The Basilica of St.
Sophia, now called the Ayasofya Museum
(click here to
see interior picture) is unquestionably one ot the finest buildings of
all time. Built by Constantine the Great and reconstructed by
Justinian in
the 6th century, its immense dome rises 55 meters above the ground and its
diameter spans 31 meters. You should linger here to absorb the building's
majestic serenity and to admire the fine
Byzantine mosaics. (Open every
day except Monday.)
Interior, Istanbul Archeological Museum
The Archaeological Museums are
found just inside the first court of Topkapi Palace. The newly renovated
Archaeological Museum includes the celebrated Alexander Sarcophagus
among its treasures of antiquity. The Museum of the Ancient Orient
displays artifacts from the Sumerian, Babylonian. Assyrian, Hatti and
Hittite civilizations. (Open every day except Monday.)
Originally built as a kosk or pavilion by Mehmet the Conqueror in the
15th century, the Cinili Kosk. which houses the Museum of Turkish
Ceramics. contains beautiful lznik wares from the 16th century and fine
examples of Seljuk and Ottoman pottery and tiles. (Open every day except
Monday.)
Kasikci Diamond
in Topkapi Palace
Like the Ayasofya
Museum, the St. Irene Museum was originally a church. It ranks, in fact,
as the first church built in Istanbul.Constantine commissioned it in the
fourth century and Justinian later had the church restored. Reputedly the
building stands on the site of a pre-Christian temple. (Open every day
except Monday.)
Yerebatan Palace
The dark stone
building that houses the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art was built
in 1524 by Ibrahim Pasa, Grand Vizier to Suleyman the Magnificent, as
his residence. It was the grandest private residence ever built in the
Ottoman Empire. Today it holds a superb collection of ceramics,
metalwork, miniatures, calligraphy, textiles, and woodwork as well as
some of the oldest carpets in the world. (Open every day except Monday.)
Across the street from the Ibrahim Pasa Palace is the Museum of
Turkish Carpets which contains exquisite antique carpets and kilims
gathered from all over Turkey. (Open every day except Sunday and
Monday.)
Near St. Sophia is the sixth century
Byzantine cistern known as the
Yerebatan Sarayi. Three hundred and thirty-five massive Corinthian
columns support the immense chamber's fine brick vaulting. (Open every
day except Tuesday.)
The Mosaic
Museum preserves in situ exceptionally fine mosaic pavements of the
fifth and sixth centuries which remain from the Great Palace of the
Byzantine emperors. (Open every day except Monday.)
The 11th century church of St. Savior in Chora, the
Kariye Museum,
is, after St. Sophia, the most important
Byzantine monument in
Istanbul. Unremarkable in its architecture, inside tne walls are
decorated with superb l4th century frescoes and mosaics. Illustrating
scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, these brilliantly
colored paintings embody the vigor of
Byzantine art. Restored wooden
houses in the area surrounding the churcn offer tea and coffee in a
relaxed atmosphere far removed from the city's hectic pace. (Open
every day except Tuesday.)
Mosaic From
Kariye Museum
Mosaic from
Kariye Museum
The
Aviation Museum in Yesilkoy traces the development of air flight in
Turkey. (Open every day except Monday.)
The great field tents used by the
Ottoman armies on campaigns are
displayed in the Military Museum. Other exhibits include Ottoman
weapons and the accoutrements of war. The Mehter Takimi (Ottoman
military band) perform Ottoman Marshal music between 3:00 and 4:00
p.m. (Open every day except Monday and Tuesday.)
The house in which Ataturk lived in sisli now serves as the
Ataturk
Museum and displays his personal effects. (Open every day except
Saturday and Sunday.)
In the Besiktas
district the Naval Museum displays the great imperial caiques in which the
sultans were rowed across the Bosphorus, as well as many other interesting
exhibits of Ottoman naval history (Open every day except Monday and
Thursday.)
Also in Besiktas, the Museum of Fine Arts displays Turkish paintings and
sculptures from the end of the 19th century to the present day. (Open
every day except Monday and Tuesday.)
Near the gardens of Yildiz Palace, the City Museum preserves and documents
the history of Istanbul since the
Ottoman conquest. (Open every day except
Thursday.)
Up the Bosphorus in the picturesque village of Buyukdere, the collections
of the Sadberk Hanim Museum fill two charming 19th century wooden villas.
A private museum which originally displayed Turkish decorative arts, it
has recently been expanded with a new collection of archaeological finds.
(Open every day except Wednesday.)
