The Basilica of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), now called the Ayasofya Museum, is unquestionably one of the finest buildings of all time. Built by Constantine the Great and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, its immense dome rises 55 meters above the ground and its diameter spans 31 meters. Linger here to admire the building’s majestic serenity as well as the fine Byzantine mosaics. (Open every day except Monday).

The Archeological Museums are found just inside the first court of the Topkapı Palace. Included among its treasures of antiquity are the celebrated Alexander Sarcophagus and the facade of the Temple to Athena from Assas. The Museum of the Ancient Orient displays artifacts from the Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hatti and Hittite civilizations. (Open every day except Monday).

Rumeli Hisarı, or European Fortress, was built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 prior to his capture of Istanbul. Completed in only four months, it is one of the most beautiful works of military architecture in Statue of Aphrodite, Sadberk Hanım Museum the world. In the castle is the Open-Air Museum amphitheater that is the site for same events of the İstanbul Music Festival. (Open every day except Wednesdays).

Hagia Sophia

Originally built in the 15th century as a köşk, or pavilion, by Mehmet the Conqueror, the Çinili Köşk, which houses the Museum of Turkish Ceramics,  contains beautiful 16th-century specimens from İznik and fine examples of Seljuk and Ottoman pottery and tiles. (Open every day except Monday).

Like the Ayasofya Museum, the St. Irene Museum was originally a church. it ranks, in fact, as the first church built in İstanbul. Constantine commissioned it in the fourth century and Justinian later had the church restored. The building reputedly stands on the site of a pre-Christian temple. (Open every day except Monday, but requires special permission for admission).

The dark stone building that houses the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art was built in 1524 by the Grand Vizier to Süleyman the Magnificent, Ibrahim Paşa, as his residence. It was the grandest private residence ever built in the Ottoman Empire Today it holds a superb collection of ceramics, metalwork, miniatures, calligraphy, textiles, and woodwork as well as some of the oldest carpets in the world. (Open every day except Monday).

Across the street from the İbrahim Paşa residence is the Museum of Turkish Carpets which contains exquisite antique carpets and kilims gathered from all over Turkey. (Open every day except Sunday and Monday).

Near Hagia Sophia is the sixth-century Byzantine cistern known as the Yerebatan Sarnıcı. Three hundred and thirty-six massive Corinthian columns support the immense chamber’s fine brick vaulting. (Open every day except Tuesday).

The Mosaic Museum preserves in situ exceptionally fine fifth and sixth-century mosaic pavements from the Grand Palace of the Byzantine emperors. (Open every day except Tuesday).

The Kariye Museum, the 11th-century church of  “St. Savior” in the Chora complex, is, af ter Hagia Sophia, the most important Byzantine monument in Istannbul. Unremarkable in its architecture, inside, the walls are decorated with superb 14th-century mosaics. Illustrating scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, these brilliantly colored paintings embody the vigor of Byzantine art. In restored wooden houses in the area surrounding the church you can enjoy tea and coffee in a relaxed atmosphere far removed from the city’s hectic pace. (Open every day except Wednesday).

The Aviation Museum in Yeşilköy traces the development of flight in Turkey. (Open every day except Monday).

In the Military Museum the great field tents used by the Ottoman armies on campaigns are on display. Other exhibits include Ottoman weapons and the accoutrements of war. The Mehter Takımı (Ottoman military band) can be heard performing Ottoman martial music between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. (Open every day except Monday and Tuesday), Atatürk’s former residence in Şişli now serves as the Atatürk Museum and displays his personal effects (Open every day except Saturday and Sunday), The grand imperial caiques used by the sultans to cross the Bosphorus are among the many many other interesting exhibits of Ottoman naval history that can be seen at the Naval Museum located in the Beşiktaş district. (Open every day except Monday and Thursday).

AIso in Beşiktaş is the Museum of Fine Arts that houses Turkish paintings and sculptures from the end of the 19th century to the present. (Open every day except Monday and Tuesday).

The City Museum, located within the gardens of the Yıldız Palace, preserves and documents the history of Istanbul since the Ottoman conquest. (Open every day except Thursday). AIso within the gardens are the Yıldız Palace Theatre and the Museum of Historical Stage Costumes, with its richly decorated scenery and stage, and its exquisite costumes. (Open every day except Tuesday).

The Rahmi Koç Industry Museum, in the suburb of Hasköy on the coast of the Golden Ham, was an Ottoman-period building, formerly called Lengerhane, for iron and steel works. Today it houses exhibits on industrial development. (Open every day except Monday)

Up the Bosphorus in the picturesque suburb of Büyükdere, the collections of the Sadberk Hanım Museum fill two charming 19ıh-century wooden villas. A private museum which originally displayed only Turkish decorative arts, it has recently been expanded for a new collection of archeological finds (Open every day except Wednesday).

For something different try the Caricature and Cartoon Museum in Fatih on Atatürk Boulevard under the Bozdoğan Aqueduct in the 16th century Gazanfer Ağa Medrese. (Open daily 9:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m)