Byzantium, New Rome, Constantinoupolis, Eptalofos, Istanbul… This magnificent city has changed so many names throughout the centuries; however, none of these changes was able to describe its beauty at the maximum. Being a colony of Megareans and named after Byzas, Byzantium (as it was initially named) has been home to many civilizations up to this day. Greeks, Romans and, later, Byzantines, Latin Crusaders and, finally Turks have influenced the city’s identity.

Being strategically located on the Bosporus Sea and being shared between the eastern and the western parts of the country, touring Istanbul can be a long, yet enjoying journey. Some of the most important sights of the city are the below:

1. Hagia Sofia

Hagia Sofia’s building was completed around 537 AD, under the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and used to be the Greek Orthodox patriarch cathedral until 1453, when the city was captured by the Ottoman Turks. The temple’s architects were the engineer and geometer Isidorus of Miletus and the mathematician Anthemius of Tralles. The majestic church was dedicated to the Wisedom of God (Naos tis Agias tou Theou Sofias = the Temple of the Holy Wisedom of God) and was groundbreaking for its era, since it combined both ways of the temple building architecture of the times (it was the first basilica that had a dome) and included innovative techniques for its construction.
In the years that followed, the temple has been damaged several times; the most important damage occurred during the Ottoman capture of the city in 1453, when the biggest part of the temple’s interior was looted and severely destroyed. After occupying the city, the Sultan Mehmet II ordered the restoration and the conversion of the temple to a mosque. From 1935 and up to this day, the temple operates as a museum, although the current Turkish government has declared its wish to convert it to a mosque again.
In a distance of 150 metres from the Hagia Sofia, you can visit the Basilica Cistern (in Turkish Yerebatan Sarnıcı). A subterranean receptacle of water, it was built on the 6th century A.D during the reign of Justinian I. Its name was Basilica, since it was located under “Stoa Basilica”, a large public square. The Basilica Cistern used to provide water to the Grand Palace of Istanbul and the Top Kapi even after the fall of the city on 1453, up to modern times. Now, a very small amount of water is being stored in the Cistern, in order to make it accessible to the public. The columns of the Cistern are mostly of Corinthian and Ionic styles, while two of the columns have carved the visage of the Medusa on its base catch the eye of the visitors.

2. Blue Mosque / Sultan Ahmet Cami

Built on 1617 AD right in front of the Hagia Sofia monument, the Blue Mosque didn’t only serve its religious purpose; it was a clear message, after the crushing defeat from Persia, that the Ottoman Empire still maintains its greatness and power. Combining many elements from the traditional Islamic architecture and the Byzantine way of temple construction, it was named “The Blue Mosque”, due to the 20,000 sapphire - coloured tiles that decorate the interior of the mosque. Contrasting to the fact that most of the city’s mosques have 2 or 4 minarets, the Blue Mosque has 6 – a fact that, as the legend has it, it was the result of a misunderstanding between the architect and the Sultan.

3. Topkapi Palace

Once the home of the Sultans’ family, Topkapi started in 1459, ordered by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. Initially called the “New Palace”, Top Kapi was a complex of buildings, which accommodated the Sultan’s harem, the Grand Vizier and other state officials. After the 17th century, the Sultans preferred the palaces of Bosporus, which made the Topkapi palace to lose its significance. However, it retained its library and the imperial treasury. After the declaration of the Turkish Republic in 1923, the Palace was converted in to a museum.

4. Galata Kulesi

The Tower of Galata (Galata Kulesi) is a medieval, round tower made by stone. Called “Cristea Turris” by the Genoese, it was built in a Romanesque style around 1348, as the Genoese colony expanded in the city. It was used by the Ottomans to spot fires in the city. Now, the tower is a popular tourist attraction; its upper floor hosts a nightclub and a restaurant and café, offering a spectacular view of the city and the Bosporus.

5. Bosporus
Bosporus is the boundary between Asia and Europe. Along with the Dardanelles, it forms the “Turkish Straits”. The bridge of “Fatih Sultan Mehmet” rises over the Bosporus’ waters, connecting the two sides of the city. The visitors can pass from one side to the other by ferry, enjoying a cup of tea (a very popular beverage in Turkey) while having an idyllic boat ride. There are approximately 620 waterfront houses on the shorelines of Bosphorus, dated back to the Ottoman period.