ISTANBUL FAMOUS MUSEUM
First of all, I am pleased to extend my greetings and welcome you all on behalf of the city of Istanbul. You are now in Istanbul; the city of the past and the future, the center of two great empires, the meeting point of two continents and two seas, the city of poets, tulips, Judas trees, bazaars, fish, boats, seagulls, minarets and fountains spreading over the domes of the Bosphorus.To the east or to the west, to the previous or to the next; any journey begins from the point where you are now.
Offering endless opportunities and secrets in a natural, historic, cultural and architectural environment, Istanbul is a unique city enriching our world for thousands of years.This city guide in your hands has been prepared for you, hoping that you remember Istanbul and say "Merhaba" while far away from us.
The period of time we see you and welcome you in this city was a tremendous pleasure and excitement for us. 1 sincerely wish that this great event of sport we enjoyed together would live in our memories as a nice rememberance.
Welcome again and a complete Merhaba........
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Topkapı Palace constructed by Fatih Sultan Mehmet, (the Conqueror) in 1478 has been the official residence of the Otoman Sultans and center of State Administration around 380 years until the construction of Dolmabahçe Palace by Sultan Abdülmecid. The palace having around 700.000 m.² area during the foundation years has currently 80.000 m.² area.
Topkapı Palace was evacuated by the accommodation of the Palace inhabitants in Dolmabahçe, Yıldız and in other palaces. Upon abandoning by the Sultans, Topkapı Palace where many officials resided had also never lost its importance. The palace was repaired from time to time. A special attention was taken for the annual maintenance of Mukaddes Emanetler Dairesi (Sacred Safekeeping Rooms) visited by the sultan and his family during Ramadan.
The opening of Topkapı Palace for visits as museum happened firstly in the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid (1839-1861). The belongings within Topkapı Palace Treasury was shown to the contemporary English ambassador. Later on, it has become a tradition to show the antics within the Topkapı Palace Treasury to the foreigners and during the era of Sultan Abdulaziz (1861-1876), showrooms are made in French style, and these antics are started to be shown to foreigners in these showrooms within Treasury. During the period when Sultan II Abdulhamid was dethroned (1876-1909), it was thought to open the Treasury Room to public visits on Sundays and Tuesdays, yet it never realized.
By the order of Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Topkapı Palace firstly affiliated to the Istanbul Asar-ı Atika Museums Directorate and opened to public visits on date of April 3, 1924, then it started to service as Treasury Chamberlain, after it was renamed as Treasury Directorate and finally it was renamed as Topkapı Palace Museum Directorate and it still continues its services.
Upon the performance of small repairs and taking some administrative cautions in 1924, Topkapı Palace was opened to service as a Museum on October 9, 1924. The sections opened to visit at that time were Kubbealtı, Arz Odası, Mecidiye Köşkü (Pavilion Mecidiye), Hekimbaşı Odası (Room of Chief Doctor), Mustafa Paşa Köşkü (Pavilion Mustafa Pasha) ve Bağdad Köşkü’dür (Pavilion Baghdad).
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The Dolmabahçe Palace was built between the years 1843 and 1856, ordered by the Empire's 31st Sultan, Abdülmecid I, at a cost of five million Ottoman gold pounds, the equivalent of 35 tonnes of gold. Fourteen tonnes of gold in the form of gold leaf were used to gild the ceilings of the 45,000 square metre monoblock palace, which stands on an area of 110,000 m².[1][2] Hacı Said Ağa was responsible for the construction works, while the project was realised by architects Garabet Balyan, his son Nigoğayos Balyan and Evanis Kalfa.The design contains eclectic elements from the Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles, blended with traditional Ottoman architecture to create a new synthesis. Functionally, the palace retains elements of traditional Ottoman palace life, and also features of traditional Turkish homes. It is the largest palace in Turkey, considering that the area of the monoblock building occupies 45,000 m². Previously, the Sultan and his family had lived at the Topkapı Palace, but as Topkapı was lacking in up-to-date luxury and style, Abdülmecid decided to build the Dolmabahçe Palace near the site of the former Beşiktaş Palace on the Bosporus, which was demolished. Whereas the Topkapı has exquisite examples of Iznik tiles and Ottoman carving, the Dolmabahçe palace contains much gold and crystal. Tourists are free to wander Topkapı at their leisure, while the only way to see the interior of Dolmabahçe is with a guided tour.
The Dolmabahçe Palace was home to six sultans from 1856, when it was first inhabited, up until the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924: The last royal to live here was Caliph Abdülmecid Efendi. A law that went into effect on March 3, 1924 transferred the ownership of the palace to the national heritage of the new Turkish Republic. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey, used the palace as a presidential residence during the summers and enacted some of his most important works here. Atatürk spent the last days of his medical treatment in this palace, where he died on November 10, 1938.
