10 Best Historic Things to See in Istanbul

Suleymaniye Mosque is an impressive historical building that's still in use today and offers scenic views of the Golden Horn. This mosque was originally built in 1557 over the course of 7 years after being designed by the iconic Mimar Sinan, the imperial architect under Suleiman the Magnificent.

When you visit this mosque, you can see marble columns set with a collonaded peristyle design. Inside, stained glass windows and intricate detailings line the walls and ceilings. Don't forget to take time to look out from the mosque, as its position on the Third Hill is a great vantage point.

The Hagia Sophia is a massive mosque dating back more than 1,000 years and one of the most iconic landmarks in the entire city. It was originally built in 537 under orders from Roman emperor Justinian as a cathedral. It was later converted into a mosque by the Ottomans in the 15th century.

Today, this massive structure is primarily used as a history museum where you can explore the numerous Christian and Islamic elements decorating the intricately detailed interior and showcasing the craftsmanship of Byzantine architecture. You'll find it all near the eastern coast just south of Topkapi.

Topkapi Palace is a historic palace complex that once served as the primary residence for Ottoman sultans, but it now functions as a history museum. Construction was completed in 1478 after years of work on orders of Mehmed the Conqueror following the conquest of Constantinople.

When you visit this palace, you'll be able to see the 4 main courtyards and several smaller buildings in addition to the central palace itself, which has been remarkably well-preserved. It's located on the eastern side of Eminonu by the coast.

Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque) is a massive, historic mosque that sports 6 iconic minarets and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It dates back to the early 17th century and features fascinating architecture with 5 main domes and 8 secondary domes.

Inside this mosque, you'll find handmade tiles sporting a wide variety of tulip designs. On the upper levels, blue paint dominates the decor, which helped give the mosque its nickname as Blue Mosque. You'll find it in eastern Eminonu by the Hagia Sophia.

Galata Tower is a centuries-old stone tower that dominates the skyline of the city's north side with a viewpoint you can visit. This tower was completed in 1348, and it reaches a height of 67 metres, though its top floor is 52 metres high.

When you visit this tower, you'll find yourself among impressive Romanesque architecture that tends to clash with a lot of the surrounding more modern designs. When you climb to the top, you can see impressive views of the Golden Horn area. It's located right in the centre of Galata on the north side of the river.

Dolmabahce Palace is a massive 19th-century palace built for the Ottoman sultans and sporting impressive architecture that utilises both Baroque Revival and Rococo Revival styles. It was completed in 1856 after 13 years of construction and acted as the main administrative centre of the empire until its fall in 1922.

When you visit this palace, you'll find a truly gigantic complex with an area spanning 4.5 hectares of space and 285 different rooms. The interior design takes elements from numerous different styles, including Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical and, of course, Ottoman. It's located in the Besiktas district northeast of downtown by the water.

The Grand Bazaar is a historic covered market that's still used today for its original purpose, housing thousands of different shops that span 61 covered streets. While the market was up and running by 1455, it greatly expanded over the centuries, growing to its current size after 1730.

Visiting this market is similar to visiting a modern mall except that the stores are located within covered arches dating back centuries. You'll find a wide variety of items on offer from literally thousands of different shops. It's located in Eminonu near the centre of the peninsula.

The Istanbul City Walls were some of the strongest in the world during their heyday, and you can still see a good portion of them standing today when you visit. In the 1600 years they've been standing, they were only ever breached 2 times. That's quite impressive for something dating back to the 5th century.

When you visit the walls today, you'll find the most well-maintained parts to be the gates and towers. Many of the gates were restored in the late 20th century, but several parts of the wall are still left showing the scars of time. You'll find them stretching from the Golden Horn to the Sea of Marmara.

The Istanbul Archaeology Museum is one of the most comprehensive museums in the world, with over a million objects from about every era and civilisation humanity has recorded. Inside this museum, you'll find a wealth of historical knowledge and artefacts, including the Alexander Sarcophagus.

Among the collection, you'll find several world-famous pieces, like fragments from the temple of Athena at Assos, tile images from Babylon's Ishtar Gate and the Sumerian laws of king Ur-Nammu. You can even see part of the Egyptian-Hittite peace treaty that was signed in 1258 BCE. The museum is located in eastern Eminonu.

Galata Mevlevihanesi Müzesi is a museum set inside a historic dervish lodge that displays a wide variety of Sufi artefacts dating back for centuries. On display, you'll find accessories the dervishes used for ceremonies as well as musical instruments and their iconic turbans.

Visiting this museum is especially important since the dervish orders it memorialises don't really exist anymore after the Turkish Republic banned their practice in its early days. You can check it all out in person in northern Galata.