Bosphorus Cruise Tour Best Bosphorus Cruise Tours in Istanbul Those who visit Istanbul for the first time, primarily visit the historical monuments around Sultanahmet. Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque are the first places that come to mind. However, it is not enough to see why Istanbul is such an important place in…
Byzantine History Tour in Istanbul
Byzantine History Tour Istanbul has many churches, cisterns, palaces and columns from the Byzantine Empire. Some of these structures are still standing, while others are in ruins. If you visit these places with a tour guide who knows the Byzantine history well, you can visualize the legacy of this great civilization. Constantinople, the heart of…
Byzantine Churches in Istanbul
Byzantine Churches List of Most Beautiful Byzantine Churches in Istanbul The first three churches of Constantinople, Hagia Eirene, Hagia Sophia and the Church of the Holy Apostles have not survived in their original form. Therefore, our knowledge of the early church architecture of Istanbul consists of what we know about the early Christian churches. The…
Ottoman Empire Map and Short History
Ottoman Empire Map Ottoman Empire Map and Short History The Ottomans were founded in 1299 after the collapse of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. The Ottoman Principality was established on the territory of Bilecik and Kütahya of Anatolia. Although there were more powerful principalities in Anatolia, it managed to become a rapidly expanding state by…
Roman Empire Map and Short History
Roman Empire Map Short History of the Roman Empire with Map The Rome was founded as a city-state in the heart of Italy. Rome, which was militarily successful, took over the surrounding city-states and expanded. Rome’s first goal was to unite Italy. However, it soon began to spread all over the Mediterranean coast. The Roman…
Hippodrome of Constantinople in Istanbul
Hippodrome in Istanbul Hippodrome of Constantinople in Istanbul Sultanahmet, which had been the administrative center of the empires that reigned in Istanbul, hosts millions of visitors every year. Focusing on Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque, visitors can overlook the Hippodrome. However, two of the oldest historical monuments of Istanbul, such as the Egyptian…
Blue Mosque History, Architecture, Hours
Blue Mosque History Blue Mosque History, Architecture and Hours The Sultanahmet district, which houses the most important historical buildings of Istanbul, takes its name from this mosque built by the Sultan Ahmed. The Blue Mosque, which is adjacent to Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace, hosts millions of visitors every year. Built between 1609 and 1616,…
Basilica Cistern Entrance Fee and Hours
Basilica Cistern Museum Basilica Cistern Entrance Fee, Tickets, Short History, Hours There are hundreds of Byzantine cisterns under the Istanbul Historic Peninsula. If you look carefully, you will notice that there are cisterns with red brick ceilings visible even in Hagia Sophia Square or the second courtyard of Topkapi Palace. Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople,…
Topkapi Palace Entrance Fee and Hours
Topkapi Palace Museum Topkapi Palace Entrance Fee, Tickets, Short History and Hours Topkapi Palace was built by Sultan Mehmed after the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans and remained the residence of the Sultans for nearly 400 years. When the Ottomans captured Constantinople, the historical peninsula of Istanbul, they realized that the Byzantine Empire, which…
Hagia Sophia Entrance Fee and Hours
Hagia Sophia Museum Hagia Sophia Entrance Fee, Tickets, Short History and Hours Hagia Sophia is considered one of the most important structures in human history. Until the construction of Hagia Sophia, there were two important temples that were widely known in the world: the first was the Solomon’s Temple, which was destroyed during the occupation…
Byzantine Empire Map and Achievements
Byzantine Empire Map Byzantine Empire Map, Facts and Achievements Historians have different views about the founding year of the Byzantine Empire. First of all, let me point out that “Byzantine” is actually a name that was later added by historians. Its original name was the Eastern Roman Empire, and it was the only state to…
Dolmabahce Palace Entry Fee and Hours
Dolmabahce Palace Dolmabahce Palace Entry Fee, Tickets, History and Hours Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the first Ottoman sultan who set foot in Istanbul, first built a palace in Beyazit (near the Grand Bazaar). He lived in this palace during the construction of Topkapi Palace in Sultanahmet. The Topkapi Palace was designed by the Sultan as a…
Galata Tower Entrance Fee and Hours
History of the Galata Tower Galata Tower Entrance Fee, Working Hours and History It was a huge surprise for everyone when Roman Emperor Constantine decided to move the capital of Roman Empire to a small city, called as Byzantium. Constantine had two reasons to carry out this fundamental change: Moving away from Rome which was…
Emperors and Sultans of Istanbul
Emperors and Sultans Legendary Emperors and Sultans of Istanbul The history of Istanbul dates back to 638 B.C. Istanbul has been an important transit point between Asia and Europe for centuries and it has been home to various cultures. Istanbul served as the capital for old civilizations such as Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and the Ottomans….