Istanbul: Discover History on the Bosporus

Istanbul combines an extraordinary location on the Bosporus with traces of more than 2,000 years of history. The city lies on a peninsula between the Balkans and Anatolia, and between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The Golden Horn borders the peninsula to the north, the Bosporus to the east and the Sea of Marmara to the south. When planning your trip, you can first consider whether you want to focus primarily on historic buildings, museums, city views, or a mix of these interests.

Discover Imperial History and Architecture

Istanbul was successively the capital of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire and the Ottoman Empire. This long political, religious and art-historical legacy is reflected in a wide variety of buildings. The Hagia Sophia, part of the Historic Areas of Istanbul, is considered a unique architectural masterpiece of the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Those interested in military architecture will find a major example of fortification design in the 6,650-metre-long Land Walls of Theodosius II.

Topkapı Palace represents Ottoman palace architecture and offers several ways to explore the history of the court. Its museum displays illuminated manuscripts, ancient weapons, diamonds, exquisite miniatures and sacred relics, including the Prophet’s mantle. The palace gardens also contain several kiosks and pavilions dating from the 15th century. The palace’s location on a peninsula affords wide views of the Golden Horn, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus straits.

Museums, the History of the Square and Ottoman Art

The Istanbul Archaeological Museums comprise three sections: the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Ancient Orient and the Çinili Köşk Museum. Together, they preserve nearly one million objects from different cultures, collected from the territories of the former empire. Turkish tiles and ceramics are the focus at the Çinili Köşk Museum; its building is among the oldest examples of Ottoman civil architecture in Istanbul.

Sultanahmet Square was known as the Hippodrome during the Roman and Byzantine periods. The Walled Obelisk stands there. During the Ottoman period, the square was the scene of Janissary uprisings and festivals that lasted forty days and forty nights. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque was the first mosque with six minarets; its interior is lined with more than 20,000 İznik ceramic tiles. These details give the square its own historical perspective—from its former name to a striking example of Ottoman religious architecture.

The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts also offers a window into Ottoman history: it is housed in a palace where the grand vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent lived. These interests can help you choose a holiday apartment: would you like to focus your trip on collections and architectural history, or also set aside time for views and walks?

Views, Green Spaces and Other City Experiences

Visitors can stroll through Ulus Park and take in views of the Bosporus. The park offers one of the most expansive views of the strait. Those wishing to include both a green space and a waterside view in their city visit will find a different kind of experience here from that offered by museums and historic buildings.

The Beyoğlu Culture Route runs from Galataport Istanbul to Taksim Square. The Atatürk Cultural Center Istanbul offers an opera house, an interactive gallery, a multipurpose hall and a theatre. You can also reach another continent in just a few minutes by taking a local ferry across the Bosporus. This means your trip can include a range of different priorities: historic collections, cultural venues, a walk with views of the Bosporus, or a short crossing that takes you to another continent.

About 360 Ottoman villas and mansions, known as yalı, have been preserved on both shores of the Bosporus. They add another dimension to the history of architecture along the water, alongside the major palace and museum complexes. The aspects you would most like to explore can help you tailor your search for a holiday apartment to the interests of your travel group, without limiting your stay to a single theme.

More location pages: Başakşehir, Cebeci, Esenyurt, Yayla, Seymen, Kartal, Doğancılı and Işıklar.

Go to the main travel overview: Istanbul.