İstanbul

 Sultanahmet, İstanbul The two masterpieces of religion and architecture that Byzantine emperors devoted to the attributes of God, peace and wisdom, are found in İstanbul. Aya Irini (Hagia Eirene) was devoted to Divine Peace and was built before Ayasofya Grand Mosque which was devoted to Divine Wisdom. Both were built by Byzantine Emperor Constantine the Great when the city was founded and were rebuilt several times until the reign of Justinian in the 6th century. Hagia Eirene, located in the courtyard of Topkapı Palace, was restored and reused during the Ottoman era. The mosaic decoration in the apse is arguably the most noteworthy feature of Hagia Eirene as it is a rare example of Iconoclastic art. Ayasofya Grand Mosque (Ayasofya Grand Mosque) was first built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century. The final structure was built by Emperor Justinian and used as the main cathedral of the Byzantine Empire for 900 years. In 1453, it was converted into a mosque by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II following the conquest of Constantinople. Following the restoration work during the Ottoman era and the adding of minarets by architect Mimar Sinan, and architectural features of Islamic tradition, Ayasofya Grand Mosque became one of the most important works of world architecture. After serving as museum for 70 years, Ayasofya Grand Mosque has been reconverted in to a mosque as Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi (The Grand Mosque) and it is open to visits to all as a timeless monument.

The ancient city of Byzantion stretched from the Historical Peninsula to the Golden Horn. The name “Golden Horn” derives from its color during sunset. In recent years, the modern buildings of the area were removed, and many historic buildings were excavated and then opened as museums. There are several churches and mosques along with a palace of the Eastern Roman Empire here. The local houses and neighborhood add a unique atmosphere to this area.

From Karaköy & Galata to Taksim along the “Grand Rue de Péra” On the banks of the Bosphorus and just across from the Historical Peninsula, Karaköy functions as the passage between old and contemporary. As the main port area and the center of trade and sea transportation, Karaköy became the melting pot of many cultures and faiths. Surp Krikor Lusarovic Church of Galata is one of the oldest in the area and dates back to the 14th century. It’s been renovated several times with the additions of two adjacent churches. It has a single nave basilica plan with a dome with a conical roof. Driven out of the Russian Empire by civil war, hundreds of thousands of White Russians found refuge in İstanbul a century ago, bringing with them their culture and community. Among three rooftop churches built above the old port buildings in 19th-century Karaköy, St. Panteleimon is the most visited one with its frescoes and icons.  A short walk from the 13th-century Genoese Galata Tower to İstiklal Caddesi will take you to the Church of St. Anthony of Padua. Together with the Catholic churches of St. Mary Draperis and Saints Peter and Paul in Galata, it was one of the three Levantine parishes in Beyoğlu. Built between 1906 and 1912 in the Venetian Neo-Gothic style, the Church of St. Anthony was designed by the Italian Levantine architects Giulio Mongeri and Edoardo de Nari. Pera’s sociospatial character represented the Ottoman Empire’s occidental-facing tendencies and character. Galata was evolving into a major mercantile port in the 1840s, and imported goods were abundantly displayed in the store windows on İstiklal Street. Pera had always been an ethnically diverse settlement area. The demographic structure consisted mainly of Levantines, and Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and Turks. Russians, Bulgarians, and Circassians were also parts of this ethnic diversity. A stroll along the historical “Grand Rue de Péra,” today’s İstiklal Street, offers visitors a journey back to multicultural 19th-century İstanbul, where faiths and cultures blended. The Armenian Church of Three Altars (Surp Yerrortutyun Armenian Church, Uc Horan Kilisesi), designed by Garabet Balyan, Hamamcıbaşı Minas Agha and Hovhannes Serveryan, is an impressive landmark of the area. The Crimea Memorial Church, also known as Christ Church, is a 19th-century Anglican Church with unique Gothic architecture. The largest church on İstiklal Street, Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church (Holy Trinity) will meet you where İstiklal Street ends and merges into the city’s main square, Taksim. It was built in the 19th century as the first domed church to be built since Byzantine times.

Topkapı Palace, both the administrative and residential heart of the Ottoman Empire, houses invaluable sacred relics which are kept in Has Oda, the Sultan’s Privy Chamber. Precious belongings of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and objects that belonged to prophets including Prophet Muhammad, Prophets Moses and Joseph, and Prophet Muhammad’s (s.a.w.) daughter, son-in-law, and companions along with the key to Ka'bah have been preserved at Topkapı Palace for 500 years. The most important of the relics is the Hirka-i Serif, Prophet Muhammad’s (s.a.w.) mantle, which was brought to İstanbul during the reign of Selim I. Another sacred relic is the Sakal-ı Serif, hair from the beard of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).