Istanbul Old Town

Topkapi Palace

Apart from brief intervals, Topkapi Palace was home to all the Ottoman sultans until the reign of Abdulmecid I (1839-1860), a period of nearly four centuries. Over the years the palace complex underwent constant evolution. Some buildings disappeared, destroyed by fire, earthquakes or demolished to make way for new buildings. The palace was therefore not a single massive building in the western tradition, constructed at one go, but an organic structure which was never static, and reflected the styles and tastes of many periods in many independent units with individual functions. The last new building to be added to Topkapi was commissioned by Sultan Abdulmecid who abandoned Topkapi for a new palace on the Bosphorus.

Neglected thereafter,Topkapi Palace fell into disrepair. After the establishment of the Republic in 1923 it was extensively renovated and transformed into a museum. Tiled Pavilion is the earliest building of Topkapi Palace, built by Mehmet II (the Conqueror). The striking tiles which adorn the entire building still display strong traces of Seljuk Turkish art in both the designs and the predominance of blue and turquoise. It is for this reason that the building has been transformed into a ceramics museum, where the finest examples of Turkish ceramics from the 12th century to the present day are on display.

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia, which is considered as one of the eight wonders of the world, also occupies a prominent place in the history of art and rchitecture. It is one of the rare works of this size and age that has survived to our day. The church (called Ayasofya in Turkish) is erroneously known as Saint Sophia in the west. The basilica was not dedicated to a saint named Sophia, but to Divine Wisdom.

During the bloody uprising of 532 that broke out at a chariot race in the Hippodrome, ten thousands of the inhabitants of the city were killed and numerous building destroyed. The Hagia Sophia church was among the structures burnt during this so-called "Nika" revolt which was directed against Emperor Justinian. When Justinian finally suppressed the revolt, he decided to build a house of worship "the like of which has not been seen since Adam, nor will it be seen in the future." Construction started in 532 over the remains of the previous basilica and it was completed in five years. In the year 537, elaborate ceremonies were organized for the dedication of this largest church of Christendom. The emperor spared no expense for his church and placed the state treasury at the disposal of the architects, Antheius of Tralles and mathematician Isidorus of Miletus. The design of the dome followed in the tradition of Roman architecture, and the plan of the basilica was even older. Round buildings had been successfully covered with domes before. But in Hagia Sophia, Justinian was attempting for the first time in the history of architecture to build a gigantic central dome over a rectangular plan.

Marbles and columns taken from the remains of earlier eras from almost all parts of the empire were used for building material. Although Hagia Sophia is a 6th century Byzantine work, it is an "experiment" in the Roman architectural tradition that has neither a predecessor nor a duplicate. The contrast between the interior and the exterior and the large dome are legacies of Rome. The outer appearance is not elegant; it was built as a shell, without much care for proportions. On the other hand, the interior is as splendid and captivating as a palace. As a whole, it is an "imperial" structure.

The basilica developed into a large religious center with tall buildings surrounding it. The scene was now set for the clashes between the Byzantine emperors and the Eastern Church that would last for centuries.

Vast sums were spent in all ages for the upkeep of Hagia Sophia. The immediate restorations undertaken after the Turkish conquest in 1453 to convert it into a mosque saved this beautiful building. Among the major restorations at later times were the buttresses built by Turkish architect Sinan in the 16th century, the restoration by the Fossafi brothers in mid-19th century, and the repairs including the fortification of the dome with iron bands after 1930. Existing modern portable metal scaffolding will make future restoration work easier.

After serving two different religions with the same god, 916 years as a church and 477 years as a mosque, Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum on Ataturk's orders. Between 1930 and 1935 the whitewash on the walls was cleaned to reveal mosaics, which are among the most important examples of Byzantine art.

Blue Mosque

Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque by many tourists because of its bluish interior decoration, is the most important mosque of Istanbul standing next to the Byzantine Hippodrome in the old city center. It was built by the Ottoman sultan Ahmed I between 1609 - 1616 facing Hagia Sophia, in order to compete with it. Its architect was Sedefkar Mehmet Aga, a poet and inlayer as well, and a student of the greatest architect Sinan. When Ahmed I died in 1617, he was buried near the mosque and a mausoleum was built over his tomb. This is the only mosque in Istanbul having 6 minarets; four of these have three balconies on each, and two have two balconies on each, which makes a total of 16 in all, reached by spiral stairs (closed to the public).

The design of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is the culmination of two centuries of both Ottoman mosque and Byzantine church development. It incorporates some Byzantine elements of the neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period.

At its lower levels and at every pier, the interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, made at Iznik (the ancient Nicaea) in more than fifty different tulip designs. The tiles at lower levels are traditional in design, while at gallery level their design becomes flamboyant with representations of flowers, fruit and cypresses. More than 20,000 tiles were made under the supervision of the Iznik master potter Kaşıcı Hasan,and Mustafa Mersin Efendi from Avanos(Cappadocia). More than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs admit natural light, today assisted by chandeliers. On the chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that were meant to avoid cobwebs inside the mosque by repelling spiders. The decorations include verses from the Qur'an, many of them made by Seyyid Kasim Gubari, regarded as the greatest calligrapher of his time.

The most important element in the interior of the mosque is the mihrab, which is made of finely carved and sculptured marble, with a stalactite niche and a double inscriptive panel above it. The adjacent walls are sheathed in ceramic tiles. But the many windows around it make it look less spectacular. To the right of the mihrab is the richly decorated minber, or pulpit, where the Imam stands when he is delivering his sermon at the time of noon prayer on Fridays or on holy days.

Obelisk of Theodosius at the Hippodrome

Obelisk of Theodosius (The Egyptian obelisk) erected by Tutmosis III 1504-1450 B.C. before the temple of Karnak at Heliopolis. The Obelisk brought to Istanbul by Emperor Theodosius I was made of pink granite and its height is 17 metres. Originally, the obelısk was 27 meters in height, 10 meters higher than it ıs today and weighed 800 tons. It is unknown when and how the lower part disappeared. The Obelisk was brought to Constantinople in 390 A.D. and stood over a rectangular stone base on four bronze feet. Its marble base in itself is six meters. There are inscriptions in Latin and Greek on it.

The hieroglyphic inscription on the Obelisk describes the victory of the pharaoh and a sacrifice to the god of the sun Amon-Ra in which the pharaoh kneels at the foot of the god.

Hippodrome was built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 203 A.D. The hippodrome was a stadium which served as a meeting place for the politicians, for chariot races, wrestling, boxing, and other athletic activities that took place. The arena was over 400 meters long and 120 meters wide. In the fourth century the spectator capacity was increased to 100,000.