Istanbul Things to Do Tips by hekate

Some people might say it is just a big hall with lots of columns but I can say that I was deeply impressed by this underground water palace. For me it is on the top of the must see actifities in Istanbul. That is why I start this section with Yerebatan Sarnici (Basilica Cistern).

What you see when you get inside is this vast space with the columns spreading all over the place and their reflection in the water. The atmosphere is very peaceful and mystique. This impression is underlined by the music they play inside of the museum.

The thngs that mostly attract my attention were:
- the column with the ornate body
- the two columns with the Medusa heads in northwest corner of the cistern
- the fish that swims in the water

After you are finished with your tour you might stop for a short break in Cistern Cafe

WARNING:
The floor is slippery due to the drops of water falling from the ceiling.

Some facts, pictures and additional comments from me:
Part 1
Part 2

Duration:
I could spend there much longer but if you really want just to see the place and take a couple of pictures it should not take longer then 20 - 30 min.

Working hours:
09:00 - 17:30 everyday

Price:
Foreigners:
TL 10 000 000 / YTL 10
Locals:
TL 3 000 000 / YTL 3

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Phone: +90 (212) 522 12 59
Address: Sultanahmet, 13 Yerebatan Cad.
Directions: The Basilica Cistern is situated at a short distance further southwest of Ayasofya.
Website: http://www.yerebatansarnici.com/
Other Contact: contact@yerebatansarnici.com

Galata Kulesi (Galata Tower) is providing a panoramic view of the old town and at present houses a restaurant and a night club.

According to a brochure I had seen, the panorama balcony is open to the public from 09.00 to 17.00 h. So, you could go up there and take some wonderful pictures of Istanbul. I think that it is not free of charge, though.

WARNING:
The panorama balcony, encircling the highest row of windows is really narrow. It is impossible two people to walk next to each other. As you can guess it is open air and if you are suffering from acrophobia - fear of heights, I would not recommand you to go out there. I myself was pretty nervouse while being on the balcony and I entered inside quickly :).

Some facts about the tower:

- Built in 1348 as the "Christea Turris" (Tower of Christ) by Genoese colonists at the highest point of the citadel of Galata - which was then a Genoese colony independent from Constantinople.

- The 66.90 meter tower (62.59 m without the ornament on top) was the city's tallest building when built. It is still one of Istanbul's main landmarks, standing at the highest point of the medieval Genoese Quarter and visible from almost any part of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.

- The tower was known by the Byzantines as "Megalos Pyrgos" (The Great Tower). Later, during part of the Ottoman era the public called it "Hezarfen Tower" after Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi.

- In 1638 Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi glided on artificial wings from the top of the tower to the slopes of Chrysopolis (Scutari) on the Asian side - becoming one of the first men in history to fly. He was awarded a vast quantity of gold by Sultan Murad IV, but later exiled to Algeria for witchcraft.

- In the Byzantine period, Galata Tower controlled one end of the massive sea chain which closed the entrance of the Golden Horn.

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Address: Beyoglu / Galata, Kuledibi Square
Directions: Near Karakoy

The hills above the Eyup mosque are a popular burial place. I was told that this is actually one of the oldest cemeteries in Istanbul. It is also the place where people who played a significant role in the cultural and political life of the city are buried.

The cemetery is a picturesque mixture of ornate Ottoman stones and modern gravestones. The oldest ones are closer to the mosque. Walking your way up to the Pierre Loti Cafe you will see that gravestones are newer.

Walking up the hill through the cemetery is worthwhile not only from a cultural point of view (I believe that graveyards are revealing a lot for the culture of a certain nation) but also because of the wonderful view spreading in front of you once you reach the Pierre Loti Cafe on the top of the hill.

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Directions: Once you get to the Eyup mosque you just cn not miss it.

The great Mosque of Eyup lies outside the city walls near the Golden Horn, at the supposed place where Eyup, the standard bearer of the Prophet Mohammed. died in the Islamic assault on Constantinople in 670. The first mosque built after the Ottomanconquest of the city, this greatly venerated shrine attracts many pilgrims.

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Address: Eyup

The uniquness of the Bosphorus Bridge comes from the fact that Istanbul is the only place in the world where a bridge links two continents - Asia and Europe.

In the beginning pedestrians could walk across the bridge and the elevators inside the legs were open to the public. I was told that due to the fact that jumping from the bridge is a rather common method to commit suicide, the bridge is closed for pedestrians nowadays.

It is a toll bridge, and a toll plaza with I think over 10 toll booths is situated after the bridge on the Asian side. Toll is paid for one way passing from the European side to the Asian side.

Some history:
During the Republican period, Nuri Demirag, the architect of the first plane manufactured in Turkey, proposed to build a bridge linking the two shores of the Bosphorus. In 1931 he prepared a project for his dream work - brige similar to the San Fransisco-Oakland Bay suspension bridge. The Minister of Public Works decreed that "this is not possible" and the project was abandoned.

In 1953, the issue of linking the Bosphorus through a bridge was brought up at an official level for the first time. Yet the project was delayed due to financial and political difficulties.

After about a decade a new government approved the construction of a bridge. The construction took 3 years and the cost was 22 million US Dollars.

The Bosphorus Bridge was officially opened in 1973 during the 50th anniversary celebrations of the foundation of the Republic.

Some statistics:
The bridge is 1560 m long, with a middle span of 1.074 m, a width of 33.40 m and an altitude of 64 m.

The Bosphorus Bridge plays an important role in
stanbul traffic. It has three lanes at each direction and about 91,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily. The average queue length changes from 6 to 13 vehicles between 17:00-18:00 and from 19 to 21 vehicles between 18:00-18:30.

