University of Bucharest

Faculty of Geography
Majoring in Tourism Geography
Group 105

İstanbul
Tourist attraction

Students:

Alexa David
Balaci Bianca
Bilal Serhan
 Squares in İstanbul

When we say Istanbul, we instantly think of Taksim

Square. This square is one of the most popular region
for the tourists, being an important commercial,
entertainment and shopping area.

Taksim
Square
The most important monument in Taksim Square is the
Independence Monument (Istiklal Aniti in Turkish), at the
beginning of Istiklal pedestrian street. This is also the turnaround
point for the red old tram which is the only vehicle permitted on
Istiklal Street beside police and government cars. The monument Independence
Monument
was made by the Italian sculptor and it describes Atatürk,
founder of the Republic, as a military commander-in-chief and a
statesman.
 Right next to the Square you will find
Istiklal Street, one of the most popular
streets in Istanbul, where new and old
combine to create a hot spot for tourists.

İstanbul nostalgic
tramways

Another place you can find on this street is the wax

museum and entertainment center named Madame
Tussauds.
Church of the
Holy Trinity
or Hagia
Triada

Right when you enter the street, on the left you can see
the Hagia Triada Church, a Greek church from 1880,
which can be seen by everyone with its dome and twin
bell towers.
 Then you’ll find the Flower Passage, a lively place where you can dine and
appreciate the beauty of the historical arcade. Situated at the back of the Flower
Passage, in the middle of Istiklal Street, is Nevizade Street. Nevizade is a popular Flower Passage
street and night time entertainment area where visitors may enjoy the lively (Cicek Pasaji)
atmosphere of its narrow streets with cafes, fish restaurants, dining places and
more.

Nevizade Street
 Situated right beside the Flower Passage, the Fish Market is a historical
market area and a place that you may have an impressive culinary
experience. There are variety of stands selling delicious street food. And if
you go further into the market, you may find variety of shops selling
vegetables, fruits, caviar, fish and more.

French Street

The French Street is a

lovely street made in
French style and located
in Galatsaray, behind the Fish Market
Galatsaray School, Istiklal
Avenue. The street is also
known as Algeria Street.
 Another famous square is Eminonu
Square, located between Galata
Bridge and New Mosque, this is a
Eminonu pass through for the tourists that
Square wants to get to the Grand Bazaar
and Spice Bazaar.

Beyazıt Square is another

popular square from Istanbul.
It’s the spacious plaza in front of
Istanbul University's main gate,
Beyazıt Square and next to the Grand Bazaar
and the Old Book Bazaar
(Sahaflar Çarşısı)
 Located in the Ortakoy neigbborhood of Besiktas district,
by the Bosphorus shoreline, Ortakoy Square, without a
doubt, is one of the most popular meeting points, a center
for leisure activities and beautiful squares in Istanbul.
As for sights along the Ortakoy Square; the Ortakoy
Buyuk Mecidiye Mosque and Esma Sultan Mansion come
first. The 18th century fountain in the square also worth a
see.

You may also take the Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise with

dinner and entertainment, made from the Ortakoy
Sqaure, especially on the summer times.

Ortakoy Mosque
The 19th century Ortakoy Mosque was built for Sultan
Abdulmecit and located just beside the Ortakoy Square. The
beautiful Mosque seems like standing over the sea.
Dating back to 1848, the Esma Sultan Mansion is a very
beautiful mansion, that was built for the daughter of the
Sultan Abdülaziz, as a marriage present. Between 1915-
1922, the mansion was used as a Greek Schoold and
warehouse, today is used as a venue for weddings,
meetings and events.

Esma Sultan Mansion

The Sultanahmet Square (Sultanahmet Meydani) is the

old historic quarter of Istanbul and here you will find
some of the most significant historic monuments of
Sultanahmet
Istanbul. The district was named after Sultan Ahmet I, Square
the builder of the Blue Mosque which sits at one end of
the leafy square. Facing the Blue Mosque at the
opposite end of the square is the magnificent Hagia
Sophia.
 Places to visit

The Galata Tower, Galata Kulesi in

Turkish, is one of the highest and
Galata Tower oldest towers of Istanbul.

It was originally
build with wood by
the Bizantine
emperor, Anastasius
Oilozus, in 528 AD
as a lighthouse and
reconstructed using
stone in 1348 by the
Up from the tower, the view is absolutely Genoese, as Christea
breathtaking. You can see the beauty of the city Turris ( Christ
along with the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, Hagia Tower).
Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Spice Market, the Galata
Bridge and across to the Asian side of the city.
 The Aya Sofya (formerly the Hagia Sophia) was the
emperor's swaggering statement to the world of the wealth
and technical ability of his empire. Tradition maintained that
the area surrounding the emperor's throne within the church Aya Sofia
was the official center of the world.
Through its conversion to a mosque, after the Ottoman
armies conquered Constantinople, to its further conversion
into a museum in the 20th century, the Aya Sofya has
remained one of Istanbul's most cherished landmarks.

