50 Places to Visit In Istanbul Part 2

By SU Magazin / 2021-10-28

We are continuing with the second part of our 50 places to visit in Istanbul list. The second part of our list where we share the first part;

11- Istanbul Archeology Museum

From the first love poem in world history to the tomb of the Great Alexander… You can find many traces of world history in this magnificent and massive museum. It is not just a museum for Anatolian history, and it has the potential to grab anyone’s attention from 7 to 70. But the most important thing about the Archeology Museum is Osman Hamdi Bey. After he went for an excavation to Sidon, which was inside of the Emperor’s borders during that era, he reached the Necropolis of Sidon and came back to his home with world-renowned Alexander the Great Sarcophagus. Actually, it was because of him that the Ottoman Empire had opened such a massive museum.

12- Istanbul Modern

Istanbul Modern is on the 12th of our list of places to visit in Istanbul. Istanbul Modern was created by a couple of warehouse activities. Currently, it became one of the best places to have an exhibition for both local and foreign artists. Besides its breath-taking scenery, it has hosted many world-famous activities such as Body World’s, Istanbul, Salvador Dali, Van Gogh, and many more…

13- The Seven Tower Dungeons

The Seven Tower Dungeons dates back to the Byzantine and it had used during the Ottoman Era too. Apart from its name, it was also used as a guest house for high profile state visitors and Treasury Department too. It was also the place in which Osman II or the Genç Osman was strangled to death by his own father, the emperor. It actually got its name from seven fortresses surrounding the Fatih neighborhood but as you can guess, there are dungeons in these fortresses. These dungeons have seen many wars and many prisoners too. And the most famous one with prisoners is the Armory Tower.

14- The Selimiye Barracks

It was built by Selim III for the replacement of the old and rebel Janissary army. Since it was going to be the base camp for the new army, in 1808, it was burnt down and rebuilt with more endurance materials. In the beginning, it only had one wing and three others added later, by Abdülmecid. Afterward, the building was used as a hospital during the Crimean War against the Russians. The famous nurse Florence Nightingale has helped many injured souls out there during that time. Still, inside one of the towers, you can see Florence Nightingale’s personal belongings. She became famous as the ”Lady with the Lamp” which is the meaning of her name too.

15- The Rumelia Fortress

Istanbul Modern is on the 15th of our list of places to visit in Istanbul. The Rumelia Fortress which dates back to the history before the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottoman Empire, it was built by the Fatih the Conqueror in order to prevent backing that can come from the Northside. When you look at it from the aerial view of point, you can see the writing of Muhammed, which is the last prophet and the prophet of Islam. The fortress has a dazzling Bosphorus view and it is being used as an open-air museum which you can see the chains that closed the Golden Horn during the conquest of Istanbul. It is also being the concert place for many epic groups.

16- The New Mosque (Valide Sultan Mosque)

The New Mosque or with the more known name Valide Sultan Mosque, construction of this one took 74 years due to a variety of reasons. Among these reasons, there are earthquakes, financial crises, fires, and many unfortunate events had happened. During that period, the Ottoman Empire had seen 8 emperors change. It is located at the center of Eminönü square and it is sharing the same külliye (Islamic-ottoman social complex) with the Spice Bazaar. The building order of the mosque was given by the mother of Mehmet III, Safiye Sultan. There is also a special mausoleum inside of the mosque which has five sultans and some members of the Imperial family too.

17- The Süleymaniye Mosque

This magnificent mosque was built by the Sinan the Architect as his ”foremanship” work. As you can guess from the name, it was built by the order of the Suleyman the Magnificent. It was built on the top of one of Istanbul’s most dominant hills. Sinan had applied many architectural secrets in this Mosque and moreover, the mausoleums of the Sinan and the Kanuni are also inside of this mosque. The mosque is actually a külliye which consists of a hospital, soup kitchen, library, Medrese (school focuses on religion), and Hamam. With Sinan’s many secrets, it has many special features such as an excellent acoustic and a special Smoke Room. According to the myth, Sinan had used a hooka inside of this smoke room. But the main building purpose of this room was different. During the era that there was no electricity, Sinan used 275 oil lamps and two giant candles on the left and right sides of the mihrab. And the soot coming from these oil lamps and candles would cause a great problem and damage the mosque. So, Sinan made a special design in order to let these smokes fly to the outer world through 4 windows and it actually worked. The style is still unknown though.

18- Mihrimah Sultan Mosque (Üsküdar&Edirnekapi)

Sinan the Architect’s gift to Istanbul, the two mosques which are located in Edirnekapi and Uskudar, bears many secrets and beauties inside. The places that the mosques had been placed have specific features. And one of the secrets of Sinan is, the sun goes up behind one of these mosques and sets from the other ones behind. And the Mihrimah means the Sun and the Moon in old Turkish. The one in Üsküdar has only one minaret while the one in the Edirnekapı has two.

19- The Feshane

During the Ottoman Empire, it was built for the clothing need of the Ottoman army. Fes means the hat and the "hane" means home, place. After many years of usage as a park, the Fez Factory or Feshane is being used as an exhibition and conference hall nowadays. During Ramadan, you can witness the most joyful entertainments here. It is actually very close to Pierre Loti hill and there are boat tours too. As we stated before, if you happen by in Istanbul during Ramadan, Feshane should be the first point that you go to.

20- Eyüp Sultan Mosque

Istanbul Modern is on the 20th of our list of places to visit in Istanbul. The Eyüp Sultan Mosque which bears the mausoleum of his nibs Eyüp Sultan, because of many Islamic beliefs, attracts mostly local tourists and some foreign tourists too. Eyüp Sultan was served many long years next to the Prophet Mohammed. It is one of the most crowded mosques in Istanbul. People come here to pray for Eyüp Sultan and make a wish. The location of the mosque was determined after a dream though. Fatih the conqueror saw his teacher Akşemsettin in his dream and the Akşemsettin told him where to build this magnificent mosque.