Monuments to visit Istanbul

It is one of the city's most famous and visible monuments, located on Galata Hill in the heart of Beyoğlu. The enemy of the time was Venice, to such an extent that John VI Cantacuzene accepted the Genoese request to build a tower in 1348. Designed as the main tower of the Galata fortifications and 68 m high, it offers an exceptional panoramic view of the historic city. Beheaded from its top two floors after the conquest of the city in 1453, the tower was used as a prison under Mehmed II the Conqueror. Shaken by the 1509 earthquake, the fortifications and tower were restored by the architect Hayrettin. It is found in the roles of observatory and fire tower. Ravaged by a fire in 1794, it was once again taken in hand and was given a new floor and a new headdress. It is from the top of this tower, it is said, that Hazerfan Ahmet Çelebi set off in the 18th century, equipped with two large wings that he had made, succeeding in landing, not on the other side of the Bosporus as the legend says, but probably on the other side of the Golden Horn. For a time impressed by this feat, the sultan, under religious pressure who did not see it with a very positive eye, exiled Çelebi to the borders of the Empire. Refurbished between 1965 and 1967, the tower has become one of the city's main tourist attractions. At its top is the panoramic restaurant of the Beltur chain. The view is simply exceptional!

During the Byzantine period, it was a market where Venetians and Genoese came to sell rare spices, hence its other name spice market. Built on an L-shaped plan, it has four main entrances and more than 100 shops where a thousand and one spices, honeys, cheeses, from all the Turkish provinces, flowers, aphrodisiac mixtures, dried meats and even domestic animals are traded. Restored in 1943, this market is strongly imbued with the oriental atmosphere with its colours and smells, much more exotic than that of the Grand Bazaar, which has become the centre of jewellers and carpet merchants. That being said, jewellers are gaining a little more ground each year.

Be sure to visit the adjacent streets outside the bazaar. Pass on the left the flower and bird market to get lost in the alleys at the back. The many itinerant merchants present a very picturesque world where electronic devices, tools, perfumes are sold in a jumble... If you want to buy Turkish coffee, you can go to the Kuru Kahveci Mehmet Efendi. No need for an address, the shop is in front of the market, on the right wing: just follow the smell. If there's a problem, ask, the whole neighborhood knows it. Coffee is sold by weight: you go to the counter from the outside and choose one of the packages that are ready for sale.

Perhaps one of the only metro lines in the world with only two stations... Linking the two historic districts of Galata, at the bottom, and Péra, at the top, it is in fact more than just an underground funicular. The entrance to Karaköy is a stone's throw from the bridge; at the top, at Beyoğlu, on Tünel Square. The Tünel, 570 m long, was built between 1871 and 1876 by the French engineer Eugène-Henri Gavand. With an average of 181 trips and 10,000 to 12,000 passengers per day, the journey takes 90 seconds.

Water has always been a problem in Istanbul. The Romans first, and their heirs the Byzantines, tried to overcome it as best they could. The Valens aqueduct carried water from outside the city to the Basilica and Philoxenos cisterns (Thousand and One Columns). It was during the time of Constantine I that work had to begin and be completed during the time of the Roman Emperor Valens (364-378), around 378. It will be restored several times.

It comes from the Temple temple built by Tuthmosis III (1483-1450 BC). The hieroglyphs engraved on the four faces of this porphyry monolith a height of 26 m are dedicated to the god Horus and celebrate the victories won by the pharaoh. Transferred to Constantinople by Théodose I, he was in the middle of the hippodrome in 390. With an original height of 50 m, it breaks when unloading and only the upper part will be used. The column stands on a 6 m high marble pedestal, carved out of bas-reliefs representing Théodose and his family in the imperial gallery of the racecourse and handing over crowns to the race winners. The obelisk was surmounted by a bronze sphere, symbolic of the world, which collapsed during the earthquake of 865.

