The Basilica or St.Sophia,
now called the Ayasofya Museum is unquestionably one of
the finest buildings of all time. Built by Constantine the Great
and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6 th century, its immense
dome rises 55 meters above the ground and its diameter spans 31
meters. You should linger here to absorb the building's majestic
serenity and to admire the fine Byzantine mosaics. (Open every
day except Monday.)
The Archaeological Museums are found just inside the first court of Topkapi Palace. The newly renovated Archaeological Museum includes the celebrated Alexander Sarcophagus among its treasures of antiquity. The Museum of the Ancient Orient displays artifacts from the Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hatti and Hittite civilizations. (Open every day except Monday.)
Originally built as a kosk
or pavilion by Mehmet the Conqueror in the 15 th century, the
Cinili Kosk, which houses the Museum
of Turkish Ceramics, contains beautiful Iznik wares from the 16
th century and fine examples of Seljuk and Ottoman pottery and
tiles.
(Open every day except Monday.)
Like the Ayasofya Museum, the St. Irene Museum was
originally a church. It ranks, in fact, as the first church
built in Istanbul.
Constantine commissioned it in the fourth century and Justinian
later had the church restored. Reputedly the building stands on
the site of a pre-Christian temple:
(Open every day except Monday.)
The dark stone building that houses the Museum of
Turkish and Islamic Art was built
in 1524 by Ibrahim Pasa, Grand Vizier to Suleyman the Magnificent,
as his residence. It was the grandest private residence ever built
in the Ottoman Empire. Today it holds a superb collection of ceramics,
metalwork, miniatures, calligraphy, textiles, and woodwork as
well as some of the oldest carpets in the world.
(Open every day
except Monday.)
Across the street from the Ibrahim Pasa Palace is the Museum
of Turkish Carpets which contains exquisite
antique carpets and kilims gathered from all over Turkey.
(Open
every day except Sunday and Monday.)
Near St. Sophia is the sixth
century Byzantine cistern known as the Yerebatan
Sarayi. Three hundred and thirty-five massive Corinthian
columns support the immense chamber's fine brick vaulting.
(Open
every day except Tuesday.)
The Mosaic Museum preserves in situ exceptionally
fine mosaic pavements of the fifth and sixth centuries which remain
from the Great Palace of the Byzantine emperors.
(Open every day
except Monday.)
The 11 th century church of St. Savior in Chora, the Kariye
Museum, is, after St. Sophia, the most important Byzantine
monument in Istanbul. Unremarkable in its architecture, inside
the walls are decorated with superb 14 th century frescoes and
mosaics. Illustrating scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin
Mary, these brilliantly colored paintings embody the vigor of
Byzantine art. Restored wooden houses in the area surrounding
the church offer tea and coffee in a relaxed atmosphere far removed
from the city's hectic pace.
(Open every day except Tuesday.)
The Aviation Museum in Yesilkoy traces the
development of air flight in Turkey.
(Open every day except Monday.)
The great field tents used by the Ottoman armies on campaigns
are displayed in the Military Museum. Other exhibits
include Ottoman weapons and the accoutrements of war. The Mehter
Takimi (Ottoman military band) perform Ottoman Marshal music between
3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
(Open every day except Monday and Tuesday.)
The house in which Ataturk lived in Sisli now serves as the Ataturk
Museum and displays his personal effects.
(Open every day
except Saturday and Sunday.)
In the Besiktas district the Naval Museum displays
the great imperial caiques in which the sultans were rowed across
the Bosphorus, as well as many other interesting exhibits of Ottoman
naval history.
(Open every day except Monday and Thursday.)
Also in Besiktas, the Museum of Fine Arts displays
Turkish paintings and sculptures from the end of the 19 th century
to the present day.
(Open every day except Monday and Tuesday.)
Near the gardens of Yildiz Palace, the City Museum
preserves and documents the history of Istanbul since the
Ottoman conquest.
(Open every day except Thursday.)
Up the Bosphorus in the picturesque village of Buyukdere, the
collections of the Sadberk Hanim Museum fill
two charming 19 th century wooden villas. A private museum which
originally displayed Turkish decorative arts, it has recently
been expanded with a new collection of archaeological finds.
(Open
every day except Wednesday.)
