Destination:

Are you ready to explore İstanbul that builds on old and rich history as well as synthesis of the east and the west? İstanbul is a unique city that geographically bridges two continents, namely Europe and Asia!

Natural beauties and 2600 years old heritage of İstanbul will be a unique opportunity to enjoy your time. İstanbul is a rare province designed to be the capital and it has been the capital of three empires that had dominated the world. İstanbul and its hinterland still continue to be the capital of economy by hosting more than 4000 companies and at least 100 of them are listed in Fortune 500 survey.

İstanbul is located in the Thrace, that region named locally Marmara and stands on the shores of the beautiful Bosphorus, which connects the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea.

Today the province houses the precious remains of three civilizations (Roman, Byzantium and Ottoman) and stands with all its glamour and mysticism as a harmonious link between the east and the west, past and present, antique and modern.

İstanbul is one of the richest cities of the world with the atmosphere of its own by life-style, people and various occasions, of which you will be the part of some.
In that pitoresque city you may believe there is always something for everyone and note that İstanbul is very famous not only for historical sites, but attractive night life, as well.
Enjoy your raid to İstanbul...

İstanbul is one of the richest cities of the world with the atmosphere of its own by life-style, people and various occasions, of which you will be the part of some.

In that pitoresque city you may believe there is always something for everyone and note that İstanbul is very famous not only for historical sites, but attractive night life, as well.
Enjoy your raid to İstanbul...

Grand (Covered) Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar or Kapalı Çarşı     (in Turkish) is the world’s first and biggest mall.
This huge complex is consist of almost 4400 shops in 64 streets and maze of hans surrounded by alleys. This vast labyrinth of shopper heaven opens the 22 historic gates everyday for more than 20 thousand employee and at least 250 thousand visitors between the 07:00-19:00 hours.

There are thousands of things you can find and purchase in the Grand Bazaar such as gold, precious stones, carpets and kilims, jewellery, leather and fur wearings, hand made ceramic tiles and wall plates, silver and copperwares.    

There are also religious icons, antiques, used watches, old calligraphies and maps if you keep walking into the deeper sides of the mall. People may interest also with fakes (Ray-Ban eye glasses, Tommy Hilfiger t-shirts etc...) and find all around the bazaar.

Bedesten, the oldest part of the bazaar, was built in 1461 under the rule of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror and was expanded during the reign of Sultan Süleyman (1520-1566) the Magnificent.
The Grand Bazaar underwent a great threat during the fire in 1546 first time and had several restorations over the years due to the extensive fires and destructive earthquakes in 1766, 1791, 1826 and 1894.

Maiden’s Tower
This tower on an islet at the mouth of the Bosphorus is one of the popular landmarks of İstanbul.
The tower was first built here by Alkibiades in the 6 th Century BC, and around 350 BC a Macedonian admiral built a splendid mausoleum for his dead wife here.
The French name Tour de Leandre and Turkish name Kızkulesi both originate from legends. A young man named Leander living in the city of Abydos on the southern shore of Çanakkale Strait fell in love with the beautiful priestess Hero, and she was with him. Since she was forbidden to marry, Leander visited her secretely every night, by swimming across the strait from Abydos to Sestos where Hero lived. So that Leander could find his way in the darkness, Hero carried a torch up to the top of the tower where she lived each night and waited until he arrived. But one stormy night torrential rain extinguished the torch in Hero's hand, and unable to find the right direction, Leander was eventually exhausted by the waves and drowned. At down the next morning Hero saw Leander's ragged shirt in the sea and threw herself into the water. So the two lovers were united at last in death. Many myths and legends bear a similiar resemblance to others, the location changing while the story remain the same.

Another story concerning the tower, according to which a Byzantine fortune teller predicted that the beautiful daughter of the Emperor Constantine would be killed by a snake bite. Her father first concealed his daughter in a coffin at Saint (Hagia) Sofia, and then had this tower built for her to live in. However a poisonous snake concealed in a basket of grapes sent to her caused the girl's death.

