Over Istanbul

The Bebek Mosque, located on the the Bebek shore next to the quay, was commissioned by Sadrazam Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Paşa by and built between 1725-1726. Also known as the Humayun-u Abat mosque, it was neglected overtime and fell into disrepair. In 1912 it was restored by the directorship of local foundations.

Built on a square plan with one dome, the mosque features tablets and wall decorations drawn by the famous calligraphers İsmail Hakkı Altunbezer and Macit Bey.

The Beyoğlu Municipal Art Gallery (Turkish: Beyoğlu Belediyesi Sanat Galerisi) is located on İstiklal Caddesi and first opened its doors in 1990. An important art center in Beyoğlu, it is constantly taking the pulse of the art world with its frequently updated exhibitions. In recent years it has undergone a thorough renovation that served both to respect its history and to help it to meet the needs of a modern art gallery. The Beyoğlu Municipal Art Gallery is open Monday-Saturday from 09:00 – 19:00. It is closed on Sundays.

Located on the Bosphorus shore, Bebek Park, named for the district in which it is found, was opened to the public in 1908 after the Proclamation of the Second Constitutional Era. It was restored by a team led by the Italian architect Ermanno Casasco and reopened as Türkan Sabancı Bebek Park in 2008. The park has 8,800 square meters of green space and its various decorative plants and century-old trees make the park a spot worth visiting. Walking paths, areas for walking pets, a playground and resting spaces are found in the 16,000 meter square park.

Büyükada (meaning “Big Island” in Turkish; Greek: Prinkipo ; and alternatively meaning “Prince” or “Foremost”) is the largest of the nine so-called Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul. It is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. One of the main squares of the island, with the statue of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. As on the other islands, motorized vehicles – except service vehicles – are forbidden, so visitors explore the island by foot, bicycle, in horse-drawn carriages, or by riding donkeys. A convent on Büyükada was the place of exile for the Byzantine empresses Irene, Euphrosyne, Theophano, Zoe and Anna Dalassena. After his deportation from the Soviet Union in February 1929, Leon Trotsky also stayed for four years on Büyükada, his first station in exile. Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid was born in the island. There are several historical buildings on Büyükada, such as the Ayia Yorgi Church and Monastery dating back to the 6th century, the Ayios Dimitrios Church, and the Hamidiye Mosque built by Abdul Hamid II.Visitors can take the ‘small tour’ of the island by buggy, leading to this point, from where it is a strenuous climb to Ayia Yorgi, a tiny church with a cafe on the grounds serving wine, chips and sausage sandwiches, this being part of the “classic” Ayia Yorgi (St. George) experience.

The Çırağan Palace (Turkish: Çırağan Sarayı) was commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz and designed by the architect Sarkis Balyan. It is located in the place of a former wooden summer palace built by Selim III in 1800. In the course of the palace’s construction the wooden structure and the nearby Beşiktaş Mevlevihane were destroyed. Çırağan’s construction was completed in 1871. The palace is made of marble and is spread out over a total area of 80,000 square meters.After Abdülaziz was deposed, he was imprisoned here for years together with his family. After Murat V was deposed, he was also imprisoned here in a similar fashion for 29 years with his family.After the declaration of the Second Constitutional Monarchy in 1908, the palace was used as the House of Parliament, however it was damaged by fire in 1910. The palace grounds were transferred to the Beşiktaş Sports Club and were used for some time as the Şeref Stadium. Toward the beginning of the 1990’s the palace was restored and reopened as a luxury hotel.