Istanbul is a city that maintains its history and heritage well, blending them into an exciting city that has a lot to offer visitors from all over the world. An analysis of Istanbul’s top tourist attractions is given below:
Tower of Galata
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The Galata Tower overlooks the Istanbul skyline at a height of 67 meters (219 feet), offering fantastic views of the old city and its surroundings. Currently, its top ranks include a café, a hotel and a night club, all reached in the nine-story building by elevator, where the spectacular views can be found.
Paleontological Museum of Istanbul
The Istanbul Archaeological Museum, one of the most important museums in Turkey, is actually made up of three museums: the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Old Orient, and the Museum of the Tiled Kiosk. More than 1 million objects from civilizations around the world are found in the three museums together.
Church Chora
The Chora Church may be a little off the beaten tourist road, but visitors say that the effort to get it’s been well good enough to justify the beautiful Byzantine art. Magnificent mosaics and stained glass windows depict Jesus’ life and Mary, his mother. Known as the Church of the Holy Savior in Chora, it has been defined as one of Byzantine architecture’s most beautiful surviving works.
Cistern Basilica
Since the sixth century, when it was instructed by the Roman Emperor Justinian I, the Basilica Cistern has been providing Istanbul residents with water. A visit leaves travellers raving about the technology used against the ancient Romans to build this architecture and design mystery that was very sophisticated ahead of its time.
Palace Dolmabahce
Only some of the descriptive words used to characterize the Dolmabahce Palace, which has been linked to the Palace of Versailles, are spacious, luxurious and stunning. The most attractive palace in Turkey, constructed in the 19th century using 14 tonnes of gold leaf, blends traditional Ottoman architectural design with the Neoclassical, Baroque and Rococo European styles.
Mosque Suleymaniye
Nevertheless the mosque is superb, combining the very best of Islamic and Byzantine architecture. Over the years, the mosque was severely damaged, including during the First World War whenever an explosion occurred out as the grounds were used as a warehouse for arms.
Palace Topkapi
Topkapi Palace is one of Istanbul’s must-see attractions, mixing history with beautiful scenery in an experience not to be hurried. The opulent Topkapi Palace served as the official residence for nearly four decades for the sultans who governed the Ottoman Empire. It is one of the largest remaining palaces in the world.
Blue Mosque
Constructed in the early 17th century, the Blue Mosque remains a powerful place of worship nowadays. This implies that tourists need to carefully schedule their visits, as during the five daily prayer times for Muslims, the mosque is closed to sightseers. All visitors are required to remove their shoes and women are required to cover their faces. Founded by Sultan Ahmet, the mosque takes its name from the structure’s blue tiles and the upper levels of the building.
Hagia Sophia
The Greek word for Sacred Knowledge is Hagia Sophia and refers to Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Founded on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian between 532 and 537, the building was an Eastern Orthodox cathedral until 1453, except for around 60 years when it served as a Roman Catholic cathedral in the 1200s. The building closed in 1931, and it was re-opened as a museum in 1935 by the Republic of Turkey.
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