Under his real name Louis Marie Julien Viaud (1850-1923), Pierre Loti was originally a naval officer, which allowed him to travel and thus consolidate a basis for his future writings. It was during a trip to Oceania that he decided to take the pseudonym Loti, named after an exotic flower (1867). With a very open mind, Loti feels close to the different cultures he meets during his travels, but Constantinople marks him for life. Her second trip to Istanbul (1879) allowed her to meet the woman who would give her name to her famous novel, Aziyadé, the Caucasian woman. Every time he is in Istanbul, he likes to come to Eyüp, in this café overlooking the Golden Horn. The "sacred mountain" he cites in his Aziyadé is that of this coffee. Surrounded by parks and gardens, and then known as Rabia Kadın Kahvehanesi, the café is gradually being mentioned with the name of the writer. After having changed hands several times and almost disappeared, it was bought back in 1964 to be restored to its original state. It is clear that at the time, the view must have been idyllic, because the beauty of Altın Boynuz (Golden Horn) was such that songs and poems loved to tell it. The clear waters of the Kağıthane river flowed into the inlet, the outline of which is described as green. Things have changed a lot, but the panorama remains unique, especially when it lights up at sunset, while the songs of the muezzins rise.

It was erected on May 11, 330 by Constantine the Great to celebrate the passage from Byzantium to New Rome. Made of porphyry, it is 35 m high but originally the top was surmounted by a statue of Apollo supposed to represent the emperor. It was said to have been encrusted with many relics of Christianity (nails of the Passion, piece of the true Cross, stick that Moses used to bring water out of the desert...) in order to protect the destiny of the city, but the various excavations did not allow them to be located.

This fountain is, above all, a very strong symbol: that of a time when the grandson of Queen Victoria of England, Emperor Frédéric Wilhelm II had great plans for the Middle East. He was isolated diplomatically and allied with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was the flag of the Muslim world against the threatening imperialism of Russia, England and France. In 1898, he decided to make a great trip through the Ottoman Empire, whose sincere and faithful friend he wants. Received by Sultan Abdülhamid II, he testifies to his friendship and support by offering him this fountain which carved the hippodrome in 1901. It was on this occasion that the square was forested.

It is near the shores of Salacak, about 180 m from the coast and marks the entrance to the Bosphorus. It is one of the symbols of the city, regularly the target of cameras and cameras. A James Bond movie, The World is not enough (with Pierce Brosnan and Sophie Marceau), was shot here. Several legends exist around this tower, they are illustrated inside by frescos. It is said to have been the home of the sweet and virginal Hero, one of the priestesses of Venus. In order to honor her goddess, Hero goes to a ceremony and meets Léandre. Love at first sight! Madly in love, Léandre throws himself, the same evening, in the waters to join his beautiful, with the light of a torch. The meeting between the two lovers happened more than once, but one day the torch went out. Unable to find his way back and exhausted, Léandre disappeared in the sea. Afflicted, Hero lets herself slip into the sea and disappears. In Turkish, this tower is called Kız kulesi (Tower of the girl). From a historical point of view, a first fortress was built on this islet by the Greek general Alcibiades towards the end of the^5th century BC in order to control the sea flow. The Byzantine chronicler Choniates tells us that the islet is again fortified in the 12th century on the initiative of Manuel I Comnenus in order to make it an anchor point for the great chain which blocked the Bosphorus and the entrance to the Golden Horn. It is then called Arcla, "small fortress". The Turks used it during the conquest of Constantinople. It is only in 1509, after an earthquake, that it becomes a lighthouse. At the same time, a water tank was added to it. In 1719, it was destroyed by a fire and then rebuilt under the control of the vizier Ibrahim Paşa, known as the Son-in-law. In the second half of the 19th century, as the fragile empire was often faced with serious threats, it regained its defensive use. Restored in 1944, it was transferred to the military in 1959. The maritime lines took possession of it in 1982. It was then used as a lighthouse, military hospital and radio station. Ten years later, the phase where we want to open it to the public begins between controversies and consultations. Today it is done, however important restoration work has begun in 2021 and in this new project there will be no café-restaurant. The crossing is regularly provided from Üsküdar.

This small palace, which was built between 1861 and 1865 under Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-1876), will certainly surprise by its relatively controlled elegance. Admittedly, a guided tour in a small group is required but, due to its small size (65 m long), its approach remains more personal. The site had already attracted the attention of the sultans, who did not fail to have pavilions built there where they would withdraw from time to time. We find the Balyan family at the origin of its architecture. It was conceived as a kind of understudy to Dolmabahçe, in a way a second home. It has also become above all the residence of statesmen. Many crowned heads, such as Tsar Nicholas II or King Edward VIII, have tasted the pleasures of the waters of the Bosphorus, but above all we like to mention a famous beauty, Empress Eugenie, daughter of the Count of Teba and wife of Napoleon III. In the company of the orientalist painter Charles-Theodore Frère, who was appreciated by the Court and the aristocrats in his time, the Empress visited Istanbul (1869) before travelling to Egypt as a guest of the Khedive Ismail Paşa for the inauguration of the canal. The aubergine purée owes its name to it: hünkar beğendi means "Her Majesty has appreciated". The internal decoration combines the Western and Eastern styles. The carpets in the six lounges and 24 rooms are admirable. The garden and the two pavilions, Mermer Köşk and Sarı Köşk, are the perfect complement to the whole.

