It was built as a church when the time of Constantinopole. In 1453 Sultan Mehmet conquered Constantinopole and decided to convert the church into mosque. The Hagia Sophia served as a mosque for about 500 years. And In 1934 it was converted to the Ayasofya Museum. Today many people come to visit there.

You can take an online tour here and see the whole Hagia Sophia structure (your browser may need plugins).

Hagia Sophia Pictures

istanbul shopping tips

There’re a few things you should know before shopping. The first thing is that you should know how to bargain in bazaars and markets. This’s important. The prices won’t be low as you expect. The other important thing’s that the more you buy the more you obtain a higher discount. So if you are buying a lot of things, you should keep in mind to ask for a further discount. You can also ask for higher discounts in the early time of the day and near to closing time.

istanbul shopping centers

Carousel
Phone:0212 570 84 34
Fax: 0212 538 66 76
Web: www.carousel.com.tr

Akmerkez
Phone: 0 212 282 01 70
Web: www.akmerkez.com.tr

Astoria
Phone: 0212 215 20 20
Web: www.astoria.com.tr

Atrium
Phone: 0212 661 12 33
Fax: 0212 560 36 65
Web: www.atrium.com.tr

Bauhaus
Phone: 0216 448 03 44
Web: www.bauhaus.com.tr

Boyner
Web: www.boyner.com.tr

Capitol
Phone: 0216 391 19 20

Tepe Nautilus Shopping Center
Phone: 0 216 339 39 29
Fax: 0 216 339 39 20

Carrefour
Web: www.carrefour.com.tr
Carrefour / Buyukcekmece
Phone: 0212 852 06 06

Carrefour / Icerenkoy
Phone: 0216 448 02 96-97

Carrefour / Umraniye
Phone: 0216 525 10 50-51

Galleria
Phone: 0212 559 95 60
Fax: 0212 560 05 38
Web: www.galleria-atakoy.com.tr

Metro
Gunesli
Phone: (212) 478 70 00
Kozyatagi
Phone: (216) 317 12 74
Buyukcekmece
Phone: (212) 886 13 86

Olivium
Phone: 0212 547 74 53
Fax: 0212 582 06 26
Web: www.olivium.com

Millenium Metrocity
Phone: 0 212 282 49 51
Web: www.metrocity.com.tr

Bus

Private and public buses are very common. According to the traffic time tables can change. So you may wait 10,15 or 20 minutes for a bus. There’re three kinds of buses: The blue-green buses are privately owned and you pay money to get on. Foreign currency’s not accepted. The second kind of buses belong to municipality and are generally crowded. However they’re cheaper. You can buy a ticket or use Akbil to get on. The last type of buses are double-deckers. They can be preferred for longer distances, for example going from the European side to the Asian side or from the Asian side to the European.

Minibus

Minibuses are small buses, you don’t need to wait for a minibus at a bus stop. Simply you get on, pay the money for the driver and tell him to drop you when you want to get out.

Ferry

The ferries are generally used to go from the European side to the Asian side or from the Asian side to the European. So if you want to see the Asian side you can take a ferry from Eminonu, Karakoy or Besiktas.

Subway (Metro)

The metro system is another alternative way. However, it covers a limited part of the city, between Taksim Square and 4. Levent. You can buy a ticket at the entrance or you can use Akbil.

Taxi

There are times you need to take a cab. Because public transit begins at 6,7am and shuts down at about 10pm. The cab driver may not know English. So be sure that he understands the destination correctly. You should also take a look at the meter, it should read GECE if it’s nighttime and GUNDUZ if it’s daytime.

In the main street of the bazaar there’re jewelry shops and in the the side lane opening to this street there’re goldsmiths. Prices generally vary and bargaining is very common.

The Grand Bazaar is crowded whole day. You can find lots of hand-made articles produced in Turkey such as handmade carpets, jewelry, copper and bronze souvenirs and ceramics at the entrance of the bazaar.

Eyup Sultan Mosque was built in 1458 (Ottoman Empire times) and then was destroyed in an earthquake. The present-day mosque was rebuilt in 1800.

Especially on Fridays it’s a crowded place. A lot of faitful people go there and visit the mausoleum. There’re also old trees and lots of birds around the mosque. When you go there you can feel that mystical atmosphere.

In the past the square was called Square of Bulls. Because there was a gigantic triumphal arch decorated by bronze bull heads.

Today there’re a lot of shops selling books, maps, particles etc. here. You can find very interesting things in these shops.

In the past it was used as a watchtower and a lighthouse. Today it is being used for touristic purposes. It contains a restaurant and a balkony.

Maiden’s Tower’s also famous for its mythological stories. There’re different myths about this tower.

March is cool, but in April the wheather starts to get warm. April and May are spring months. If you want to bathe in the seas you need to wait untill June. From June to September the wheater is suitable for bathe.

Autumn is the longest season in Istanbul. The wheather’s generally cool and clear.

Istanbul, the most crowded city of Turkey is located on a place where two continents -Asia and Europe- meet and divided by Bosphorus Strait. There’ re lots of people coming from different cities, ethnics living there.

Here you will find information about historical places, hotels, restaurants and more.

Let’ s meet where the continents meet.