What to see in Istanbul?
In one day, you can hardly see a hundredth of all the most interesting treasures of this city, shedding light on the thousands of years of history of the city.
On this page of our hotel's website we have prepared a list of Istanbul attractions - from the most famous to the exclusive, but no less interesting. Add to bookmarks, and don't forget write us about the places you have visited - we will definitely add them to the list so that more people know about them.
A selection of must-see locations in Istanbul according to the Ramparts hotel:
1. Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque)
2. Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (Hagia Sophia)
3. Church of St. Anthony of Padua
Sultanahmet Mosque
The distance from Ramparts Hotel: 1,5 km
The most significant mosque in Istanbul.
The construction of the mosque lasted seven years and was completed in 1616. It received the name "Blue Mosque" due to the huge number (more than 20 thousand) of white and blue handmade ceramic tiles from Iznik. The central hall measuring 53 x 51 meters is covered with a dome 23.5 meters in diameter and 43 meters high. The dome and semi-domes are decorated with inscriptions - suras from the Koran and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. One of the striking elements of the mosque is the mihrab, a prayer niche carved from a single piece of marble.
From the western part of the mosque there is a special entrance, over which a chain hangs. This entrance could be used by the sultan when he entered the courtyard of the mosque on horseback. The chain was specially hung low so that the sultan leaned down each time, which symbolized the insignificance of the sultan in comparison with Allah.
The mosque was built on the site of the Great Palace of Constantine destroyed by that time, about which the memories remained only in the annals and in the Museum of Mosaic of the Great Palace.
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
The distance from Ramparts Hotel: 2 km
Hagia Sophia of Constantinople was built in a record five years, by order of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. The construction was completed in 537 and for more than a thousand years the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople remained the largest temple in the Christian world - until the construction of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. Emperor Justinian spared no expense for the construction, even planned the floors of pure gold, and when he entered the new temple he exclaimed: “I have surpassed you, Solomon!”
The height of the building is 55.6 m, the diameter of the dome is 31 m.
In 1203, the cathedral was savagely sacked by the Venetians from the Fourth Crusade.
The most famous architect of the Ottoman Empire, Sinan, focused on the dome of Sofia and tried to surpass it in his creations. In Istanbul alone, he built 25 mosques, each of which resembles Hagia Sophia. The crowning achievement of his work is the magnificent Suleymaniye Mosque, built by the order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557, yet it did not quite reach the Hagia Sophia in height and width of the dome.
Church of St. Anthony of Padua
The distance from Ramparts Hotel: 6,5 km
The Catholic Basilica is a rectangular Neo-Gothic building measuring 20 x 50 meters with stained glass windows and mosaics. In the interior of the church, ceiling frescoes with scenes from the Bible attract attention, the walls are decorated with mosaic tiles.
The monks of the Franciscan order appeared in Istanbul in the 13th century. The first church dedicated to Saint Francis, the founder of the order, was built in the Galata region in 1230. St. Francis' Church was one of the few stone buildings that survived the 1696 fire; however, after a fire, at the behest of the Turkish Sultan Mustafa II, it was taken from the Franciscans and rebuilt into a mosque. By 1724, the Italian community had built a new church dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua. This church was destined to stand for 180 years, in 1904 it will be demolished as it interferes with the laying of tram rails. The Turkish authorities allocated a site nearby, and on August 23, 1906, the first stone was laid in the foundation of the second church of St. Anthony.
Grand Bazaar
The distance from Ramparts Hotel: 1 km
The Grand Bazaar is the largest covered market in the world. Its construction began after the capture of Constantinople in 1464.
The Grand Bazaar is a kind of city with an area of more than 30 thousand square meters, includes about 5 thousand shops and shops. The Grand Bazaar is divided into 60 streets, on which, in addition to shops, there are also residential buildings, mosques, fountains, a bathhouse, dozens of hotels and even a school.
Until the 19th century, one of the largest centers of the slave trade was located here.
Today, the Grand Bazaar attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors and tourists daily.
Topkapi Palace
The distance from Ramparts Hotel: 2,8 km
The palace impresses with its interiors, numerous rooms and beauty of decoration. The total area of the palace and park ensemble, surrounded by high walls, with all adjacent gardens and outbuildings, is more than 700 thousand square meters. m.
It was the main palace of the entire Ottoman Empire until the middle of the 19th century.
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the palace was turned into a museum - one of the largest in terms of area in the world. The number of exhibits on display for general viewing reaches 65,000 items (and this is only a tenth of the collection). It contains the sword and cloak of the Prophet Muhammad, which are among the main Muslim shrines.
Gulhane Park
The distance from Ramparts Hotel: 2,5 km
Translated from Turkish, the name sounds like "a park with roses", which is associated with a huge number of these flowers throughout the Gulhane.
During the Ottoman Empire, Gulhane Park was part of the Topkapı Palace and only the sultan and courtiers could walk on it. Plane trees rise on the central alley, creating coolness and comfort for tourists and residents of the city.
The park houses the Istanbul Historical Museum of Islamic Science and Technology, be sure to check it out if you walk around the park.
Archaeological Museum
The distance from Ramparts Hotel: 2,5 km
It is a complex of three museums - the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Ancient East and the Tiled Pavilion. More than a million exhibits of various eras and cultures are presented.
The museum was founded at the end of the 19th century on the initiative of the prominent Turkish painter and archaeologist Osman Hamdi Bey.
At the same time, the Tiled Pavilion was erected back in 1472 by order of Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror and is one of the oldest monuments of Ottoman architecture preserved in Istanbul.
The unimaginable beauty of the Sidon sarcophagus with scenes from the life of Alexander the Great, artifacts from Troy and even the first ever peace agreement concluded after the Battle of Kadesh between the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II and the Hittite king Hattusili III are stored here.
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art
The distance from Ramparts Hotel: 1,5 km
The museum was founded in 1914. The collection of exhibits includes more than 40,000 items. These are unique collections of ceramics, sculpture, glassware, wood, stone and metal, miniatures and masterpieces of calligraphy. Also here you can find things that belonged to or were related to the Ottoman rulers, historical documents, jewelry. The special pride of the museum is the collection of carpets, which brought together the rarest examples in the world in one place.
The museum has seven departments: the Department of Artistic Wood Products, the Department of Ceramics and Glass, the Department of Artistic Metal Products, the Department of Ethnography, the Department of Artistic Stone Products, the Carpet Department, the Department of Calligraphy and Calligraphy.
Grand Palace Mosaic Museum
The distance from Ramparts Hotel: 2 km
The museum is dedicated to the mosaics of the Byzantine period, discovered on the site of the Grand Imperial Palace, located on the site of the Sultanahmet Mosque.
The mosaics were discovered in 1935-1938 and 1951-1954 by British archaeologists from the Scottish University of St. Andrews during extensive excavations in the Arasta Bazaar area on Sultanahmet Square. During the Byzantine period, this area was part of the Grand Imperial Palace, and during the excavations, a large peristyle courtyard of 1872 m², completely decorated with mosaics, was discovered.
The museum exhibits mosaics used to decorate the peristyle, which are believed to date from the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (527-565).
Museum of vintage cars
The distance from Ramparts Hotel: 23 km
Cherry on the top of our selection.
An equally interesting two-story modern museum. which will not leave anyone indifferent. Especially for men and children.
More than a hundred cars, including the legendary Ford Model T, Cadillac like Elvis Presley, the first Jaguars and even American gangster cars.
Blues music gives a special atmosphere.
The best way to get to the museum is by car or taxi.
Book room at Ramparts Boutique Hotel