçi is the most touristy; persevere and explore the quieter backstreets abutting Karaalioğlu Parkı.
The Roman harbour at the base of the slope was restored during the 1980s and is now a marina for yachts and excursion boats. It was Antalya's lifeline from the 2nd century BC until late in the 20th century, when a new port was constructed about 12km west of the city, at the far end of Konyaaltı Plajı.
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Nuruosmaniye Mosque
Facing Nuruosmaniye Kapısı, one of several doorways into the Grand Bazaar, this mosque was built in Ottoman baroque style between 1748 and 1755. Construction was started by Mahmut I and finished by his successor Osman III. Though it was meant to exhibit the sultans’ ‘modern’ taste, the baroque building has very strong echoes of Aya Sofya, specifically the broad, lofty dome, colonnaded mezzanine galleries, windows topped with Roman arches and the broad band of calligraphy around the interior. Despite its prominent position on the busy pedestrian route from Cağaloğlu Sq and Nuruosmaniye Caddesi to the bazaar, it is surprisingly peaceful and contemplative inside.
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Şehzade Mehmet Mosque
Süleyman the Magnificent built this mosque between 1543 and 1548 as a memorial to his son, Mehmet, who died of smallpox in 1543 at the age of 22. It was the first important mosque to be designed by Mimar Sinan. Although not one of his best works, it has two beautiful minarets and attractive exterior decoration. Among the many important people buried in tile-encrusted tombs here are Prince Mehmet, his brothers and sisters, and Süleyman’s grand viziers, Rüstem Paşa and İbrahim Paşa. After you’ve visited the mosque, consider stopping for a tea or lunch at Şehzade Mehmed Sofrası, housed in one of the külliye buildings behind the mosque.
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İç Kale
Diyarbakýr's single most conspicuous feature is its great circuit of basalt walls, probably dating from Roman times, although the present walls date from early Byzantine times (AD 330-500). At almost 6km in length these walls are said to be second in extent only to the Great Wall of China. They make a striking sight whether you're walking along the top or the bottom.
You can ascend the walls of the İç Kale to enjoy the fine views of the Tigris, flanked by a patchwork of market gardens, as it meanders 2km to 3km south to flow under the 11th-century On Gözlu Köprüsü (Ten-Eyed Bridge).
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Ortaköy Mosque
Right on the water’s edge, this mosque is the work of Nikoğos Balyan, one of the architects of Dolmabahçe Palace. It was built for Sultan Abdül Mecit I between 1853 and 1855. With the modern Bosphorus Bridge now looming behind it, the mosque provides a fabulous photo opportunity for those wanting to illustrate İstanbul’s ‘old meets new’ character. Within the mosque hang several masterful examples of Arabic calligraphy executed by the sultan, who was an accomplished calligrapher. The mosque fronts onto Ortaköy Sq, the hub of this former fishing village and home to a pretty fountain and waterfront cafes.
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Meryem Ana Kilisesi
The wonderful Meryem Ana Kilisesi is still used by Orthodox Syrian Christians; they are Jacobites, or Monophysites, who refused to accept the doctrine laid down at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. This said that Jesus had two natures, being simultaneously fully divine and fully human - the Monophysites insisted he had only one divine nature. The church is beautifully maintained, although only about seven families still attend services.
You will have to hammer on the door as the custodian lives two courtyards away and may not hear you.
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Yeni Valide Mosque
Unusual because of the striking ‘birdcage’ tomb in its overgrown garden, the Yeni Valide Mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet III between 1708 and 1710 for his mother, Gülnuş Emetullah. After being captured as a child on Crete and brought to Topkapı, Gülnuş became the favourite concubine of Mehmet IV, and bore him two sons who would become sultan: Mustafa II and his younger brother, Ahmet. Built late in the period of classical Ottoman architecture, it lacks the architectural distinction of many of the suburb’s other mosques.
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