Tourist attractions in Istanbul
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“If the world was one country, its capital would be Istanbul.” With these words, we were surprised by the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte. When visiting this ancient city and sightseeing the western side of the Phosphorus, visitors become captive to its charm view. Istanbul is crowded with visitors and tourists at all times and places and even by Turks themselves who come to Istanbul from different locations in Turkey, because it is different from the rest of the regions and cities, with its beauty and diversity of nature forms, mountains, plains, seas,rivers, valleys, gardens, and hills, Istanbul is now a beacon of the contemporary world .
In this article we mention the most important tourist attractions in the city of Istanbul:
Sultan Ahmed Mosque “The Blue Mosque”:
The Sultanahmet Mosque is located in the Fatih area and is considered one of the most important historical landmarks in the city of Istanbul.It was established by Sultan Ahmed I.The architect “Sadaf Kar Mehmet Agha” designed the structure of the first mosque with six domes, and the interior of the mosque is decorated with more than 21 thousand pieces Ceramics of fifty different types, predominantly white and blue. Since the visitors’ view of the mosque over the years has been associated with the blue color, the mosque is called the Blue Mosque. Sultan Ahmed Mosque has 6 minarets with 16 balconies, and the architects adopted this number a reference to the order of Sultan Ahmed in terms of the sequence of taking the throne of Salt. On its north- eastern corner of the outer courtyard of the mosque, is the tomb of Sultan Ahmed, surrounded by many archaeological facilities dating back to the Byzantine and Ottoman era.
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It was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 537 AD, and was converted into a mosque in a later era by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453 AD, and in1935 declared by former Turkish President Over the past years, due to creative architecture and religious significance.
Dolmabahce Palace:
One of the palaces of Istanbul located in Besiktas and on the European coast of the Bosphorus,This palace was designed in an unprecedented manner of extravagance and generosity. Ottomans brought the best engineers from France, Germany and Italy at the time to build this great palace that has served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire in the city of Istanbul since its inception in the 19th century until the end. During the first quarter of the century, the palace was home to six sultans until the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924 when it was transferred to the National Heritage Foundation of the Republic of Turkey. It is currently run by the Directorate of the National Palace, with an area of 45,000 square meters. It is one of the most important tourist places in Turkey that is Historic, luxuriously designed and built with boasts many gardens and rooms and halls.
Galata Tower:
Galata Tower is a compass for tourists to embrace by the charm of Istanbul. It is located in the “Beyoglu” area in the European side of Istanbul. It is the oldest and most beautiful towers in the historic city. It stands at a height of 66.90 meters, providing a breathtaking panoramic view of the Historical City. Its construction dates back to the Middle Ages, and the view of the tower, whose features are marked from any place in the old city, as a light area such Taksim Square and Ayyub, but even many areas in the Asian side of the city, such as the Uskudar and Chamlica region. Next to the Galata Tower, there are numerous of the cafes and restaurants next to the Grand Tower, where visitors eat after they get off the tower. They usually get a cup of Turkish tea or coffee, taking memorable photos beside the tower.
Ortakoy area:
Ortakoy is located within the province of Besiktas on the bank of the Bosphorus from the European side of Istanbul. It is considered one of the oldest locations.It has hosted various people from the Turks, Greeks and Armenians. Their important monuments are directly overlooking the Bosphorus, Ciran Palace. It is characterized by its ornate interior walls, wood-beamed ceilings and polychrome marble exterior. The Ortakoy Mosque is characterized by its distinctive ornamentation, and its ancient construction, which reflects the development of architecture in that era. Today, Ortakoy is visited for prayers and wedding occasions, and for its popular market. The area is characterized by small cottages that line up next to each other.
The Girl Tower:
The honest guard of the Bosphorus Strait or as the Arabs call it the girl’s tower, which is the smallest tower in the history of the ancient city and the greatest holder of legends, tales and stories. The tower, which overlooks the city of Istanbul from all directions in addition to the view of the Bosphorus Bridge As a shape is an octagonal and dome, consists of six floors with a height of 23 meters, linked by a spiral staircase, which can unleash the imagination and predict how this girl, who the tower is named for, after she was trapped in this tower for 18 years from land and prevented from visits except by only her father the Sultan.
Puppet Hill “Camlica”:
Istanbul is built between seven hills, so it was named (the city of hills), and the most famous and most important is Chamlica/Camlica Hill or the so-called in Arabic the puppet hill. It is located on the Asian part of Istanbul. It has been named The puppet hill since most of its visitors are lovers, as well as brides with wedding suits. They go to this hill to take memorable photos with their loved ones to keep eternal memory between them.
Camlica is divided into two hills, one above the other by 38 m. One is called the large Camlica, with a height of 267 m above sea level. The other is the small, with a height of 229 m above sea level. The large hill offers very beautiful views, being the highest hill in Istanbul, you can see the main waterways in Istanbul, such as the Bosphorus, the Black Sea Bridge, and Princesses Islands on the Sea of Marmara, and the historical Island “Eminonu”, in addition to the mountain “Uludag” coated with snow. The small hill is full of wonderful gardens, beautiful forests, and hiking trails. The beauty of the puppet hill is paired with poets singing, and writers write their stories, and the region is magnificent, at the moment of the sunrise and sunset.
The Covered Market Bazaar, The Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar is a favorite destination for tourists.There are more than 5,000 stores, making it the largest local market in the city, where you can find the scarcest and most valuable goods in Turkey.
- Gold jewelry• Gems • Ancient artifacts
- Spices and condiments • Fabrics and gifts • Genuine leather
- Turkish and Iranian carpets • Turkish sweets • Turkish soap
- Handmade pots and hand-painted ceramics.
It is worth mentioning that many of the Turkish tourist and archaeological sites in Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.