Fun things to do in Istanbul

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Gülhane Park (House of Roses) is a historical, urban park in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the oldest and one of the largest public parks in Istanbul. It is located between the Topkapý Palace and Sarayburnu. The entrance of the park has one of the larger gates of the palace. The park is spread over a very large area and has very interesting and rare kinds of trees and bushes.

When I was a kid we were coming to this park for picnic.Yes Turkish style picnic.dozens of kid
with mothers.And we bring balls and our tea pots and Small gas tubes.We play ball or other games with kid under the old trees during the summer.

This place was open to public.Like a picnic area or a small forest in the city.Now it is well planned park and modern.This is good maybe but not warm.Not like my children times.

Gülhane Park was once part of the imperial garden of Topkapý Palace and mainly consisted of a grove. A section of the outer garden was planned as a park by the municipality and opened to the public in 1912. The park previously contained recreation areas, coffee houses, playgrounds etc. Later, a small zoo was opened within the park. The first statue of Atatürk in Turkey was erected in this park, in 1926

The park went through a major renovation in recent years. During the renovation, the zoo, funfair and picnic grounds have been removed and the open space ratio was increased. The excursion routes were re-arranged and the big pool was restored in a modern style. Concrete structures were turned to open space areas and the park gained its natural landscape of the 1950s, with the view of the old trees dating from the 1800s, which were hidden behind the concrete buildings.

The old barracks within the area of Gülhane is expected to be converted to a cultural center in due course. This center is going to host a library and an exhibition hall, together with a workshop on kilim and handicrafts

What a delightful place: quiet and peaceful, sometimes appreciated in a hectic city. For 10.000.000 turkish liras you can descend into the interior of the Byzantine Basilica Cistern.

This vast vault was built to satisfy the growing demands of the Great Palace. At the begining of the Ottoman period no one knew of it's existance.

Walk through the passages, admire the dim lights play hide and seek behind the more than 300 columns... stop and listen carefully as water dripping from the ceiling echos and dissappears.....

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The octagonal, domed fountain at the entrance to the Hippodrome was a present from the German Emperor Wilhelm II to Sultan Abdulhamid II and the city of Istanbul. It was built in Germany and installed in Istanbul in 1898. Built in a neo-Byzantine style, the fountain is decorated with gold mosaics inside. It is a beautiful fountain, but does not blend well with the ancient monuments in the vicinity.Its just a color in the Hippodrome area.
It was transported in its present site in 1900.

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The Galata Mevlevihanesi, or tekke is a Mevlevi Whirling Dervish hall on Galipdede Caddesi just south of Tünel Square, at the southern end of Beyoglu's Istiklal Caddesi in Istanbul.

Several different Mevlevi dervish groups use the Galata Mevlevihanesi for their activities, so the sema you attend on Saturday day may not be by the same group as the one on Sunday.

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The dervishes traditionally whirl every Sunday and some Saturdays throughout the year. Here's the schedule and how to buy tickets. (

The octagonal hall is a perfect place to witness the Mevlevî sema, or whirling worship ceremony. Buy your tickets in advance, as space is limited. More...

The Galata tekke has a long and revered history, having been founded in 1491 by a Ottoman grandee from the palace of Sultan Beyazit II. The tekke's first seyh (sheikh, leader) was Muhammed Semaî Sultan Divanî, a descendant of Mevlâna Jelaleddin Rumî himself.

The building you see is not the original, which burned in 1765, but its replacement, which was extensively restored between 1967 and 1972. (Another photo.)

Galip Dede, a renowned 17th-century sheikh of this tekke, is buried in an ornate tomb to the left as you enter from the street.

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You can see this building from everywhere of Istanbul if you are over looking the Golden Horn.
It s not like a college building ,it s like Chateu or Castle of Greeks Dominating Golden Horn.

The area is the place of Phanariots.They has been directed Romania for 500 years like Byzantine Period after Ottoman conquest.Pahanariots were always rich and powerful community in Ottoman System.

Phanar Greek Orthodox College , (Turkish: Fener Rum Erkek Lisesi) is the oldest surviving and most prestigious Greek Orthodox school in Istanbul, Turkey.

