Istanbul sight seeing Part VI

Grand Bazaar | Istanbul sight seeing

The Grand Bazaar : The earliest and biggest covered bazaar (in Turkish Kapali Carsi) on the planet can be found in the middle of the town. Within the Grand Bazaar you may enjoy shopping and discover great deals in 5,000 shops.

 

 

image credit: www.flickr.com

The Grand Bazaar History

The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) in Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world with 60 streets and 5,000 shops, and attracts between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. It is well known for its jewellery, hand-painted ceramics, carpets, embroideries, spices and antique shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by type of goods, with special areas for leather, gold jewellery and the like. The bazaar has been an important trading centre since 1461 and its labyrinthine vaults feature two bedestens (domed buildings), the first of which was constructed between 1455 and 1461 by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The bazaar was vastly enlarged in the 16th century, during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and in 1894 underwent a major restoration following an earthquake.

 

The complex houses two mosques, four fountains, two hamams, and several cafés and restaurants. In the centre is the high domed hall of the Cevahir Bedesten, where the most valuable items and antiques were to be found in the past, and still are today, including furniture, copper-ware, amber prayer beads, inlaid weapons, icons, mother-of-pearl mirrors, water pipes, watches and clocks, candlesticks, old coins, and silver and gold jewellery set with coral and turquoise. A leisurely afternoon spent exploring the bazaar, sitting in one of the cafés and watching the crowds pass by, and bargaining for purchases is one of the best ways to recapture the romantic atmosphere of old Istanbul.

Credit: http://www.grandbazaaristanbul.org/The_Grand_Bazaar.html

Benefits of Booking Flight Tickets Online

Benefits of Booking Flight Tickets Online

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These flight booking www.onetravel.com deal directly using the air travel companies which assist them to offer attractive discount rates and deals on ticket booking. If you need to fly frequently because of business travel, then you need to make sure to join up together. You are able to become their privilege customer and explore advantageous deals. You'll be also titled towards the discount rates throughout peak seasons too. Probably the most favorable a part of coping with online travel ports is information. For example, if you're searching for plane tickets to San Francisco you don't just get status of flight and follow-up information, but additionally directions, parking status, places to go to and all you would use while traveling. The authority to information might have never been so significant!

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Istanbul sight seeing Part V

Hagia Sophia | Istanbul sight seeing

Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) : Certainly one of Istanbul's illustrious landmark, the Hagia Sofia would be a former chapel, mosque and today a museum. It is an essential achievement of Byzantine architecture. 

 

Hagia Sophia

 

image credit: blogcritics.org

GENERAL INFORMATION

Hagia Sophia Museum (St.Sophia , Ayasofya) was former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul City. From the date of its dedication in 360 until the year of 1453 it served as a Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople. Following by Ottoman Empire, building turned in to a mosque on 29 May 1453 and remained until 1931 when it was closed to the public for four years. It was re opened in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey. You can get information with professional analysis of Turkey – its politics and history, economic, social, military, and national security systems and institutions, written by the experts at the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress at Here!

With its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture as it is changed the history of architecture.It was also the largest cathedral in the world for almost thousand years until Seville Cathedral built, which was completed in 1520.

The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 with the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. It was the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site. The previous two churches been destroyed by rioters. Church was designed by the Greek scientists Isidore of Miletus, a physicist, and Anthemius of Tralles, a mathematician. Hagia Sophia is contained a large collection of holy relics including a 49 foot (15 m) silver iconostasis. It was the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the religious focal point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for almost one thousand years.

In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II. Sultan Mehmed II (Fatih Sultan Mehmed) is subsequently ordered the building converted into a mosque.Many items such as bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed and many of the mosaics were plastered over and Instead Islamic features like the mihrab, minbar, and four minarets were added while in the possession of the Ottomans.

As an almost 500 years the principal mosque of Istanbul, Hagia Sophia (St.Sophia, Ayasofya) served as a model for many other Ottoman mosques, such as Blue Mosque, Suleymaniye Mosque and others.
Credit: http://www.hagiasophia.co

Istanbul sight seeing Part IV

Suleymaniye Mosque | Istanbul sight seeing

Suleymaniye Mosque : It's the biggest and many imposing mosque as being a definite architectural masterpiece within the city. The aesthetic supremacy of their exterior and interior and it is perfect proportions happen to be captivating the site visitors for hundreds of years.  

 

The Suleiman Mosque

 image credit: www.visit2istanbul.com

History

The Suleiman Mosque was built on the order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and constructed by the great Ottoman architect Sinan. The construction work began in 1550 and the mosque was finished in 1557.

The mosque is modeled in part on the style of a Byzantine basilica, particularly the Hagia Sophia, which was perhaps a conscious move on the part of the sultan to create a continuity and a symbolic connection with the city's past.

The Suleiman Mosque was ravaged by a fire in 1660 and was restored on the command of Sultan Mehmed IV by architect Fossatı. The restoration, however, changed the mosque into a more baroque style, damaging the great work severely.

The mosque was restored to its original glory during the 19th century but during World War I the courtyard was used as a weapons depot and when some of the ammunition ignited, the mosque suffered another fire. Not until 1956 was it restored again. Today, the Suleiman Mosque is one of the most popular sights in Istanbul.
Credit: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-suleiman-mosque

Istanbul sight seeing Part III

Istanbul Archeology Museum | Istanbul sight seeing

Istanbul Archeology Museum : It's among the world's wealthiest assortment of historic items and treasures. It really includes three museums: the Museum of Oriental Antiquities, the Historical Museum and also the Tiled Pavilion. I name it "Istanbul, The Imperial City"

İstanbul Archaeological Museums

image credit: www.tripadvisor.com

About the Museum

The İstanbul Archaeological Museums, a museum affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is located in İstanbul's Sultanahmet neighborhood, on the Osman Hamdi Bey slope connecting the Gülhane Park with the Topkapı Palace. Its name is plural, since there are three different museums under the same administration: The Archaeological Museum, the Ancient Orient Museum (Eski Şark Eserleri Müzesi) and Tiled Kiosk Museum (Çinili Köşk Müzesi).

During an İstanbul Archaeological Museums tour, it is possible to visit the extraordinarily beautiful garden of the museum and the three different buildings inside this garden.

The İstanbul Archaeological Museums, which is housing various artifacts from civilizations that had left their traces to different periods of the history, is one of the 10 most important world-class museums designed and used as a museum building. Additionally, it is the first institution in Turkey arranged as a museum. Besides its spectacular collections, the architectural aspects of its buildings and its garden are of historical and natural importance.

The İstanbul Archaeological Museums is welcoming all visitors who want to make a journey in the corridors of the history and to trace the remains of ancient civilizations.
Credit: http://www.istanbularkeoloji.gov.tr/about_the_museum