Category: Turkey

The current Galata bridge which was constructed in December 1994, links Karaköy and Eminönü.  Prior to this, there was a floating bridge, which unfortunately was badly damaged in a fire in 1992 and subsequently towed up …

The Old Town is the historical settlement which has been called Byzantium, or at other times, New or Second Rome, …

Sultan Ahmet Square is the central point around which many of Istanbul’s historical and interesting sites can be found, such as the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque …

Just opposite from the Blue Mosque is the famous Pudding Shop, also known as the Lale Restaurant.  Two brothers, Idris and Namik Colpan, opened the Lale Pastahanesi in 1957.  The Pudding Shop …

The Egyptian Spice market is the oldest bazaar in Istanbul.  After the Grand Bazaar, the Egyptian Spice Market is the second largest covered market.  It was named Mısır Çarşısı or Egyptian Bazaar because …

Construction of the Hippodrome began in 203 AD by the Emperor Septimus Severus and it was then enlarged by Constantine the Great. It was completed in 335 AD when Constantine declared Istanbul the new Roman city …

After the Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453, a distinctive style of art and architecture developed which is now typically described as Ottoman.  It reached its peak in the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent and the buildings now …

Hagia Sophia, or the Church of the Holy Wisdom, was a former Byzantine church and later became a mosque during the …

Whether you’re a shopper or not, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar will amaze you with the number of stalls and the massive range of …

If you’re in the vicinity of Hagia Sophia, one of the magnificent Istanbul attractions not to be missed is the Basilica Cistern.  Situated near the south-west of Hagia Sophia, this massive cistern was founded by Justinian …