Beyazit Square

May 12, 2010 00:18 by haci
This was built in 393 during the reign of Theodosius I as the largest square in the city. There was a gigantic triumphal arch in the center decorated by bronze bull heads, hence the name "Forum Tauri" (Square of Bulls). A few marble blocks and column fragments have been found from the tr... [More]

THE COLUMN OF CONSTANTINE (CEMBERLITAS)

May 12, 2010 00:13 by haci
The column was erected to honor Constantine in 330 AD, when Istanbul was dedicated as the capital of the Roman Empire. It stood in the center of a large oval-shaped square on top of the second hill of Istanbul. This square, surrounded by colonnades, was called the Forum of Constantine. Çemberlitaş i... [More]

THE GOTHS COLUMN

May 12, 2010 00:10 by haci
The column is located in the outer garden of the Topkapı Palace, at the entrance to the Gülhane Park from Sarayburnu. It is the oldest monument in the city that has survived intact from the Roman period. The 15m high monolithic marble column on an elevated base was erected in either the 3rd or the 4... [More]

THE BASILICA CISTERN

May 12, 2010 00:04 by haci
The largest and most magnificent covered cistern in the city is entered through a small building to the west of the Hagia Sophia Square. The ceiling of this forest of columns is made of brick and is cross-vaulted. The name of the cistern comes from a basilica that was once located nearby. It was b... [More]

THE CISTERN OF THOUSAND AND ONE COLUMNS

May 12, 2010 00:02 by haci
The cistern is located to the west of the Hippodrome. It was recently cleaned and connected with a gallery to the side street. Now the cistern, measuring 64 by 56 meters, is an easily accessible, interesting and beautiful site to visit. Binbirdirek was built in the 4th century during the reign of Co... [More]

German Fountain

May 11, 2010 23:59 by haci
The octagonal, domed fountain at the entrance to the Hippodrome was a present from the German Emperor Wilhelm II to Sultan Abdulhamid II and the city of Istanbul. It was built in Germany and installed in Istanbul in 1898. Built in a neo-Byzantine style, the fountain is decorated with gold mosaics in... [More]

THE SERPENT COLUMN

May 11, 2010 23:57 by haci
This is one of the oldest monuments in Istanbul. The heads of the three intertwined serpents used to form the legs of a gold cauldron. The thirty-one Greek cities, which defeated the Persians in 5th century, BC melted the bronze items they had captured to create this unique monument. The 8-meter h... [More]

THE EGYPTIAN OBELISK (THE OBELISK OF THEODOSIUS I)

May 11, 2010 23:55 by haci
Around 1490 BC the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III erected two obelisks before the Karnak temple in Luxor to commemorate the victories of his forces in Mesopotamia. The obelisks were made of rare pink granite. In the 4th century AD, an unknown Roman emperor who wanted to accomplish something impress... [More]

Sultanahmet Square

May 11, 2010 23:52 by haci
The first of the seven hills on the promontory has been the most important and dynamic part of the city in all ages. When the city was first founded, the acropolis was a typical Mediterranean trading center surrounded by city walls. This trading center was enlarged and rebuilt during Roman times. Th... [More]

Clock Towers

May 6, 2010 04:59 by haci
Clock Tower in İzmir The Clock Tower, which enhances Konak Square like a pearl with its extreme graceful appearance, is a monument of art as it faces the sea. The tower was built in 1901 by the Grand Vizier Küçük Sait Pasha by order of Sultan Abdülhamit. The clock was a present of the German Empe... [More]

Fountains

May 6, 2010 04:57 by haci
Endowing money for the construction of a fountain and a water supply line to it was an act of piety which played an important role in Ottoman life. Hardly a sultan, sultan's mother, sultan's daughter, grand vezir, or other august personage did not endow a fountain in expression of their economic, so... [More]

Ottoman Architects

May 6, 2010 04:53 by haci
Mimar Hayreddin (15th -16th century): Mimar Hayreddin is the architect who built Sultan Bayezid II’s (1481-1512) complex in Edirne. His name is mentioned in the Bursa Pilinç Hanı as a repairer (meremmetçi). It is also written in a document dated 1511 that he was the Chief Canal Planner (baş suyolc... [More]

Beypazari Houses

May 6, 2010 04:50 by haci
A one and a half hour journey on the old Ankara-Istanbul highway takes you to a hill towards the İnözü Valley where Ankara’s Beypazari district is located. The town is divided into two settlement areas, the old and the new. The older sections of the town are situated in the northern part of the old ... [More]

Geography of Istanbul

August 31, 2009 09:30 by haci
Location Istanbul is located in the north-west Marmara Region of Turkey. It encloses the southern Bosphorus which places the city on two continents—the western portion of Istanbul is in Europe, while the eastern portion is in Asia. The city boundaries cover a surface area of 1,830.92 square kilome... [More]

History of Istanbul

August 31, 2009 09:27 by haci
In 2008, during the construction works of the Yenikapı subway station and the Marmaray tunnel at the historic peninsula on the European side, a previously unknown Neolithic settlement dating from circa 6500 BC has been discovered. The first human settlement on the Anatolian side, the Fikirtepe mound... [More]

Names Of Istanbul

August 31, 2009 09:23 by haci
The modern Turkish name İstanbul (Turkish pronunciation: [isˈtambuɫ], colloquially [ɯsˈtambuɫ]) has been used to describe this city, in a range of different variants, from as far back as the 10th century; it has been the common name for the city in normal Turkish speech since before the conquest of ... [More]

Istanbul Information

August 31, 2009 09:19 by haci
Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul, historically also known as Byzantium and Constantinople (see names of Istanbul) is the largest city in Turkey and fifth largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.6 million. Istanbul is also a megacity, as well as the cultural and financial centre of Turkey... [More]