Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
1
Spice Bazaar
MARKET
Vividly coloured pyramids of spices, ornate displays of jewel-like
lokum
(Turkish delight)
and trays of artfully arranged dried fruit provide eye candy for the thousands of tourists and
locals who visit the Ottoman-era Spice Bazaar everyday. Also known as the Mısır Çarşısı
(Egyptian Market), it's perennially crowded, always noisy, and an essential stop on every
itinerary. At the time of research, the bazaar was opening on Sundays in the high season but
shopkeepers were uncertain if this would continue.
(Mısır Çarşısı, Egyptian Market;
8am-6pm
Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm Sun;
Eminönü)
2
New Mosque
MOSQUE
Only in İstanbul would a 400-year-old mosque be called 'New'. Dating from 1597, its
design references both the Blue Mosque and the Süleymaniye Mosque, with a large fore-
court and a square sanctuary surmounted by a series of semidomes crowned by a grand
dome. The interior is richly decorated with gold leaf, coloured İznik tiles and carved
marble.
(Yeni Camii; Yenicamii Meydanı Sokak, Eminönü;
Eminönü)
3
Monastery of Christ Pantokrator
This Byzantine monastery originally comprised two churches, a library, a cistern, a hospital
and a chapel, but only one church and a cistern remain (currently being restored). The
church became a mosque after the Conquest. It is the second-largest surviving Byzantine
religious structure in the city after Aya Sofya.
(Zeyrek Camii; İbadethane Sokak, Zeyrek;
MONASTERY
Aksaray)