Because of its dual religious

usage over the centuries, the
interior is a fascinating mix
of both Byzantine and
Ottoman splendor. It is lit
by countless windows and
dominated by the
magnificent central dome
with its 32-meter diameter.
Sultan Ahmet I's grand architectural gift to his capital was
this beautiful mosque, commonly known as the Blue
Mosque today. Built between 1609 and 1616, the mosque
caused a furore throughout the Muslim world when it
was finished, as it had six minarets (the same number as
the Great Mosque of Mecca). A seventh minaret was
eventually gifted to Mecca to stem the dissent.
Blue Mosque
The mosque gets its nickname from its interior decoration
of tens of thousands of Iznik tiles. The entire spatial and
color effect of the interior makes the mosque one of the
finest achievements of Ottoman architecture.
 The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was
the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of
the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named
Sultanahmet Meydanı (Sultan Ahmet Square), with a few
fragments of the original structure surviving.

Hippodrome of Constantinople

The Obelisk of Theodosius

The Obelisk of Theodosius (Turkish:

Dikilitaş) is the Ancient Egyptian
obelisk of Pharaoh Thutmose III re-
erected in the Hippodrome of
Constantinople by the Roman emperor
Theodosius I in the 4th century.
 The obelisk has survived nearly 3,500
years in astonishingly good condition.
 Serpent Column
When Constantine the Great had
expanded Byzantium and had
renamed it Constantinople, he
started to decorate the city, and
ordered the removal of several
ancient works of art and
monuments. One of these was the
Serpents' Column that had, until
then, been in Delphi, and was now
placed on the spina, the
longitudional barrier in the center
of the hippodrome.
Walled Obelisk
In the 10th century the
Emperor Constantine
Porphyrogenitus built
another obelisk at the other
end of the Hippodrome. It
was originally covered with
gilded bronze plaques, but
they were sacked by Latin
troops in the Fourth
Crusade.[1] The stone core
of this monument also
survives, known as the
Walled Obelisk.
 Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain

The fountain was built in 1900 to celebrate the

second anniversary of German Kaiser Wilhelm’s
visit to Turkey and sits at the far end of
Sultanahmet Square in the heart of the Old City.
It’s constructed in the neo-Byzantine style, with
marble columns and a dome whose interior is
lined with golden mosaic tiles. It’s a small but
lasting tribute to an alliance that both countries
would probably rather forget.
 Basilica Cistern
The Basilica Cistern is one of Istanbul's
most surprising tourist attractions. This
huge, palace-like underground hall,
supported by 336 columns in 12 rows,
once stored the imperial water supply
for the Byzantine emperors. The project
was begun by Constantine the Great
but finished by Emperor Justinian in
the 6th century. The most famous of
these are the column bases known as
the Medusa stones in the northwest
corner with their Medusa head
carvings. A visit here is very
atmospheric with the columns
beautifully lit and the soft, steady
trickle of water all around you.
 Dolmabahçe Palace located in the Beşiktaş district of
Istanbu is the largest palace in Turkey, served as the
main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire
from 1856 to 1887 and 1909 to 1922.

Dolmabahçe Palace

The design contains eclectic elements from the Baroque,

Rococo and Neoclassical styles, blended with traditional
Ottoman architecture to create a new synthesis. The
palace layout and décor reflect the increasing influence of
European styles and standards on Ottoman culture and
art during the Tanzimat period. The exterior, in particular
the view from the Bosporus, shows a classical European
two-wing arrangement which is divided by a big avant-
corps with two side avant-corps.
 First built by Mehmet the
Conqueror in the 15th century,
Topkapi Palace, this glorious Topkapi Palace
palace beside the Bosphorus was(Topkapi Sarayi)
where the sultans of the
Ottoman Empire ruled over their
dominions up until the 19th
century. The vast complex is a
dazzling display of Islamic art,
with opulent courtyards lined
with intricate hand-painted tile-
work, linking a warren of
sumptuously decorated rooms,
all bounded by battlemented
walls and towers.
 İstanbul Archaeology Museums
Just a jump away from Topkapi Palace, this important
museum complex brings together a staggering array of
artifacts from Turkey and throughout the Middle East,
which sweeps through the vast breadth of history of this
region. There are three separate sections in the complex,
each of which are worthy of a visit: the Museum of the
Ancient Orient; the main Archaeology Museum; and the
Tiled Pavilion of Mehmet the Conqueror, which holds a
staggering collection of ceramic art. As well as all the
wonderful artifacts on display, don't miss the interesting
Istanbul Through the Ages exhibit room in the main
Archaeology Museum.
İstanbul Modern
Proving that Istanbul isn't just about historic sightseeing,
this thoroughly up-to-the-minute art gallery holds an
extensive collection of Turkish modern art with an ever-
changing calendar of exhibitions, hosting both local and
international artists throughout the year. This is by far the
best place in town to get your finger on the pulse of
Turkey's contemporary art scene. The galleries are being
temporarily hosted in a historic Beyoglu building while
they wait for the completion of this art museum's new
permanent home in Karaköy.
Thank you for your attention !