This lovely little building tucked away in the shadow of Aya Sofya was designed by Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan on the orders of Cafer Ağa, Süleyman the Magnificent's chief black eunuch. Built in 1560 as a school, it now houses a cultural organisation that teaches and promotes traditional Turkish handicrafts. The courtyard is home to the unassuming Caferağa Medresesi Çay Bahçesi where it's possible to enjoy a glass of tea or simple meal.
Caferağa Medresesi
Sultanahmet
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.1 MILES
Right in the heart of İstanbul’s historic center, this sacred Byzantine building remains an important symbol of power.
0.29 MILES
Topkapı is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world's museums put together. Libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful…
2.58 MILES
İstanbul has more than its fair share of Byzantine monuments, but few are as drop-dead gorgeous as this mosaic- and fresco-laden church. Nestled in the…
0.92 MILES
The Süleymaniye crowns one of İstanbul's seven hills and dominates the Golden Horn, providing a landmark for the entire city. Though it's not the largest…
0.11 MILES
This subterranean structure was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, it was…
0.32 MILES
İstanbul's most photogenic building was the grand project of Sultan Ahmet I (r 1603–17), whose tomb is located on the north side of the site facing…
0.59 MILES
The colourful and chaotic Grand Bazaar is the heart of İstanbul's Old City and has been so for centuries. Starting as a small vaulted bedesten (warehouse)…
1.58 MILES
There's plenty to see at this impressive museum, but its major draw is undoubtedly the 2nd-floor exhibition of paintings featuring Turkish Orientalist…
Nearby Sultanahmet attractions
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Running between the Topkapı Palace walls and Aya Sofya, this picturesque cobbled street is named after the Soğuk Çeşme (Cold Fountain) at its southern end…
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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,…
3. Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar Literature Museum Library
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Built into the wall of Gülhane Park, the 19th-century Alay Köşkü (Parade Kiosk) is a polygonal building where the sultan would sit and watch the periodic…
0.1 MILES
Right in the heart of İstanbul’s historic center, this sacred Byzantine building remains an important symbol of power.
0.11 MILES
This subterranean structure was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, it was…
0.12 MILES
Housed in an imaret (soup kitchen) added to the Aya Sofya complex in the 18th century, this museum is entered through a spectacular baroque gate and gives…
7. İstanbul Archaeology Museums
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The city's foremost archaeological museum is housed in three buildings close to Topkapı Palace. There are many highlights, but the sarcophagi from the…
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Part of the Aya Sofya complex but entered via Babıhümayun Caddesi, these tombs are the final resting places of five 16th- and 17th-century sultans –…