Istanbul Guide

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much of its existence. Its dome is archi tecturally noteworthy and its plan – an irregular octagon – is quite unusual. Its interior was originally decorated with gold mosaics and featured columns made from fine green and red marble. The mosaics are long gone, but the impressive columns remain. The church was converted into a mosque by the chief white eunuch Hüseyin A ğ a around 1500; his tomb is to the north of the building. The minaret and medrese (seminary) date from this time. The medrese cells, arranged around the mosque’s forecourt, are now used by secondhand booksellers and book binders. In the leafy forecourt is a tranquil çay bahçesi (tea garden) where you can relax over a glass of çay. SOKULLU Ş EHIT MEHMET PA Ş A MOSQUE MOSQUE Map p240 (Sokullu Mehmet Pa ş a Camii; cnr Ş ehit Mehmet Pa ş a & Özbekler Sokaks, Kad ı rga; h sunrise-sunset; j Sultanahmet or Çemberlita ş ) Mimar Sinan designed this mosque in 1571 at the height of his architectural career. Be sides its architectural harmony, the mosque is unusual because the medrese is not a separate building but part of the mosque structure, built around the forecourt. The interior walls and mimber are decorated with spectacular red-and-blue İ znik tiles – some of the best ever made. Though named after the grand vizier of the time, the mosque was actually sponsored by his wife Esmahan, daughter of Sultan Se lim II. Inside are four fragments from the sacred Black Stone in the Kaaba at Mecca: one above the entrance framed in gold, two in the mimber and one in the mihrab . AHMET HAMDI TANPINAR LITERATURE MUSEUM LIBRARY LIBRARY Map p238 (Ahmet Hamdi Tanp ı nar Edebiyat Müze Kütüphanesi; % 0212-520 2081; Gülhane Park; h 10am-7pm Mon-Sat; j Gülhane) F Built into the wall of Gülhane Park, the Alay Kö ş kü (Parade Kiosk) is where the sultan would sit and watch the periodic parades of troops and trade guilds that commemorated great holi days and military victories. It is now open to the public as a literature museum and library named in honour of novelist and essayist Ah met Hamdi Tanp ı nar (1901–62). Dating from the early 19th century, the kiosk is polygonal in shape and beauti fully decorated inside, with painted walls, stained-glass windows, chandeliers and

highly polished wooden floors. Inside are packed shelves of Turkish books and liter ary items such as pens belonging to Ay ş e Kulin, author of Last Train to Istanbul . İ STANBUL MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY IN ISLAM MUSEUM Map p238 ( İ stanbul İ slam Bilim ve Teknoloji Tarihi Müzesi; % 0212-528 8065; www.ibttm.org; Has Ah ı rlar Binalar ı , Gülhane Park; adult/child under 12yr ₺ 10/free; h 9am-6.30pm Wed-Mon mid-Apr– Oct, to 4.30pm Nov–mid-Apr, last entry 30min be fore closing; j Gülhane) Of interest to science buffs, the didactic exhibition in the museum argues that Islamic advances in science and technology preceded and greatly influenced those in Europe. Most of the exhibits are reconstructions of historical instruments and tools used by astronomers, seafarers and others. The physics room has some of the best contraptions, including a steam powered turn-spit, built from notes left by a 16th-century Ottoman scholar, and an 11th century entertainment machine, which op erates a scene of moving figures using water power. Also look out for the models of trebu chet counterweight catapults in the military room, and those of İ stanbul’s great mosques. MUSEUM Map p240 (Üçler Sokak; h 10am-5pm Tue-Sun; j Sultanahmet) F Located at the south ern end of the Hippodrome, this museum is housed in a handsome example of Otto man Revivalism, a homegrown architec tural style popular in the late 19th century. On display is the university’s collection of original Turkish prints and etchings from the 1920s to the present day, including work by İ hap Hulusi Görey, who introduced col oured posters to Turkey. NAKKA Ş MUSEUM Map p240 ( % 0212-516 5222; www.nakkasrug. com; Nakilbent Sokak 13; h 9am-7pm; j Sultan ahmet) F This renovated 6th-century cistern houses exhibits of virtual and physical models that recreate the nearby Hippodrome as it was in its heyday. Also interesting is the bird’s-eye view of Con stantinople in 1200, when the Great Palace of Byzantium and the Hippodrome domi nated present-day Sultanahmet. When we visited, there were plans to make this in formative exhibition permanent. MARMARA UNIVERSITY REPUBLICAN MUSEUM

SULTANAHMET & AROUND SIGHTS