Kadıköy
This 2013 work by Italian street artist PixelPancho shows a young boy sitting in the lap of a strange-looking robot fighter.
Must-see attractions in Istanbul
Kadıköy
Australian street artist Fintan Magee created this massive men-with-buckets mural for the 2017 Mural İstanbul festival.
Kadıköy
This colourful mural of a woman and child was painted by French street artist Amose Vazimolo, commonly known as Amose.
Kadıköy
This extraordinarily detailed black-and-white mural of a floating boat was created by German artist Dome in 2012.
Street Mural by Captain Borderline
Kadıköy
This work by German street artist Captain Borderline was created for the 2013 Mural Ist Festival.
Istanbul
In Byzantine times, this square was called the Forum of Theodosius. Today it's home to street vendors, students from the adjoining İstanbul University and…
Nişantaşi, Bomonti & Harbiye
This sprawling museum located in a former 19th-century military school 1km north of Taksim has a huge collection of militaria dating from the 13th century…
Beyoğlu
The cylindrical Galata Tower stands sentry over the approach to 'new' İstanbul. Constructed in 1348, it was the tallest structure in the city for…
Kadıköy
One of the pioneering musicians who mixed rock sounds with traditional Turkish folk music to establish the Anatolian rock genre in the 1960s and 1970s,…
Kadıköy
This tiny chapel on a leafy side street in Moda was built in 1878 as an Anglican church serving a British community who settled in the area following the…
İstanbul Fransız Kültür Merkezi
Beyoğlu
Set in a distinctive yellow building just off Taksim Square, the French Cultural Centre in İstanbul hosts regular art exhibitions (with a particular focus…
Church & Monastery of St George
Princes’ Islands
There's not a lot to see at this Greek Orthodox monastery complex located on a 203m-high hill known as Yücetepe, but the panoramic views from the…
Beyoğlu
The Pera Palace was a project of Georges Nagelmackers, the Belgian entrepreneur who linked Paris and Constantinople with his famous Orient Express train…
Church of the Monastery of Christ Pantokrator
Istanbul
This church and a series of cisterns are the only remaining structures of an important Byzantine monastery complex. One of the finest examples of…
Beyoğlu
Towering over Galatasaray Sq, this sleek cultural centre affiliated with a major Turkish bank stages art exhibitions, hosts classical-music concerts, and…
Beyoğlu
Back when promenading down the Grand Rue de Pera (now İstiklal Caddesi) was the height of fashion, the Cité de Pera building was İstanbul's most glamorous…
Kadıköy
Funded by the German government, this railway station was built in the first decade of the 20th century as the İstanbul stop for a planned Berlin to…
Istanbul
The second imperial mosque built in İstanbul (after the Fatih Camii), Beyazıt Camii was constructed between 1501 and 1506 by order of Beyazıt II, son of…
Church of St Stephen of the Bulgars
Istanbul
Known as the 'Iron Church', this distinctive Gothic Revival–style building on the Golden Horn has an extremely beautiful interior, with its gilded iron…
Beyoğlu
Turkey's big banks and philanthropic trusts vie to be seen as the greatest sponsor of the arts. İstiklal is a showcase for their generosity, and with this…
Istanbul
Rising Hogwarts-like from the urban jumble, this Fener landmark, known locally as kırmızı kale (the red castle) for its castellated red-brick facade,…
Istanbul
This mosque started life as the 11th-century Church of St Theodosia. Legend has it that one day before the Conquest, worshippers filled the church with…
Istanbul
Erected by order of the Emperor Constantine to celebrate the dedication of New Rome (Constantinople) as capital of the Roman Empire in 330, this column is…
Beyoğlu
The descriptor 'cultural centre' is used a lot in İstanbul, but is often a misnomer. Here at SALT Galata it really does apply. Housed in a magnificent…
İstanbul Museum of the History of Science & Technology in Islam
Sultanahmet
Of interest to science buffs, the didactic exhibition in this museum argues that Islamic advances in science and technology preceded and greatly…
Beyoğlu
The cornerstone of this Gothic-style Anglican church was laid in 1858 by Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, known as 'The Great Elchi' (elçi meaning ambassador)…
Kadıköy
A friendly, and ecofriendly, community space devoted to ‘sustainable creativity’, Circuit hosts exhibitions and craft fairs of work by local artists, and…
Beyoğlu
This pretty mosque, designed by Sinan and built in 1577, is unusual in that it, and the minaret, are raised on a platform. It was commissioned by Sokollu…
Istanbul
Though only a shell these days, the remnants of this Byzantine palace give a good idea of how it would have looked in its heyday. Built in the late 13th…
Istanbul
Commissioned by Murat IV's mother, Kösem Valide Sultan, this massive han (caravanserai) was built in 1651 and originally housed up to 3000 travellers and…
Sultanahmet
Commissioned by Justinian in the 540s, this Byzantine church is almost exactly as old as its near neighbour, Aya Sofya. Used as an arsenal for centuries,…
Istanbul
Built on the highest hill in the city, this massive mosque opened in 2019 and can accommodate an extraordinary 63,000 worshippers. The largest mosque in…
Istanbul
Adjoining Beyazıt Sq, this is the largest of the city's universities and has a history dating back to early Ottoman times. It moved to this location in…
Istanbul
Closed to the public, this 85m-tall tower sits on top of one of the seven hills on which Constantine the Great built the city, following the model of Rome…
Istanbul
One of the many hans (caravanserais) in the Bazaar District, this huge structure was built between 1659 and 1660 by the Köprülüs, a distinguished Ottoman…
Istanbul
A baroque-style Imperial mosque commissioned by Sultan Mustafa III and built between 1759 and 1763, the Laleli ('with Tulips') Camii is a short walk from…
Marmara University Republican Museum
Sultanahmet
Located at the southern end of the Hippodrome, this museum is housed in a handsome example of Ottoman Revivalism, a homegrown architectural style popular…
Istanbul
Unusual due to the striking 'birdcage' tomb in its overgrown garden, this mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet III between 1708 and 1710 for his mother,…
İstanbul Arastırmaları Enstitüsü
Beyoğlu
Associated with the nearby Pera Museum, this institution incorporates a publicly accessible research library focusing on the cultural and social history…
Beyoğlu
Built by the Genoese in 1337, this fortress-like mosque was the largest of İstanbul's Latin churches. Converted to a mosque after the Conquest, it was…