Following the Turkish conquest of İstanbul the tower was used to imprison those being sent into exile. When the wooden tower built in 1726 was destroyed by fire and it was replaced by a masonry tower with a lead dome. The present baroque form of this tower dates from repairs carried out in 1830. In the past, it served variously as lighthouse, quarantine station, prison and artillery emplacement.

Sultanahmet District
Who would believe that the Topkapı Palace, the residence of the Ottoman Sultans for more than four centuries, is still standing in all of its glory, or imagine the influence of both the Catholic and Islamic religions in the Saint Sophia with the decorations and frescos? That part of the old town is a history lover's delight and if you are not, you'll still be amazed at how the contemporary world meets with the past in such harmony.
The Saint Sophia is located just between the Topkapı Palace and the Blue Mosque in the Sultanahmet District of İstanbul.
The church was built around 530 AD by the Emperor Justinian. The layout and decoration is typical of a church of the Byzantine period. Today Saint Sophia is neither a church nor a mosque but a museum! Saint Sophia was restored several times because of damage caused by a series of earthquakes.
The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) just in front of Saint Sophia, was built in the early 17 th Century. It is distinguished by six slender minarets and walls covered with amazing blue İznik ceramic tiles.
During the Byzantine Era there was a hippodrome near the Blue Mosque with a capacity of 100 thousand people.
In 1609, Sultan Ahmet wanted to build  a mosque bigger, more majestic and more beautiful than the Saint Sophia, and he did indeed build a mosque that you will be the one to judge which one  is more impressive...
The Topkapı Palace was the official residence of the Sultans until the end of the century. After the conquest of the city in 1453, Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, built this gorgeous palace. The Topkapı Palace is quite unlike its western counterparts and today serves as a large museum with several exhibition galleries.
Harem at Topkapı Palace is full of mystery and stories... It is open to the public so you can see how the Sultan's wife, concubines and mother lived.
The Basilica Cistern was built by Justinian in the 6 th Century. It is 70 meters wide and 140 meters long, with a capacity of 80 tons of water. The cistern is supported by 336 differently illumuinated beautiful columns, two of which are carved with the head of Medusa on the plinth and visitors can watch fishes swimming in the water.

Çini
“Turkey is, today, in possession of an extremely rich variety of cultural treasures, exhibiting diverse artistic influences that the Turkish clans scattered on a vast territory underwent thanks to their contacts with different societies and civilisations throughout the ages. Turks took along with them their arts and civilisations wherever they went; while they let themselves be carried away inspired by the arts of the countries they conquered, they did not fail to give a new direction to the local decorative arts thus giving rise to new and different styles” said Cahide Keskiner, writer of Turkish Motifs published by the Turkish Touring and Automobile Association.

In the travel book of Evliya Çelebi, the famous traveller, he writes about the ceramic workshops in both İznik and Kütahya. You will see several examples of the traditional Turkish ceramic style that the well-known İznik and Kütahya ceramic art has survived.
İznik is a small town in the north-west Anatolia founded by a lake, bearing the same name. The town has played an important role in Ottoman times and the preceding Turkish State, Seljuks. The town is known with its white compounded ceramics and blue and white designs on them. Later on the 16th Century, turquoise and red were added into these colours. After so many ages have passed from its first applications, the formula of this red colour, which survived only for 30 years, still keeps its mystery.  However, İznik ceramics suddenly disappeared in the 18th Century, at the same times when the collapse of the Ottoman Emperor started. Since the main customer of İznik ceramics was the Imperial Palace and mosques, this consequence might not be surprising. 
Today, Kütahya, besides a few workshops in İznik, still preserving its ageless art of manufacturing and decorating ceramics, embraces many workshops and artists on this unique art and keeps ceramic arts alive.

