Istanbul European Side

Beyoğlu is the location of Istanbul that never sleeps. Vivid, colorful and crowded at all the time. A cosmopolite mosaic of Turkey where people with different ethnical cultures live together. This location has an atmosphere that almost summarizes the city. This is an indispensable neighborhood of Istanbul, where you can meet people of any color, there are entertainment locations of different styles, you encounter street hawkers selling chestnuts, corns and more, and you can feel lost when you blend in with the crowd listening the music heard in the streets.

This building constructed in place of Hoca Nazım Theater destroyed during the big fire of Beyoğlu in 1870 was first called Christakis Passage, and then started to be called Cité de Péra or Flower Passage since many flower shops were opened during the armistice years. Taverns that opened in the 1940’s (in particular, Nektar Beerhouse) started to attract a significant crowd of customers. When flower shops started to move to other streets in the 1950’s, new taverns kept opening in the places vacated by them. At the end of the 1950’s, the name “flower” is nothing but a memory, and the passage has become the place of taverns as it is now. This neglected building that suddenly collapsed on May 10, 1978 was put into service again in 2005, and it is now serving those who wish to enjoy raki, fish and appetizers accompanied by live music.

Arasta Bazaar was also called Sipahi (Cavalrymen) Bazaar since the materials for cavalrymen used to be sold there in the Ottoman period. Constructed based on a significant repair on the old Byzantine ruins, Arasta Bazaar is a street, where about seventy shops are located in both sides selling traditional carpets, rugs, souvenirs and İznik potteries. Some mosaics from a Byzantine Palace were found during the excavations carried out in the region in the 1930’s, which proves that this region belonged to a palace complex. Destroyed during a fire in 1912, the bazaar remained ruins for many years, and then renovated in 1980 and put into service as a great location in Istanbul.

The Spice Bazaar, which was then the pharmacy of Istanbul, was constructed by order of Turhan Sultan in 1660. Known for herbalists, this bazaar is still used a location, where natural medicines, spices, flower seeds, rare plant roots and barks and, other traditional products as well as dried fruits, charcuterie products and various foodstuffs. The bazaar is open on Sundays too. This historical, magical structure awaits the customers in the middle of Eminönü with a colorful ambiance accompanied by the scents of spices mixed with one another.

This is the first Turkish museum to cover the works of Turkish and Islamic art. It was opened to visit in 1914 with the name of Evkaf-ı İslamiye Museum in a building located in the complex of Suleymaniye Mosque, one of the most important works of Sinan the Architect. After the proclamation of the republic, it started to be called ‘Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum’. It was moved to Ibrahim Pasha Palace in 1983. Given the Jury’s Special Award in the museum of the year competition organized by the European Council in 1984, and the award given by UNESCO for its efforts and activities intended to make children love cultural heritages. Among one of the world’s select museums in this field, it has distinguished works from almost every periods and types of Islamic art with a collection containing more than 40,000 pieces.

There are many obelisks brought from Egypt to various cities of the world. The obelisk in Istanbul was first erected in 1547 BC for the sake of Pharaoh Thutmosis III in the city of Annu called as Heliopolis by Greeks. Thutmose's victories are written on it in hieroglyph. The stone first attracted the attention of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine and asked the Egyptian to send the stone to him. The obelisk was first erected in Hippodrome with the order of the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius in the 390s. On the base, there are embossments of Theodosius I, his sons and wife, Arcadius, Honorius and the Emperor Valentinian II. There are also some scenes from the Hippodrome and depictions displaying the erection of the obelisk.

Constructed in 528, used as a dungeon in the 15th century, and as a fire tower in the 16th century, this tower, from which Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi flied for the first time in history with wooden wings, is one of the most significant works of the Genoese architecture. The cafes and restaurants of Galata Tower, where you can enjoy the panoramic view of Istanbul, opens at nine in the mornings and served until the midnight. This neighborhood that acquired a different ambiance with the presence of Galata Tower witnessing many different civilizations promises joyous moments for visitors also with boutique shops around.

The sources suggest that Binbirdirek Cistern was constructed by order of Byzantine Emperor Constantine I in the 4th century, while Yerebatan Cistern was constructed by order of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in 542 to meet the water needs in the city. There are 336 pillars each with a height of 9 meters in Yerebatan Cistern. There are legends about these cisterns located in the middle of the Historical Peninsula talked about for many years up until today. These interesting legends about Yerebatan and Binbirdirek Cisterns make these buildings more mysterious and interesting. The historical ambiances of these significant buildings of Istanbul are worth seeing.

Blue Mosque, also known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque, was constructed between 1609-1616. This mosque is adorned with more than 20,000 blue, green and white Iznik tiles and thus called “Blue Mosque” by most Europeans due to the penmanship used on the semi-domes and the grand dome. After the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a museum from a mosque in 1934, the structure has become Istanbul's primary mosque. As a matter of fact, together with its social complex, Blue Mosque is one of the largest building complexes in Istanbul. This social complex consists of medreses, nobleman's quarters, market row, Turkish baths, fountains, tombs, medical quarters, school, almshouse and lodgings.