Established in 1454 by Matheos Kamariotis, it soon became the school of the prominent Greek (Phanariotes) and Bulgarian families in the Ottoman Empire, and many Ottoman ministers as well as Wallachian and Moldavian princes appointed by the Ottoman state, such as Dimitrie Cantemir, graduated from it.

The current school building is located near the Church of St. George in Fener (Phanar), Istanbul, which is the seat of the Patriarchate. It is known among the locals with nicknames such as The Red Castle and The Red School.

Designed by the Ottoman Greek architect Dimadis, the building was constructed between 1881 and 1883 with an eclectic mix of different styles and at a cost of 17,210 Ottoman gold pounds, a huge sum for that period. Despite its function as a school, the building is often referred to as "the 5th largest castle in Europe" because of its castle-like shape. The large dome at the top of the building is used as an observatory for astronomy classes and has a large antique telescope inside.

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The Eminonu district, bordering the Golden Horn, is the ancient heart of Byzantine Constantinople's business district when the city was surrounded by walls. It is home to many famous mosques as well as the major transportation hub for trains and ferries. But the center of the district is fascinating as we found walking to the Rustem Pasha mosque behind the Spice Bazaar.
There are no famous boutiques here and the very narrow streets are jammed with shoppers most of whom are local trade seeking bargains. There are innumerable small stores as well as handcarts and goods laid out on blankets in the street. Many blocks are devoted to one item, be it clothing, toys, food, tools, or kitchen appliances, with abrupt changes in character as one crosses a street or turns a corner.
We found knock-offs of many famous clothing brands on sale here, bought a few, extremely inexpensive, hard but not impossible to tell from the real thing. And we probably still paid more than we might have had we chosen to do more than minimal bargaining.

Located in the heart of one of the world's most beautiful cities, Sultanahmet Square is also known as the Horse Square and is the most telling venue in this Sultan of Cities that is Istanbul. A favorite with photographers, a stopping place for travelers and the quintessential experience for those with a passion for Istanbul, the square is like an open-air museum.

In the late 2nd century A.D., the city Byzantium, the name it bore before Constantinople, paid a heavy price for its betrayal of Emperor Septimius Severus and was razed to the ground yet the city owed its subsequent reconstruction and Istanbul's most famous square to the selfsame emperor. The square amazed visitors with the vast array of monuments belonging to various civilizations and was known as the Hippodrome (Greek for ‘race track’). The ancient square served as an arena for chariot races and for contests involving wild animals and gladiators. While maintaining its importance throughout the centuries, the square rose to even greater prominence after the city was declared the capital of the Byzantine Empire by Constantine I on May 11th 330. During this era, the Hippodrome was turned into a center for social affairs, measuring roughly 500 x 120 meters and boasting an estimated seating capacity of 100,000.

The surviving two obelisks and a bronze column that can be seen today in Sultanahmet Square ornament the centuries-old square with an air of pride and nobility. Also there is a beautiful Fountain of Kaiser Wilhelm II, a.k.a The German Fountain, which is a real eye catcher.

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We left the Sultanahment area (Blue Mosque area), walked through alot of interesting little neighborhoods to Sokollu Mehmet Pasa Camii and then continued through more neighborhoods to the coast road along the Sea of Marmara and the Kumkapi Fish Market, which backs on the sea. This is the wholesale market where fishing boats bring in their catch each morning. There were so many stalls of very unusual and very fresh(!) fish. There were also stands selling freshly cooked fish sandwiches and a few sit down restaurants as well. If you arrive in time for lunch, grab a sandwich. If you arrive in time for dinner, head across the street.

Across the coast road is the Kumkapi quarter which is famous for its seafood restaurants. At night the street becomes a pedestrian zone and the area becomes very lively. 50+ restaurants line both sides of the street and owners & waiters will be vying for your business as you walk by. Don't be pressured, stop and look at some menus before taking a seat outside and enjoying dinner. Be sure to ask prices, if there aren't any on the menu!

The walk along the sea is nice and this area is a nice place to take a break and enjoy some fish!