The Egyptian Bazaar holds an L-shaped floor plan topped by a series of cascading lead-covered domes. Constructed in sixteen sixty-four, the building served as the final destination for camel caravans arriving from Cairo. Proceeds from the…
Süleymaniye and the Third Hill
This walk climbs from the shores of the Golden Horn up the historic third hill of Istanbul to see iconic mosques, Roman ruins, and old timber neighborhoods. You'll trace the works of the legendary architect Mimar Sinan while soaking in some of the city's finest panoramic views.
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1. Egyptian Bazaar
2. Rustem Pasha Mosque
The Rustem Pasha Mosque sits above a row of street-level shops, its entrance reached by a narrow stone staircase tucked away from the main road. Designed by Mimar Sinan in fifteen sixty-three, its interior walls are almost entirely covered…
3. Suleymaniye Mosque
The four minarets surrounding the Suleymaniye Mosque carry ten balconies, a detail Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent insisted upon to mark his status as the tenth Ottoman sultan since the founding of the empire. Mimar Sinan, the chief…
4. Mimar Sinan Türbesi
The Mimar Sinan Türbesi sits at the corner of a quiet street, marked by a simple, open-air stone canopy rather than a grand mosque dome. This humble structure holds the architect of the Ottoman Empire, Mimar Sinan. He spent his life…
5. Vefa Bozacisi
Vefa Bozacisi occupies a storefront with tall, narrow windows framed by dark green wood and a polished marble threshold. Since eighteen seventy-six, this shop has served boza, a thick, fermented grain drink that became a staple of Ottoman…
6. Aqueduct of Valens
The Aqueduct of Valens cuts across the city with two tiers of heavy stone arches that span the valley between the hills of ancient Constantinople. Emperor Valens finished this water system in the late fourth century to supply the growing…
7. Şehzade Cami
The Şehzade Mosque is defined by its perfectly symmetrical courtyard and the cascading tiers of half-domes that surround its central dome. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned this site in fifteen forty-three to honor his favorite…