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GRAND BAZAAR-
www.kapalicarsi.org.tr
Also known as ‘Kapalicarsi’, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is Turkey's largest covered market with 60 streets and 5,000 shops, attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. The products on offer here vary from Turkish carpets, ceramic tiles and pottery, copper and brassware, to items made of leather, cotton and wool, meerschaum pipes, alabaster bookends and ashtrays.
CORLULU ALI PASHA MEDRESESI
Located in the old town, this is a cafe converted from an Ottoman medrese (religious school) where you can experience one of the oldest and deeply rooted traditions of Turkey: the Nargile (Hookah), with both men and women finding great pleasure in smoking the waterpipe.
THE HOUSE CAFÉ- www.thehousecafe.com.tr
This chain of trendy restaurants serving upmarket comfort food started out in 2002 and has since expanded to include 10 cafés in the major Turkish cities. Check out the original House Café in Tesvikiye and the branch in Ortakoy with its large terrace overlooking the Bosphorus.
CEMBERLITAS HAMAM- www.cemberlitashamami.com.tr
Cemberlitas is one Istanbul’s most traditional and oldest hamams or Turkish baths. A good scrub in a beautifully crafted building is an experience not to be missed.
THEODOSIAN WALLS
Also known as The Walls of Constantinople, the Theodosian Walls are a symbol of Istanbul’s history. They once defended the city of Constantinople (today’s Istanbul) when it was established as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Today, only a few sections are left. When finished in 412 AD, the walls were almost 7 km (over 4 miles) in length, about 40 feet in height and including 96 towers, some as high as 65 feet, and with 12 gates. In 1894 a disastrous earthquake toppled parts of the walls, but a few sections still stand.
SULTANAHMET
This famous area of the city is located in the heart of historic old Istanbul. It is a lively and touristy part of the city with a history stretching back well over two millennia. Some of Istanbul’s most famous landmarks such as the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace are in this area.
SULTANHAMET CAMII OR THE BLUE MOSQUE
A distinctive feature of the Istanbul skyline and a popular tourist attraction, the ‘Blue Mosque’ (so called because of its blue Iznik tiles) was built by Sultan Ahmet I in the 17th century. It is the only mosque in Turkey with six minarets.
TOPKAPI PALACE
This huge palace complex was constructed by Fatih Sultan Mehmet (Mehmet the Conqueror) in 1478 and has been the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans for about 380 years until the construction of Dolmabahçe Palace by Sultan Abdülmecid in the 19th century. This imposing palace once occupied an area of 700,000m² but only about 80.000m² are left standing today. The Sultan’s private living quarters, or the Harem, are a particular favourite!
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HAGIA SOPHIA
Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture. It is a former Basilica completed in 537AD, and was the largest building in the world for a thousand years, later becoming a mosque and now a museum. Worth visiting for its majesty, fabulous original mosaics and marble pillars and coverings which adorn its interior.
RUMELI HISARI
Overlooking the Bosphorus on the European side of the strait, Rumeli is an impressive fortress built by Mehmet the Conqueror in the 15th century in order to control commercial and military traffic in preparation for the siege of Constantinople. The whole structure was planned by Mehmet himself and took less than 4 months to build.
ORTAKÖY
Lined with trendy boutiques, cafes and restaurants, Ortakoy is the most artsy ‘Bosphorus village’ in the city. Stroll down its streets to window shop, try its famous ‘kumpir’ (filled jacket potatoes) and check out Ortakoy’s variety of craft street markets.
KANYON SHOPPING CENTRE- www.kanyon.com.tr
This cleverly designed curvaceous snail-shaped building where you can shop while both being inside and outside at the same time at its 160 stores, 9 screen cinemas and fitness centre is one of Istanbul’s best shopping centres, with world –famous fashion retailers such as Harvey Nichols among others.
HARVEY NICHOLS ISTANBUL- www.demsagroup.com
Harvey Nichols is an international luxury store, renowned both in the UK and internationally for the variety of its exclusive fashion merchandise. It offers many of the world's most prestigious brands in womenswear, menswear, accessories, beauty, food and home merchandise.
ISTIKLAL CADDESI
Located in Beyoglu, the modern bohemian district of Istanbul, Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Avenue) is the city’s most popular strolling, shopping and snacking street. Pedestrianised with just a historical tram running its length, this street is lined with boutiques, cafes, restaurants, galleries and cinemas.
MIKLA- www.istanbulyi.com
Part restaurant, part bar Mikla occupies the two top floors of the Marmara Pera Hotel in Beyoglu. The views over the city here are superb but more importantly this is a restaurant which offers a blend of Turkish and Scandinavian cuisine. It was the project of owner and Chef Mehmet Gur, one of the country’s most famous chefs.
360 - www.360istanbul.com
Set in a penthouse atop a 19th-century apartment building in Beyoglu, 360, a trendy restaurant and bar provides a breathtaking view of Istanbul all the way from the steeple of St Antoine’s Church close by to the Hagia Sophia and out to the Sea of Marmara. It’s the place to be at the weekend when 360 transforms itself into ‘club 360’!
IDO- www.ido.com.tr
A trip to Istanbul must include a boat trip on the Bosphorus. Ferries operated by IDO cross the strait several times a day. The views are truly spectacular and the fresh sea breezes refreshing.
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It’s a cliché but Istanbul really is the city where East meets West over the blue waters of the Bosphorus. It’s also a 21st century city as Danann Breathnach discovers as he moves between mosques and modern art, palaces and bazaars, and nightclubs and even a branch of Harvey Nicholls. This is a portrait of a city that offers a lot more than Turkish Delight.