Dolmabahce Palace » Distance: 8 km. Located along the coast of the Bosphorus in Beşiktaş, 300 yards from the Beşiktaş ferry-boat quay, this palace is the grandest imperial Ottoman residence. It was constructed by the Armenian architects Karabet and Nikogos Balyan for Sultan Abdülmecid (1839-61) who, preferring a more modern residence, decided to move out [...]
Haghia Sophia Museum » Distance: 250 m. Haghia Sophia Museum is located in Sultanahmet across from Sultan Ahmed Mosque. Considered one of the finest architectural works in the world, it was originally built as a church. Construction began during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine 1, but was only completed in AD 360 during [...]
Before the Byzantine Empire Excavations conducted at Yarımburgaz cave have uncovered evidence of human culture in the region of Küçükçekmece Lake. Collective inhabitation of Istanbul, which would later become one of the most crowded cities in the world, dates back to the Sixth Millennium B.C.E. These societies inhabited caves on both the European and Anatolian [...]
