İSTANBUL ART

Topkapı Palace was not only the  residence of the Ottoman sultans, but also the administrative and educational centre of the state. Initially constructed between 1460 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, and expanded upon and altered many times throughout its long history, the palace served as the home of the Ottoman sultans and their court until the middle of the 19th century. In the early 1850s, the palace became inadequate to the requirements of state ceremonies and protocol, and so the sultans moved to Dolmabahçe Palace, located on the Bosphorus. Despite this move, the royal treasure, the Holy Relics of the Prophet Muhammad, and the imperial archives continued to be preserved at Topkapı, and-since the palace was the ancestral residence of the Ottoman dynasty as well as the place where the Holy Relics were preserved-Topkapı continued to play host to certain state ceremonies. Following the abolishment of the Ottoman monarchy in 1922, Topkapı Palace was con

The Galata Tower, Galata Kulesi in  Turkish , is one of the highest and oldest towers of Istanbul. 63 meter (206 feet) high tower provides a panoramic view of the old town. It was built in the 14th century by the Genoese colony as part of the defense wall surrounding their district at  Galata  directly opposite ancient Constantinopolis. They called the tower as "Christea Turris", or "Tower of Christ". The Genoese were involved in trade with the  Byzantines  and the tower was used for the surveillance of the Harbor in the  Golden Horn . After the  conquest of Constantinople  by  Mehmet II , it served to detect fires in the city. Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi was the first flying  Turk  during the  Ottoman Empire  of the 17th century. He copied bird wings and studied air flows, than jumping from the Galata Tower he overflew the  Bosphorus  and landed at  Uskudar district  on the Asian side, around 6 kilometers (4 miles) in distance. After the Republic, Galata Tower

About Us In the Depths of History One of the magnificent ancient buildings of İstanbul is the Basilica Cistern located in the southwest of Hagia Sofia. Constructed for Justinianus I, the Byzantium Emperor (527-565), this big underground water reservoir is called as “Yerebatan Cistern” among the public because of the underground marble columns. As there used to be a basilica in the place of the cistern, it is also called Basilica Cistern. The cistern is 140 m long, and 70 m wide, and covers a rectangular area as a giant structure. Accessible with 52-step staircase, the Cistern shelters 336 columns, each of which is 9 m high. Erected at 4.80 m intervals from one another the columns are composed of 12 rows, each has 28 columns. The case-bay of the cistern is conveyed by the columns through arches. Majority of the columns, most of which is understood to have been compiled from the ancient structures and sculpted of various kinds of marbles, is composed of a single part and one of

The Bosphorus Bridge was built in 1973 to span the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey. It is also known as the First Bosphorus Bridge since the construction in the 1980s of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge just 5 kilometres upstream. It is a steel gravity anchored suspension bridge, 1,560m (5,118 ft) in length and 33.5m (110 ft) wide. The main span is 1,074m (3,524 ft) long between two 165m (541 ft) towers and the deck stands 64m (210 ft) above water. There are nine side spans ranging in length from 40m (131 ft) to 64m (210 ft).​ ​Bridging the Bosphorus to link Europe and Asia was considered for many centuries and there are records of a pontoon bridge constructed BC to enables armies to cross. In 1900 the Bosphorus Railroad Company proposed a permanent road and rail bridge but it was not until 1957 that the Turkish Prime Minister gave the go-ahead to finally construct a bridge.​ ​It took another 11 years before a contract was signed and a bridge was then designed by British Ci

The Hagia Sophia, one of the historical architectural wonders that still remains standing today, has an important place in the art world with its architecture, grandness, size and functionality. The Hagia Sophia, the biggest church constructed by the East Roman Empire in Istanbul, has been constructed three times in the same location. When it was first built, it was named Megale Ekklesia (Big Church); however, after the fifth century, it was referred to as the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom). The church was the place in which rulers were crowned, and it was also the biggest operational cathedral in the city throughout the Byzantine period. The first church was constructed by Emperor Konstantios (337-361) in 360. The first church was covered with a wooden roof and expanded vertically (basilica) yet was burned down after the public riot that took place in 404 as a result of the disagreements between Emperor Arkadios’ (395-408) wife empress Eudoksia and Istanbul’s patriarch Ioannes Chry

The Maiden's Tower is on the waters of Üsküdar and it can be considered as the cornerstone of the Bosporus.The history of construction dates back to 341 BC, together with uncertainty of the exact date. The Maiden's Tower has been a subject of many myths in the history. It  has been called Damalis and Leandras in  the first times.The Tower has been used for many purposes such as lighthouse, strategic defense position, quarantine  hospital and radio station. Today, it has been restored by a private company and will be used as a restaurant by the company