The world's largest Bohemian crystal chandelier is in the center hall. The chandelier, a gift from Queen Victoria, has 750 lamps and weighs 4.5 tonnes. Dolmabahçe has the largest collection of Bohemian and Baccarat crystal chandeliers in the world, and one of the great staircases has bannisters of Baccarat crystal.
The site of Dolmabahçe was originally a bay on the Bosporus which was reclaimed gradually during the 18th century to become an imperial garden, much appreciated by the Ottoman sultans; it is from this garden that the name Dolmabahçe (Filled Garden) comes from, dolma meaning "filled" and bahçe meaning "garden." Various summer palaces were built here during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
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Ahmet Khan I who is the 14th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, acceded at the age of 14 and reigned for 14 years had the Sultanahmet Mosque built facing Saint Sophia in the quarter called by his name. Sultanahmet Mosque is a masterpiece built with the understanding of Architect Sinan in the 17th century.
Architect Mehmet Ağa, after he was admitted to the sedefkarlık (inlaying of mother-of-pearl) and architecture department of the palace in 1569-1570, he found himself in a new world and he worked as an apprentice and thereafter, a master-builder under the supervision of Great Architect Sinan Agha for just 21 years. After Great Sinan’s death, he became the Chief Architect. Having become the Chief Architect, his first work was the reparation of the Kaaba and installation of its famous golden gutters.
The Princess Ayşe Palace that was located in the southern direction of the Horse Square (hippodrome) was close to the Topkapı Palace. This place was facing the sea, its area was very wide and its surroundings were not much inhabited; and the Sultan was convinced. He send thirty thousand gold coins of standard fineness to the said Princess, and she immediately transferred her realty in the Land Registry to the Sultan willingly. When it was the turn of the excavation of the foundation of the mosque, a great ceremony in the Ottoman way was organized for this purpose. The date was October 1609. The senior officials of the state assembled at the land cleared by demolitions. Sultan Ahmet Khan hit the pickaxe against the ground for the first time. This pickaxe is in the Topkapı Museum today. When the excavation of the foundation started, first Sultan Ahmet Khan carried earth in the fringe of his robe and had prayed, “O the Lord God, this is the service of your servant ...”. Innumerable sheep were sacrificed at the ceremony place and the poor people were given a feast on that Thursday. Favors were bestowed and gifts were given. The mosque was completed in June 1617. Thus the construction had lasted for 7 years, 5 months and 6 days. The opening of the mosque to worship had been majestic. Numerous sheep were sacrificed on that day. All the poor people other than the master workmen and workmen were given a feast and alms. All the people were made contended; it was like a festival. Coral rosaries were made gifts to the congregation with the first ritual prayers performed in the mosque. The officials were distributing these rosaries leaving them on the knees of the people who sat for the prayers. When the corals finished, the “kelembek” rosaries were distributed. It is known that this “kelembek” is made from the sandalwood-tree with a pungent and beautiful smell that is found at the Indian Ocean.
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Unfortunately nothing remains of the original Hagia Sophia, which was built on this site in the fourth century by Constantine the Great. Constantine was the first Christian emperor and the founder of the city of Constantinople, which he called "the New Rome." The Hagia Sophia was one of several great churches he built in important cities throughout his empire.Following the destruction of Constantine's church, a second was built by his son Constantius and the emperor Theodosius the Great. This second church was burned down during the Nika riots of 532, though fragments of it have been excavated and can be seen today. Hagia Sophia was rebuilt in her present form between 532 and 537 under the personal supervision of Emperor Justinian I.
It is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture, rich with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings. After completion, Justinian is said to have exclaimed, Νενίκηκά σε Σολομών ("Solomon, I have outdone thee!").The architects of the church were Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, who were professors of geometry at the University of Constantinople. Their work was a technical triumph, even though the structure was severely damaged several times by earthquakes. The original dome collapsed after an earthquake in 558 and its replacement fell in 563. Steps were taken to better secure the dome, but there were additional partial collapses in 989 and 1346.Justinian's basilica was both the culminating architectural achievement of Late Antiquity and the first masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. Its influence, both architecturally and liturgically, was widespread and enduring in the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Muslim worlds alike.
