Built on the site of an older tower in the 14th-15th centuries, the Galata Tower offers the best view of the Golden Horn, Old Istanbul, the entrance to the Bosphorus and the Asian shore. The tower was erected to observe the port and the city, and after being used for various purposes over the centuries, it has now reassumed its original function of watch tower - this time to enjoy the view. An elevator takes the visitors to the top two floors of the tower that are today occupied by a restaurant and a nightclub.
Located along the coast of the Bosphorus in Besiktas, 300 yards from the Besiktas ferry-boat quay, this palace is the grandest imperial Ottoman residence. It was constructed by the Armenian architects Karabet and Nikogos Balyan for Sultan Abdulmecid (1839-61) who, preferring a more modern residence, decided to move out of the Topkapi Palace. The construction of this sumptuous palace was finished in 1853, and the royal family abandoned the imperial residence of Topkapi which had served as a home for the Ottoman household for almost four centuries. Dolmabahce was the imperial residence of all subsequent Ottoman Sultans, with the..
This horn-shaped estuary, divides European Istanbul. One of the best natural harbors in the world, the Byzantine and Ottoman navies and commercial shipping interests were centered here. Today, lovely parks and promenades line the shores where the setting sun dyes the water a golden color. In Fener and Balat, neighbourhoods midway up the Golden Horn, whole streets of old wooden houses, churches, and synagogues date from Byzantine and Ottoman times. The Orthodox Patriarchy resides here at Fener. Eyup, a little further up, reflects the Ottoman style of vermicular architecture. Cemeteries sprinkled with dark cypress trees cover the hillsides.
The Directorate of Istanbul Archaeology Museums that is dependent on the General Directorate of Monuments and Museums of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Turkey is on the Osman Hamdi Bey Ascent that opens to the Topkapi Palace Museum from the right of the Gulhane Park Entry which is in the Sultanahmet district. Istanbul Archaeology Museums consist of three museums. Those are Archaeology Museum, Old Eastern Works Museum and Enameled Kiosk Museum. Istanbul Archaeology Museums, which were established as Muze-i Humayun (Empire Museum) by the famous artist and museum director Osman Hamdi Bey at the end of the 19th..
