30 Geographical Regions
 
Geographical Regions 31  
 
   
 
 
  
  
   

Dolmabahçe Palace and Savarona Yacht - İSTANBUL
 
İstanbul, referred to as the “Capital of Empires”, was founded by the Megaras in 658 B.C. and was named Byzantium after their commander, Byzas.
 
The historical peninsula stretching between the Marmara Sea and the Golden Horn is like an open air museum full of artifacts bearing the traces of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires.
 
Topkapı Palace, which was the political center of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years and now serves as a museum, attracts all kinds of people from different cultures with its world famous antiquities and sacred relics.
 

Another stately palace is the Dolmabahçe Palace built by Sultan Abdülmecid, encircled by 56 columns and illuminated by a chandelier weighing 4.5 tons. The founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Atatürk passed away in this palace on November 10, 1938.

 

There are nearly 500 mosques in the city, the most famous of them being the Sultan Ahmet or the Blue Mosque. The Sultan  Ahmet  Square,   including  the Blue Mosque and the

 
  public fountain, is the main tourist attraction. The Süleymaniye Mosque, built by Master Architect Sinan, is another important mosque and part of the landscape of İstanbul.  
 

The Hagia Sophia Museum built in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine as a basilica is the most magnificent work of architecture left from the Byzantine era. It ranks as the fourth biggest temple after St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and the Duomo Cathedral in Milan with its 55 meters high and 31 meters wide dome. It is also the oldest one of these temples. The Yerebatan Cistern, which was built in the 6th century by the Byzantines to meet the water requirements of the city and contains 336 columns, and the Kariye Museum are among the other magnificent historical buildings in the city.
 

In İstanbul there are many other museums and monuments, including the İstanbul archeological museums, the Atatürk Museum, the Sadberk Hanım Museum, the Mosaic Museum, the Industry Museum, the Maritime Museum the Jewish Museum, the Tower of Leander, the Galata Tower, and the Rumelia and Anatolia fortresses.
 
The Covered Bazaar, built in the 15th century, is one of the places most frequented by tourists; and jewellery, antiques, carpets, silver and copper souvenirs, leather and suede garments, wood and mother of pearl carvings are sold in nearly 4,000 shops.
 

Furthermore, all kinds of spices are available in the Mısır Çarşısı (Egyptian Bazaar) built by Hatice Sultan in the 17th century.

 
İstanbul at the same time is a modern shopping center. Besides giant malls like Carousel, Ataköy-Galleria, Akmerkez, Capitol, CarrefourSA, Profilo, Kanyon, Ikea, Kule and Kule Bazaar; the İstiklal, Rumeli and Bağdat avenues are the most distinguished shopping areas.
 
İstanbul is also among the significant cultural centers in the world with various film and music festivals; theatre, opera, ballet and concert activities; international symposia, conferences, and contests. The “International Culture and Art Festival” organized annually in June and July hosts famous artists from all over the world.