For over 900 years the Hagia Sophia was the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople and a principal setting for church councils and imperial ceremonies.In 1204 the cathedral was ruthlessly attacked, desecrated and plundered by the Crusaders, who also ousted the Patriarch of Constantinople and replaced him with a Latin bishop. This event cemented the division of the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches that had begun with the Great Schism of 1054. It also means that most of Hagia Sophia's riches can be seen today not in Istanbul, but in the treasury of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.Despite this violent setback, Hagia Sophia remained a functioning church until May 29, 1453, when Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror entered triumphantly into the city of Constantinople. He was amazed at the beauty of the Hagia Sophia and immediately converted it into his imperial mosque.
Hagia Sophia served as the principal mosque of Istanbul for almost 500 years. It became a model for many of the Ottoman mosques of Istanbul such as the Blue Mosque, the Suleiman Mosque, the Shehzade Mosque and the Rustem Pasha Mosque.No major structural changes were made at first; the addition of a mihrab (prayer niche), minbar (pulpit) and a wooden minaret made a mosque out of the church. At some early point, all the faces depicted in the church's mosaics were covered in plaster due to the Islamic prohibition of figurative imagery. Various additions were made over the centuries by successive sultans.Sultan Mehmed II built a madrasa (religious school) near the mosque and organized a waqf for its expenses. Extensive restorations were conducted by Mimar Sinan during the rule of Selim II, including the original sultan's loge and another minaret. Mimar Sinan built the mausoleum of Selim II to the southeast of the mosque in 1577 and the mausoleums of Murad III and Mehmed III were built next to it in the 1600s. Mahmud I ordered a restoration of the mosque in 1739 and added an ablution fountain, Koranic school, soup kitchen and library, making the mosque the center of a social complex.The most famous restoration of the Hagia Sophia was completed between 1847-49 by Abdülmecid II, who invited Swiss architects Gaspare and Guiseppe Fossati to renovate the mosque. The brothers consolidated the dome and vaults, straightened columns,and revised the decoration of the exterior and the interior.The discovery of the figural mosaics after the secularization of Hagia Sophia was guided by the descriptions of the Fossati brothers, who had uncovered them a century earlier for cleaning and recording. The Fossatis also added the calligraphic roundels that remain today. They were commissioned to calligrapher Kazasker Izzet Efendi and replaced older panels hanging on the piers.In 1934, under Turkish president Kemal Atatürk, Hagia Sofia was secularized and turned into the Ayasofya Museum. The prayer rugs were removed, revealing the marble beneath, but the mosaics remained largely plastered over and the building was allowed to decay for some time. Some of the calligraphic panels were moved to other mosques, but eight roundels were left and can still be seen todayA 1993 UNESCO mission to Turkey noted falling plaster, dirty marble facings, broken windows, decorative paintings damaged by moisture, and ill-maintained lead roofing. Cleaning, roofing and restoration have since been undertaken; many recent visitors have found their view obstructed by a huge scaffolding stretching up into the dome in the center of the nave.
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The Grand Bazaar, located between Nuruosmaniye, Mercan and Beyazıt, is the oldest and largest shopping mall of the world with 64 avenues and streets, 2 covered bazaar (bedesten), 16 inns, 22 gates and about 3600 stores. It has indoor area of 45.000 meter square, and about 20.000 persons work and depending on the season, 300 to 500 persons per day visit.
Inner Bedesten, i.e. Cevahir (Jewelry) Bedesten, being one of the two covered bazaars (bedesten) forming the heart of Grand Bazaar, has the sizes of 48 m x 36 m, and it is more likely to be built in Byzantine times. Called as Sandal Bedesten, New Bedesten is the second important structure of Grand Bazaar, and its construction started on 1461. It is called as Sandal Bedesten because a type of cloth woven of cotton and silk fibers, named Sandal was sold here.
1461, when Sultan Mehmed II started the construction, was accepted as the foundation date of our Grand Bazaar. The main great bazaar was started to be constructed as wooden by Sultan Kanuni Süleyman. The valuable goods, such as jewelry, precious stone, fur and weapons, beside the most of the national treasury were protected here. Evliya (Saint) Çelebi defined it as a greatly strong building.
According to the findings of Prof. Dr. Onder Küçükerman, Topkapı Palace became the brain of empire, and Grand Bazaar became the heart of economy. At the beginning of 19th century, when banks and bankers started to settle in Galata, the heart of economy of the empire started to beat here. Then the brain of the empire, i.e. the Palace also moved to that side and settled in Dolmabahçe, Yıldız and Çırağan. In Grand Bazaar, where the functionality of guild system was maintained until Constitutional Period, any kind of profession was taught and held operatively through master-apprentice relations. After Constitutional Period, as a result of changing conditions, the guild system was impaired and trading was according to the conditions of that time. AND MORE...
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ISTANBUL ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM......
THE JANISSARY BAND (MEHTER)....
THE SPICE BAZAAR (EGYP BAZAAR).....
