The Galata Tower (Turkish: Galata Kulesi) is a medieval stone tower that dominates the skyline of Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district. Rising approximately 62.6 metres (205 ft) above the ground, this cylindrical Romanesque tower crowns the historic Galata (Karayaka) neighbourhood, near the Golden Horn. Built of rubble masonry, with a conical roof atop its nine stories, it was […]

Hagia Sophia, known in Turkish as Ayasofya, stands in the heart of Istanbul as a monument to the layered history of two empires. For nearly 1,500 years it has captivated the world with its immense dome, breathtaking mosaics, and role in both Christian and Islamic heritage. This structure – whose name means “Holy Wisdom” in […]

1. Introduction to Rumeli Fortress 1.1. Overview of Rumelihisarı and Its Location on the Bosphorus Rumelihisarı—often rendered in English as Rumeli Fortress or Rumelian Fortress—stands upon a strategic promontory on the European shore of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey. Its name derives from Ottoman Turkish, in which “Rumeli” denotes the “land of the Romans” […]

Beylerbeyi Palace sits quietly on Istanbul’s Asian shore, an overlooked masterpiece of Ottoman-era luxury. Commissioned in the 1860s by Sultan Abdülaziz, this summer residence offers the essence of 19th-century empire life without Dolmabahçe’s crowds. Twenty-four rooms and six great halls unfold across three stories, richly adorned with Bohemian chandeliers and Turkish Hereke carpets. Gardens of […]

Located on a tiny islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus, the Maiden’s Tower (Kız Kulesi) has cast its silhouette over Istanbul’s waters for more than two millennia. From its vantage 200 meters off the shores of Üsküdar, it is “one of the most popular landmarks and monuments of the city,” embodying a rich […]

Beneath the bustling streets of Istanbul’s Old City lies a subterranean marvel where antiquity and modernity converge. The Şerefiye Cistern – also known as the Theodosius Cistern – invites visitors to descend into an underground chamber built some 1,600 years ago. Dim light from lanterns and modern projections softens against ancient brick vaults and marble […]

Sirkeci Station, perched at the tip of Istanbul’s historic peninsula, is more than a mere railway terminus: it is a living monument bridging empires and eras. Since its completion in 1890, the station has symbolized the city’s link between East and West. Its striking Moorish-inspired façade – horseshoe arches, alternating bands of cream and red […]

From the days of Late Antiquity and well into the Ottoman era, one manmade space pulsated at the core of Constantinople’s life – a long, U‑shaped racing circuit where the roar of tens of thousands of citizens once echoed. In its heyday the Hippodrome could hold vast crowds (ancient sources claim up to 100,000, though […]

The Historic Areas of Istanbul, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985, comprise a collection of culturally and architecturally important zones within the Fatih district of the city. These regions have experienced millennia of human history, encompassing the ascendance and decline of empires, as well as the conservation of massive architectural treasures that […]

Deep beneath the heart of Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district lies the Basilica Cistern, a vast underground water reservoir from the Byzantine era. This awe-inspiring cistern – known in Turkish as Yerebatan Sarnıcı, meaning “Subterranean Cistern,” or Yerebatan Sarayı, “Sunken Palace” – is the largest of hundreds of ancient cisterns that still lie beneath the city’s […]