İstanbul is mixture of old and new. This includes some Roman structures, Byzantine Churches and Islamic Mosques. The İstanbul Archaeological Museum has lots of very interesting artifacts.

The Historic Areas of İstanbul are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Basilica Cistern was built in 532 CE by Emperor Justinian. Its roof is supported by 336 columns arranged in 12 rows. It once held 80,000 m³ (2,825,000 cubic feet) of water. It was constructed by using columns and capitals from ruined buildings. A couple of nice examples are columns supported by upside-down Medusa heads.

The Obelisk of Theodosius was carved in Egypt around 1450 BCE. It was erected in Heliopolis (today's Cairo) to commemorate the victories of Thutmosis III.

The Aya Sofya was built as a Byzantine church by Emperor Justinian (527-565). It reigned as the greatest church in Christendom till the conquest in 1453. Mehmet the Conqueror converted it into mosque. In 1935 Atatürk proclaimed it a museum.

Another Byzantine church is Küçük Aya Sofya Camii. It too was build by Emperor Justinian, just before the Aya Sofya. It is one of the city's most beautiful. Its dome is noteworthy for being an irregular octagon.

The Blue Mosque was build by Sultan Ahmet I (1603 - 1617) to rival Aya Sofya in beauty and grandeur.

Rüstem Paşa Camii is another beautiful mosque, this one decorated with beautiful ıznik tiles.

All pictures are © Dr. Günther Eichhorn, unless otherwise noted.

İstanbul Archaeological Museum

Buildings Museum Ceramic Tiles
One of the buildings of the museum with ceramic tiles. (801k)
 Roman Sarcophagus
Roman sarcophagus. (562k)
 Hittite Relief
Hittite relief. (676k)
 Ceramic Tile Picture Ur
Ceramic tile picture from Ur, Babylonia. (773k)
 Assyrian Relief
Assyrian relief. (613k)

Roman Remains

Interior Basilica Cistern
Interior of the Basilica Cistern. (553k)
 Sideways Medusa Head Supporting
Sideways Medusa head supporting one of the columns. The Medusa head came from somewhere in Greece. (728k)
 Stone Pillar All Remains
This stone pillar is all that remains from a Byzantine triumphal arch. From here all distances in the Byzantine Empire were measured. (1118k)

Egyptian Obelisk

Obelisk Theodosius
Obelisk of Theodosius. (619k)
 Close-up Cartouche Obelisk
Close-up of the cartouche on the obelisk. (896k)

Byzantine Churches

Aya Sofya
Aya Sofya. (711k)
 Stone Mosaic Aya Sofya
Stone mosaic in the Aya Sofya. (660k)
 Marble Entrance Threshold Worn
Marble entrance threshold, worn by the many feet passing through. (544k)
 Marble Capital
Marble capital. (579k)
 Interior Aya Sofya
Interior of Aya Sofya. (845k)
 Columns Interior Aya Sofya
Columns in the interior of Aya Sofya. (797k)
 Inlay Pictures Apostles
Inlay pictures of Apostles. (758k)
 Inlay Pictures Apostles
Inlay pictures of Apostles. (838k)
 Inlay Pictures Apostles
Inlay pictures of Apostles. (1003k)
 Küçük Aya Sofya Camii
Küçük Aya Sofya Camii. (525k)
 Interior Küçük Aya Sofya
Interior of Küçük Aya Sofya Camii. (760k)
 Interior Küçük Aya Sofya
Interior of Küçük Aya Sofya Camii. (777k)
 Interior Küçük Aya Sofya
Interior of Küçük Aya Sofya Camii. (649k)

Mosques

View Blue Mosque Inside
View of the Blue Mosque from inside the Aya Sofya. (257k)
 Blue Mosque Aya Sofya
The Blue Mosque from the Aya Sofya. (497k)
 Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque. (609k)
 Interior Blue Mosque
Interior of the Blue Mosque. (994k)
 Interior Blue Mosque
Interior of the Blue Mosque. (661k)
 Blue Ceramic Tiles Rüstem
Blue ceramic tiles on Rüstem Paşa Camii. (770k)
 All Mosques İstanbul Grand
Not all mosques in İstanbul are of the grand variety, this one was in a neighborhood in the southern parts of İstanbul. (704k)

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Turkey
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Page last updated on Tue Sep 24 18:19:03 2019 (Mountain Standard Time)

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© Dr. Günther Eichhorn
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