This house dates from the 17th century, and was built on the initiative of Murad IV's mother, Sultana Kösem. A large part of the han is now dilapidated. A large square tower, 25 m high and located in the third courtyard, belonged to the Praetorium built by Arcadius, and was used as a prison in the Byzantine period. It is necessary to go up to the first floor by the stairs on the left after the entrance and go on the roof. From there, among the domes of the han, you can have an exceptional view of the Galata Bridge, the Bosphorus, the European shore, and the roofs of Sultanahmet.

The fortress, even if imposing, has no particular features. Its charm comes above all from its dream location on the banks of the Bosporus. Climb the steps of the 57-metre high Zaganos Tower to dominate the Bosporus. Even the strong wind does not spoil the pleasure. The quays are charming all around, and you will find small cafés and restaurants to recharge your batteries.

In 1452, Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror was determined to get his hands on the irreducible Constantinople. For several years now, he has been developing a vast conquest project, including the unprecedented design of super-powerful guns. Nothing should be left to chance and especially not the Bosporus Strait, which could well see the arrival of a Christian fleet landing from the Black Sea via the Danube. The sultan himself drew up the plans and more than 3,000 workers were busy working day and night. In 4 months and 13 days, a 250 m long fortress appeared. Facing a previous fortress (Anadolu Hisarı), it is the narrowest point of the strait without forgetting the currents that make navigation dangerous! Constantine XI Dragases, still unaware that he would join history forever as the last emperor of Byzantium, tried to oppose it. That's where the legend comes in. Byzantium excels in the art of negotiation, an ancestral tradition that has saved it from many adventures. Using his hunting activities as an excuse, the Sultan asked Constantinople for permission to build a pavilion there. The emperor accepts but delimits its size: it will be on the surface of an ox skin. The sultan nods: a skin is cut into very thin strips and distributed, end to end, to delimit its space. The sultan is a winner in reality as in legend and Byzantium falls, without the fortress really being of any use whatsoever. We'll quickly turn it into a small prison afterward. The Knights of Malta will be the first to suffer the consequences. In time, it will be abandoned to its fate, even seeing a population settling there. Restored between 1953 and 1958, it was converted into a museum and concert hall. It has 17 towers and 5 doors. Ottoman and European cannons are on display in the fortress, which is now a garden, as well as pieces of the chain that closed the Golden Horn to shipping as part of the Byzantine defence system.

Built in 1890 especially for the famous Orient-Express which linked Paris to Istanbul. It is the work of the German architect Jasmund, who has managed to reconcile the different architectures present in the city. The exterior walls in stone and brick are in Byzantine style; the windows are topped with horseshoe-shaped arches. Lines to European cities are still operating from Sirkeci station. It also has a typical café where nostalgic people can stop for a break.

This is a trophy that the 31 Greek cities reported on the temple of Apollo Pythium in Delphi after their victory over the Persians during the Battle of Platée in 479 B.C. This pointes, formed by the winding of three snakes, supported a large tripod and a gold vase. Constantine the Great reported it from Delphi to install it on the Hippodrome square, while the tripod and the vase had already been looted. Snakes, demonic symbols par excellence, rained neither the Byzantine nor Muslims afterwards, and were maimed several times. Mehmed the Conqueror himself broke the mouth of one of the snakes after the capture of Constantinople. But, according to legend, this episode was followed by an invasion of snakes in the capital and then made the decision to protect them. All heads have nevertheless disappeared over time. One fragment of one of them is exhibited at the Archaeological Museum.

Founded in 1732 by the main imperial architect Mehmet Ağa for Sultan Mahmud I (1730-1754). Beautiful facades decorated in the purest rococo style and a white marble cage.

Monumental in appearance with its immense facade, it was completed in 1908 by two German architects and more than 1,000 Italian stonemasons. This is where trains departed for Ankara, the East or the Southeast. In 2015, the station is no longer in operation and becomes a museum and exhibition space. In any case, it is possible to visit it and sit at the station café for tea, coffee or even a full meal. For an unforgettable sunset, go on the steps, facing the sea, at nightfall.