Before your travel, we would like to inform you more about the magical city Istanbul.
If you come to Istanbul, you’ll be marveled first, because its location is unique. Divided by the Bosphorus (Bogazici in Turkish) the city spreads on two continents: Europe and Asia. Only two suspension bridges with the dimensions of the Golden Gate Bridge are connecting the European Side with the Asian Side. Who wants to experience this charming story, should visit the city immediately.
Especially at night you can see Bosphorus true fascination; with its chic cafes, history and the old Ottoman mansions along the Bosphorus.
Istiklal Avenue (Istiklal Caddesi in Turkish, formerly Cadde-i Kebir or Grande Rue de Pera) is one of the most famous streets in Istanbul. It is located in the Beyoglu district and leads from Tunnel Square on the Galatasaray to Taksim Square; its total length is about 3 km.
The Street is since the early 1990s, a pedestrian zone, during the daytime a shopping center and at night one of the centers of Istanbul’s night life. Mostly on a normal weekend, the Avenue is visited by about 3 million people.
Located in the historic Tunnel Square of the Avenue, it is possible to see the world’s second oldest metro station, which is in operation since 1875. A number of European embassies, today Consulates, have been located on the Istiklal Street in the days of the Ottoman Empire. The Tourists can also visit the historical Galata Tower, the Basilica of St. Anthony and the Flower Passage on the Avenue.
Over the entire length of Istiklal Avenue, the path of a revitalized historic tram(in Turkish Tramvay) runs.
The Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi in Turkish) is located in Istanbul’s Old Pera (Beyoglu).
The tower was built firstly by Byzantines in 528 and after the destruction during the Sack of Constantinople rebuilt by the Genoese in 1348-1349 as a Christ-tower. The Galata Tower was the north end and the main bastion of the Genoese Galata settlement. This tower was first used as a prison.
After the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans in 1453, the tower was partially destroyed, but soon recovered. More damage occurred by earthquakes in 1509 and by fires in 1794 and 1831.
The building, which is located 48 m above sea level, measures up to its conical tip 67 m and dominates the northern shore of the Golden Horn. Beginning from the 16th century the Tower served as a watchtower, towards the end of the Ottoman Empire as a fire station, a position he held until the 1960s. Later, the Galata Tower was privatized, renovated and opened for tourism.
The observation deck is open to the public during the day. During the day and at night the two upstairs are sometimes used gastronomically.
The Hagia Sophia (“Holy Wisdom”, Ayasofya in Turkish) is a former Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later an imperial mosque, and today a museum (Ayasofya Camii Müzesi). As a domed basilica built in the 6th century AD, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture with new accents. The Hagia Sophia, the last major monument of late antiquity, was the main church of the Byzantine Empire and religious center of Orthodoxy and is now a landmark in Istanbul.
The Hagia Sophia was as a coronation church of the Byzantine emperors and as the Cathedral of the Patriarchate of Istanbul very important historical event. Its construction and its symbolism were of extremely high importance for the Orthodox Christianity and the empire. Therefore, it applies to most Christians today as large sanctuary.
With the conquest of Istanbul in 1453 by the Ottomans the Hagia Sophia was adapted as the main mosque of the Ottomans. The sultans of the 16th and 17th centuries stood with the major receptions Hagia Sophia in the Byzantine tradition, the other famous reception was the Sultan Ahmed- or Blue Mosque in this tourist area that hosts many tourists around the world today.
Blue Mosque or Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul (Sultan Ahmet Camii in Turkish) was commissioned by Sultan Ahmed I. in order to Sedefkar Mehmet Aga in 1609 and was built by him, one of the greatest Ottoman architects for his time, to 1616.
After the secularization of Hagia Sophia, which stands on the historical peninsula with a few ten meters away from the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque is today the main mosque and a masterpiece of Ottoman architecture.
In Europe it is known as the Blue Mosque for its wealth of blue and white tiles that decorate the dome and the upper part of the walls, but are younger than the building itself. Art historically significant are the tiles on the lower part of the walls and the stands: they come from the heyday of Iznik Pottery & Ceramics and show traditional floral motifs, where green and blue tones dominate.
There is a heavy iron chain in the upper part of the Courtyard Entrance on the west side. This had served the Sultan, who entered the courtyard on horseback, to lower his head every time he entered the court to avoid being hit. This was a symbolic gesture, to ensure the humility of the ruler in the face of the divine.
In the adjacent tomb, which is also open to visitors, are buried Ahmed I, the 14th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, his wife and three of his sons: Osman II, Murat IV and Prince Beyazit.
After your operations and treatments you can visit these attractions and much more in the magical city of Istanbul.
Everything for Your Beauty
Bosphorus Aesthetics