Istanbul architecture

  Some words about Beyoglu   Beyoglu district, or the New City, is remarkable, first of all, due to the fact that it sharply differs from the streets with minarets, seen through the tree crowns, which are common to Istanbul. This part of the city is a business and cultural center of Istanbul, and was relatively recently built; many of its buildings date back to the end of the 19th century, and therefore the architecture of the district … read more

  The story of the tower    Maiden's Tower, or, as it is otherwise called Leander's Tower, hides inside many secrets and legends, which followed it from the beginning of its existence. That's why even its name has a glamor of mystery and enigma, which makes its ancient image even more ambiguous...   There are even several versions concerning its construction. According to one of them, the tower was built by a commander Alcibia… read more

The architecture, as any other type of art, has its own fashion. Fashion has a habit to come and leave, and come back again, but changed in this case. However, only the best samples of any fashion become classical once and stay beyond time. One of these outstanding creations is the Ortakoy Mosque in Istanbul... The child of BalyanIt is enough to pronounce this name, and the mystery of the outstanding beauty and splendor of the Ortakoy mosque beco… read more

The Anatolian Fortress (Anadoluhisari in Turkish) is situated in the Asian part of the city on the picturesque shore of the Bosporus, in its narrowest part, where the width of the strait is only 660 meters. The fortress attracts tourists not only by its size, but interesting history as well. It is by no means surprising, that tourists from all over the world come to see this masterpiece of architecture.In the beginning, the fortress was used with… read more

The city, which stays on the Bosporus strait, cannot exist without bridges. Ancient Greeks made pontoon ferries, Romans built wooden bateau bridges, but boats were the main means of crossing the strait. Only bridges united Istanbul. Antiquity Darius tried to make a bridge during the wars between Greeks and Persians. Without thinking too much, the soldiers of King Darius put together 5,000 boats, and his army crossed the strait. Using modern terms… read more

When Constantinople had been conquered by the Turks-Ottomans and renamed Istanbul, the process of rapid construction began in the city. First of all, new authorities were interested in markets, and then in mosques. It is quite evident why they did so: markets guaranteed the financial support for sultans, and mosques — religious one. Murat Pasha Mosque was one of the first mosques of Istanbul.  The districtSome words about the district,… read more

The history of this park is quite interesting, and for Istanbul it is not very long. Yildiz park is just some centuries old, and, taking into account the age of Istanbul, it is not even youth, it is adolescence. Its first settlers were the sultans of the Ottoman Empire, who had chosen the place Yildiz for a park. Sultans, former nomads, preferred to spend their time in open air in pavilions, and not in stone palaces. Gradually, the habits of sult… read more

Three most interesting facts about the Byzantine architecture of Istanbul. The uniqueness of Istanbul consists in the fact that it is not one city, but there are three of them: Roman Byzantium, Byzantine Constantinople, and Turkish Istanbul. Each of them has its own specific architecture, which is unique, but at the same time connected with its precursors. Prosperity … at the beginning It is surprising, that the highest peak was reached by… read more

Byzantine antiquity in ultramodern Istanbul The second largest architectural monument of the Byzantine Empire remained unscathed in  Istanbul of the 21 st Century.It is strange but true - Istanbul is probably the only city in the world where ancient monuments remained to our time not just fairly good but in excellent conditions! For example, the church of Hagia Sophia which strikes our imagination with its decoration and size till nowadays .… read more

Constantinople, as the capital of Byzantium, was full of temples. The church institutions played an important role in the Empire. They provided an ideological support for the state. The Emperors always remembered it, therefore they didn't feel sorry for spending much money for erection of majestic churches in the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Just look at the Hagia Sophia! But among temples of the city there were such temples that amazed n… read more