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Sultanahmet is the historical part of Istanbul so we had the opportunity to see many landmarks of the city like Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Palace Cistern, The Hipodrome Square, The Turkish And Islamic Arts Museum, the Topkapi palace etc.
Early in the morning the first site we visited at Sultanahmet was the Hipodrome. Although today it is just a square (Sultanahmet Meydani) it used to be a big race circus but you have to imagine about it because there are not many fragments survived from that era. It was first built when the city was called Byzantium although it became popular and much bigger (holiding 100,000 people!) during Constantine the Great days when the city was called Constantinople.
We visited the Serpent Column that was built to celebrate the victory of the Greeks against Persians in Persian Wars. Actually, it was called the Tripod of Plataea and was originally in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi in Greece. It was an impressive bronze column with a 8metre high serpent heads at the top that got stolen during the 4th crusade. Not much to see today except the base.
Then we visited the Walled Obelisk which was 32metres high and was originally decorated with gilded bronze plaques but again the crusaders needed some extra income so they stolen them.
Probably the most impressive monument on the area is the Obelisk of Theodosius(pic 1). Theodosius the Great brought from Egypt in 390AD. The obelisk was originally erected in Luxor back in 1490BC during Tuthmosis III kingdom (so I was impressed that I was in front of a piece of granite that was carved more than 3000 years before!!!). What see today is only the top of 3 different pieces that Thedosius brought to Constantinople.
Finally, at the northern end of Hipodrome we saw the German Fountain (pic 2). It was built in Germany in neo-byzantine style and transferred piece by piece in Istanbul in 1900 to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of german emperor Wilhelm II to Istanbul in 1898.
It was already 9.00am so we visited Museum of Islamic Arts(pic 3) which is located at the former palace of Ibrahim Pasha(1493-1536) that was the grand Vezir (and friend) of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. It houses a collection of 40,000 items covering a long period from the first period of Islam (7th century) till 20th century. We were impressed of some special carpets and some special carved woods. There are also glass, porcelain and stone items. Most of the art are religious themed of course but we also enjoyed some ethnographic exhibits like a full scale model of a nomad tent from 19th century. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday 9.00-17.00 and the entrance fee is 10TL.
Updated May 11, 2011
Address: Sultanahmet
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This tomb complex lies along Divan Yolu near the Beyazit tram stop. Kara Mustafa Pasha (1634/5-1683) was a military general who was a central character in the empire's last attempts at expansion into both Central and Eastern Europe.
Written Mar 1, 2010
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This tomb complex lies along Divan Yolu near the Beyazit tram stop. The complex has a medrese and a mausoleum. Koca Sinan Pasha was a Grand Vezir under Murat III and Mehmet II and the conqueror of Yemen. The whole complex was built in 1593 by Davut Aga, the successor of Sinan (the architect of, for instance, the Suleimaniye mosque and so much, much more) as Chief Architect.
Written Mar 1, 2010
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This tomb and graveyard are along Divan Yolu shortly before the Cemberlitas tramway stop. Sultan Mahmud III died in 1838 and his tomb is in the then popular Empire style. With him are buried his son and grandson, as well as the sultans Abdul Aziz and Abdul Hamid II, and a large number of imperial consorts and princes.
Written Mar 1, 2010
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This small mosque is also along Divan Yolu shortly before the Cemberlitas tramway stop. It was built between 1659-1660, founded by Mehmet Pasha and Fazil Ahmet Pasha, both from the Koprulu family, a family that is "considered to be the most distinguished family in the whole family of the Ottoman Empire".
Written Mar 1, 2010
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This small mosque is located near the Sultanahmet tram stop. Built in 1491 by Firuz Aga, who was Chief Treasurer in the reign of Sultan Beyazit II, it is one of the few examples in Istanbul of the “pre-classical” period, that is, of those built before 1500. It is the style that flourished mainly in Bursa when it was the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
Written Mar 1, 2010
This tomb is to Sultan Ahmed I who was responsible for building the Blue Mosque and his tomb is located just to the north of the mosque. It was built in 1620 by Sultan Osman II who was Ahmed I's son and designed by Sedefkar Mehmed Aga. It's decorated with 17th century Iznik tiles. The tomb contains the tombs of Sultan Ahmed I and his wife’s, sons and daughters.
Written Mar 1, 2010
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This attractive grassed square features a nice fountain where you can get some good photos of both the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. It actually extends along the road to include the area that was formerly the Hippodrome where horse racing and chariot racing took place during Roman times.
Written Mar 1, 2010
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This building is located outside the front of the Hagia Sophia, next to the fountain in Sultan Ahmet Square and used to be part of the mosque's compound as, traditionally, every mosque had a hamam (bath) in or around its complex. Designed by Sinan between 1556 and 1557, it was built by Suleiman in the name of his wife Hürrem Sultan, known in Europe as Roxelana. The hamam was one of 32 Sinan designed and is widely thought to be his best but it was being renovated when I visited in Dec 2009.
Written Mar 1, 2010
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The German Fountain is a gazebo styled fountain in the northern end of old hippodrome (Sultanahmet Square). It was constructed to commemorate the second anniversary of German Emperor Wilhelm II's visit to Istanbul in 1898.
It was built in Germany, then transported piece by piece and assembled in its current site in 1900. The neo-Byzantine style fountain's octagonal dome has eight marble columns, and dome's interior is covered with golden mosaics.
You can watch my 4 min 32 sec HQ Video Istanbul Hippodrome and German Fountain out of my Youtube channel with Laibach - Volk Turkiye.
Updated May 9, 2009
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Fountain
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sultan ahmed area tips and photos posted by real travelers and Istanbul locals.
Write a ReviewThe German Fountain is a gazebo styled fountain in the northern end of old hippodrome (Sultanahmet Square). It was constructed to commemorate the second...
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Q: Hi,is there an airport transportation(aside from cabs) from Atuturk international airport that could take me near this...
A: Looking at Google Maps that locations looks excellent - very near Sultanhamet and close to the main tram lines too. As for transportation, I've always used a...
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