Fully loaded, the bridge sags about 90cm in the middle of the span.

It is the 4th of the longest bridges in Europe and the 7th in the world.

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Directions: The bridge is located between Ortakoy (European side) and Beylerbeyi (Asian side).

A friend of mine took me for a walk there and I was chamed by Ortakoy. As far as I understood the translation of Ortakoy in English is Middle village.

Along with the church and the several mosques in Ortakoy you also find a synagogue. This place is a proof for the religious tolerance of the early period of the Ottoman Empire.

Something that attract my attention in Ortakoy was the great number of restaurants, bars and art galleries.

It looks like it is a popular place for students and artists. I did not see that many tourists there but it was January and it was very cold.

I guess if it was warmer I would be sitting on a bench by the Bosphorus and gaze at the passing ships and the people around for quite some time :))).

Because of the weather I stopped for a break in the cafe right next to the Ortakoy mosque. It was nice there as well.

The places of ineterst there are:
- Ortakoy mosque (the Buyuk Mecidiye Mosque),
- the Orthodox Church of Aghios Fokas,
- the Etz Ahayim Synagogue and
- the Ortakoy Public Bath.
- waterside residences of Hatice Sultan, Fehime sultan and Esma sultan.

Some history:
In the Byzantine era the main area of Ortakoy was known as Damianou named after the 9th century Byzantine monastery built by the statesman Damianos. Although initially neglected by the Ottomans, by the 16th century Oratkoy had become an important settlement in which all monotheistic religions were represented.

For a while Ortakoy was also known as Ayios (Saint) Phocas because of the orthodox church named after that saint.

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Directions: If you are coming to the Bosphorus Bridge from the European side it would be on your right.

When I was walking around Ortakoy I walked around the Ortakoy mosque (Buyuk Mecidiye Mosque). I was impressed by the beauty of the building and decided to dig up some info about the mosque and here is the result:

Some history and facts:
At the point where the Buyuk Mescidiye Mosque stands on Defterdar Point, known by the Byzantines as Kleidion ( Key to the Bosphorus ), there was formerly a small mosque built by Mahmut Aga in 1721.

This was renovated and enlarged in the middle of the same century. Abdulmecit had the present Buyuk Mecidiye Mosque constructed here in 1853.

Abdulmecid's Imperial Monogram appears above the entrance to the mosque designed by Nigogos Balyan. Inscribed on official documents and stamped on metal or glass artifacts, currency and monuments, the imperial monogram served as the sultan's signature.

As with all royal mosques, the mosque consists of two parts, the harem and the hunkar quarters. The broad and tall windows illuminate the interior by reflecting at the same time the varying colours of the Bosphorus. The mosque is flanked by two minarettes, both with a single balcony. The walls of the minarettes have been constructed from white slabs of stones. The interior part of the single dome are decorated with pink mosaics. The prayer niche is composed of marble and mosaics, whereas the pulpit, noticeable for its fine craftsmenship, is composed of marmor covered with porphyry.

Opposite the mosque stands the Grand Vizier Nevsehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasa Fountain built in 1723.

Note:
I had taken this picture during a Bosphorus boat trip the last tme I was in Istanbul.

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Address: Ortakoy
Directions: At the foot of the Bosphorus bridge on the European side.

I saw departments of the university in different pats of Istanbul but as far as I am aware the core of the Istanbul University is situated in Beyazit.

You will find the gates you see on the picture on Beyazit Square right opposite the Beyazit Mosque. I have been told that these are considered to be the main gates of the university. Originally, during the time of the Ottoman era, the gates of the University were the portals of the War Ministry.

Some history
The campus of the University of Istanbul now occupies the ground on which Mehmet the Conqueror built his first palace.

After the construction of Topkapi Palace, the palace, from that time named the Old Seraglio (Eski Saray), became the abode of the wifes and concubines who had lost the sultan's favour, of the aged ladies and of the wives of previous sultans.

The old wooden palace was demolished by Sultan Mahmut II and the Ottoman Ministry of War and its magnificent gateway were erected on its site.

Since the years following the establishment of the Turkish Republic, the neo-classical building was allocated to Istanbul University.

Istanbul University is one of the oldest universities in Europe (founded in 1453), and the oldest in Turkey. It was modernised by Kemal Ataturk in 1933.

In the firts years of its existence, the university was based in Beyazit the historic area in the environs, but with the passage of time, it expanded to locations in many regions of Istanbul.

If you want to learn more about the history of the University you could check the link below.

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Address: Beyazit / Beyazit Square
Directions: Opposite the Beyazit Mosque.
Website: http://www.istanbul.edu.tr/english/index.html

Some history:
The Serpentine Column was originally erected in front of the Temple of Appolo in Delphi. The column, made of three entwined serpents supporting a huge golden bowl on their (now missing) heads, was a donation of the 31 Greek cities federacy who melted the spoils of war they obtained after they defeated the Persians at the battle of Plataea in 479 BC. The column is thought to have been brought by Constantine I in the 4th century AD. The upper jaw of one of the serpents' head is on display at the Archaeological Museum.

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Some history:
The Column of Constantine Porphyrogenetus is made of stone blocks placed on a marble base. All what is known about this Byzantine monument is that it was restored and embellished in the 10th century by Constantine VII Porphyrogenetus. In 1204 during the Fourth Crusade, the bronze relief plaques that adorned the column were ripped off and melted down for re-use. The bottom of the pit approximately indicates the original level of the Hippodrome.

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