Ebru
The art of Ebru is called Marbling which is a paper painting art of Turks going back to the 15th Century or even before to the Asian Turks, although the real date or origin is not exactly known. Origin of the name ‘Ebru’ is not traced back, but it means, “the surface of the water” and “cloud” or “cloud like”...
‘Ebru’ is made in a gum tragacanth solution. Soil or oxide based colours are dropped or sprinkled in the solution with horse-hair brushes of different density and thickness. Afterwards, the colours are combined in harmony by the artist with the help of a special stick. Finally, when the desired design is achieved, paper is placed over the solution and held until it absorbs the heavenly colours. After a careful removal from the solution, paper is left to dry.
The beauty of ‘Ebru’ is that every piece of art is unique and cannot be duplicated or imitated. For this reason, some of the ancient artists, attributing a holy meaning to the art, refrained from signing the piece. Nevertheless, the styles of artists are unique and pieces can easily portrait the maker with the help of these styles.
Carnations and tulips are among the most common floral motifs in the Turkish art.
This piece can also be exhibited by separating the paper into two, as could be used in both covers of a book.

The large formats of this art is called ‘Battal Ebru’, and is used as the background of the Ottoman calligraphy as it could be observed through its uniqueness.

Çay & Kahve
Turkish tea and coffee are not only part of the tradition, but most popular drinks in the country next to water... A glass of hot Turkish tea helps people to relax in any time, any where. That healthy drink is always served in warm chatting atmosphere after the brewing process completed.
Basicly Turkish tea is prepared by mixing tea leaves and boiling the water. If you have not tried Turkish tea before, ask for the “açık çay” which is light version, otherwise be ready to taste a quality but strong one in a small curved glass. In fact, Turkish tea is too strong to be served in large cups or mugs. Turks also like the tea sweet and even though it is considered acceptable to add as much sugar to the glass as one likes, no Turk will insult their tea by adding milk.

The brewing  process is most important reason that makes Turkish tea healthy as well as tea farm. The farmers never use pesticides and refuse any kind of additives and chemicals in the tea gardens to keep the Turkish tea being natural and healthy.
You can also ask for the famous Turkish coffee, “kahve”...
Since the days of the Ottoman Empire, coffee has played an important role in Turkish lifestyle and culture. The serving and drinking of coffee has had a profound effect on betrothal customs, political and social interaction and hospitality customs for centuries.
Turkish coffee is prepared with the coffee powder in little pots called “cezve” and served with it. People always ask sweet, low sweet, medium or black before the preparetion. The powder sinks to the bottom of the cup and you can appreciate the delicious coffee.
After a guest has savored the coffee and the cup has been turned upside down on the saucer and allowed to cool. Some old females can talk about your future and a  “falcı” can read the future through shapes that form in the bottom of the cup from the coffee powder!

If you will like to learn more about Türk kahvesi,  please go thru the favorite brand remains today, Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi’s www.mehmetefendi.com web site.

Nazar Boncuğu
This glasswork is called ‘Nazar Boncuğu’ in Turkish and can be translated as the ‘bead against evil’s eye’.
This design is the most popular visual in the Turkish society for two reasons: The colours and shape are decorative and invigorating. But mostly, it is believed that it protects the holder from evil’s eye.
Although it is not exactly known, the tradition of ‘Nazar Boncuğu’ is thought to go centuries back, when Turks were Schamans and worshiped fire and other holy materials.
The tradition of ‘Nazar Boncuğu’, with the help of its artistic value, was carried through ages in the Turkish culture without losing its emphasis in the daily lifes of Turks, even after the acceptance of Islam, which denies any materialistic idols, in the 9th Century AC.
The belief is that when evil’s eye struck one person or possession, evil’s eye catches it in place of the owner, causing a crack on the glass. Thus, one can hardly see a work place, a house, a new-born baby, or a beautiful girl not carrying a  ‘Nazar Boncuğu’ in Turkey.
The art of ‘Nazar Boncuğu’ is still performed in different villages in Anatolia, using several colours varying from turquoise to blue, yellow, white and green. The original size is of a bead size, but can be found in variety of sizes and shapes everywhere in Turkey. Every ‘Nazar Boncuğu’ maker has its own method of working the glass.