Topkapi palace opens at 9.30am until 5pm and it is also open on public holidays, although it is closed on Tuesdays. This attraction was not built specifically for tourism, however, it has since become a tourist attraction. The palace is located in the centre of Istanbul in a place called “Sultan Ahmet”.
Dolmabache Palace
Dolmabache palace was built by Sultan 1st during the 19th century. Located at the European coast of the Bosphorus, the palace was constructed between 1843 and 1856. The palace has a 600m long wharf on the sea and two monumental gates. In the middle of the palace is a beautiful garden. The palace was once home to the sultans and residence of Ataturk, when he visited Istanbul. The palace does not open on Mondays or Thursdays.
The Hippodrome
The Hippodrome is located in an area called ‘Sultan Ahmet’. The area is now in front of the blue mosque in Istanbul and is named after the famous mosque, ‘Sultan Ahmet’. The Hippodrome is one of the sites in Istanbul, which has the most historic significance. In the time that elections were not decided by voluntary voting systems, races were held at the Hippodrome, where the ‘Greens’ and ‘Blues’ (also known as political parties) would line up to battle. Despite the Hippodromes reputation of being a site of violence, many successful emperors endowed the Hippodrome with many statues, obelisks and monuments, some of which still stand today. It is these and the exhibits available at the Turkish & Islamic Arts Museums that results in the Hippodrome becoming one of the most visited tourist’s attractions in Istanbul.
Once the centre of civic life, the Turks did not build the hippodrome as a tourist attraction, yet with the great history the place contains it has since become one of the most visited places in Istanbul, not just by tourists, but also by schools and the local people of Istanbul.
St Sophia Museum
Since 1935, St Sophia has functioned as a museum exhibiting some of the world’s most famous architectural history, mosaics and Turkish era structures. For these reasons St Sophia Museum attracts visitors from all over the world. The St Sophia Museum is also known as ‘Hagia Sophia’, as it was once a place of worship for both muslims and previous to this it was a place of worship for Christians. Hagia Sophia was a church for 916 year and a mosque for 481 years.
The Maiden’s Tower (Kiz Kulesi)
This tower is the symbol of Istanbul. It is a small cute tower which was established on a small island at the entrance of the ‘Bosphorus’. The tower was initially built as a lighthouse, yet within the course of history is now allotted for tourism.
Bosphorus
A stay in Istanbul is not complete without a traditional and unforgettable boat excursion the Bosphorus. The shores of the Bosphorus offer a delightful mixture of past and present simple beauty. Modern hotels stand next to the shore front, complementing the sea true beauty and elegant compounds neighbor small fishing villages. The best way to see the Bosphorus is to board one of the passenger boats that regularly zigzag along the shores. You can embark at ‘Eminonu’ and stop alternately on the Asian side (an example is Kadikoy) or on the European side (an example is Sariyer). The round trip excursion is very reasonably prices and takes about 6 hours. If you wish to embark on a private voyage, there are agencies that specialize in organizing day or night mini cruises.
Food and drink in Istanbul
The Turkish cuisine is known as one of the richest in the world and is very appetizing. Although traditional Turkish food is widely available in Istanbul, there is also a lot of restaurants and cafes, which cater for a wide variety of different tastes.
Turkish raki is a traditional alcoholic beverage in Turkey. This beverage is made from anise and grapes. By the locals, Turkish raki is called ‘Lions milk’ and is often drunk with water. This alcoholic beverage is unique to Turkey.
Most meals in turkey begin with appetizers, which usually consist of stuffed vine leaves with rice, salad, broad beans, pine nuts and a wide selection of vegetables soaked in many different sauces. The appetizers are usually quite filling. Main meals in Istanbul usually consist of meat or fish kebabs. Spices are used to flavor the meats and fish, the types of meat and fish used usually varies from region to region. Among the most popular meat kebabs are ‘doner kebabs’, and ‘sis kebabs’, which is cubes of meat, usually grilled or barbequed on a skewer.
Recipe of a popular starter or main dish in Istanbul - Stuffed green peppers with ground meat (Dolma)
Ingredients:
- 500 gr. green peppers (suitable for stuffing)
- 2 tablespoons margarine
- 1 or 1/2 glass water
Filling:
- 400 gr. ground meat (without any fat)
- 2 tablespoons margarine
- 2 medium onions
- 1/3 glass rice
- 2 large tomatoes
- 3/4 glass water
- 1 bunch chopped dill
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cut of the stalks and tops of approximately 12 peppers to form a lid and remove all seeds. Clean and wash the insides of the peppers and leave aside. Put margarine and thinly sliced onions in a pan and saute until the color of the onion changes. Add 3/4 glass water and previously washed rice, and cover. Cook over moderate heat for about 10 minutes. REmove the pan from heat, add the ground meat, chopped dill, black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and knead for about 5 minutes. Pell the tomatoes, cut them into small pieces, add to the mixture and mix them all ingredients together. Stuff the peppers with this mixture, replace the lids of peppers and place in a pan. Add 2 tablespoons margarine, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 or 1 1/2 glasses water, close the lid of the pan and cook for about 40-60 minutes on stove on moderate heat, put into a serving dish and serve.
