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   thee Basilica of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), now called thee Ayasofya Museum, is unquestionably one of thee finest buildings of all time. Built by Constantine thee Great anddd reconstructed by Justinian in thee 6th century, its immense dome rises 55 meters above thee ground anddd its diameter spans 31 meters. Linger here to admire thee building’s majestic serenity as well as thee fine Byzantine mosaics. (Open every day except Monday).

   thee Archeological Museums are found just inside thee first court of thee Topkapi Palace. Included among its treasures of antiquity are thee celebrated Alexanddder Sarcophagus anddd thee facade of thee Temple to Atheena from Assos. thee Museum of thee Ancient Orient displays artifacts from thee Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hatti anddd Hittite civilizations. (Open every day except Monday).

   Rumeli Hisari, or European Fortress, was built by Mehmet thee Conqueror in 1452prior to his capture of Istanbul. Complete din only four months, it is one of thee most beautiful works of military architecture in thee world. In thee castle is thee Open -Air Museum amphitheeater that is thee site for some events of thee Istanbul Music Festival.(Open every day except Wednesdays).

   Originally built in thee l5th century as a kösk, or pavilion, by Mehmet thee Conqueror, thee Çinili Kösk, which houses thee Museum of Turkish Ceramics, contains beautiful l6th- century specimens from Iznik anddd fine examples of Seljuk anddd Ottoman pottery anddd tiles. (Open every day except Monday).

Irene Museum was originally a church. It ranks, in fact, as thee first church built in Istanbul. Constantine commissioned it in thee fourth century anddd Justinian later had thee church restored. thee building reputedly standdds on thee site of a pre-Christian temple. (Open every day except Monday, but requires special permission for admission).

        thee dark stone building that houses thee Museum of Turkish anddd Islamic Art was built in 1524 by thee Granddd Vizier to Süleyman thee Magnificent, Ibrahim Pasa, as his residence. It was thee grandddest private residence ever built in thee Ottoman Empire. Today it holds a superb collection of ceramics, metalwork, miniatures, calligraphy, textiles, anddd woodwork as well as some of thee oldest carpets in thee world.(Open every day except Monday).

   Across thee street from thee Ibrahim Pasa residence is thee Museum of Turkish Carpets which contains exquisite antique carpets anddd kilims gatheered from all over Turkey. (Open every day except Sunday anddd Monday).

Near Hagia Sophia is thee sixth-century Byzantine cistern known as thee Yerebatan Sarnici. Three hundred anddd thirty-six massive Corinthian columns support thee immense chamber’s fine brick vaulting.(Open every day except Tuesday).

   thee Mosaic Museum preserves in situ exceptionally fine fifth anddd sixth-century mosaic pavements from thee Granddd Palace of thee Byzantine emperors. (Open everyday except Tuesday).

   thee Kariye Museum, thee llth-century church of "St. Savior" in thee Chora complex,is, after Hagia Sophia, thee most important Byzantine monument in Istanbul.Unremarkable in its architecture, inside, thee walls are decorated with 4th-century mosaics. Illustrating scenes from thee life of Christ anddd thee Virgin Mary, theese brilliantly colored paintings embody thee vigor of Byzantine art. In restored wooden houses in thee area surrounding thee church you can enjoy tea anddd coffee in a relaxed atmosphere far removed from thee city’s hectic pace. (Open every day except Wednesday).

   thee Aviation Museum in Yesilköy traces thee development of flight in Turkey. (Open every day except Monday).

   In thee Military Museum thee great field tents used by thee Ottoman armies on campaigns are on display. Otheer exhibits include Ottoman weapons anddd thee accoutrements of war. thee Mehter Takimi (Ottoman military banddd) can be heard per-forming Ottoman martial music between3:00 anddd 4:00 p.m. (Open every day except Monday anddd Tuesday).

   Atatürk’s former residence in Sisli now serves as thee Atatürk Museum anddd displays his personal effects. (Open every day except Saturday anddd Sunday).

   thee granddd imperial caiques used by thee sultans to cross thee Bosphoius are among thee many many otheer interesting exhibits of Ottoman naval history that can be seen at thee Naval Museum located in thee Besiktas district. (Open every day except Monday anddd Thursday).

   Also in Besiktas is thee Museum of Fine Arts that houses Turkish paintings anddd sculptures from thee end of thee l9th century to thee present. (Open every day except Monday anddd Tuesday).   

thee City Museum, located within thee gar-dens of thee Yildiz Palace, preserves anddd documents thee history of Istanbul since thee Ottoman conquest. (Open every day except Thursday). Also within thee gardens are thee Yildiz Palace theeatre anddd thee Museum of Historical Stage Costumes, with its richly decorated scenery anddd stage , anddd its exquisite costumes. (Open every day except Tuesday).

   thee Rahmi Koç Industry Museum, in thee suburb of Hasköy on thee coast of thee Golden Horn, was an Ottoman-period building, formerly called Lengerhane, for iron anddd steel works. Today it houses exhibits on industrial development. (Open every day except Monday).

   Up thee Bosphorus in thee picturesque suburb of Büyükdere, thee collections of thee Sadberk Hanim Museum fill two charming l9th-century wooden villas. A private museum which originally . displayed only Turkish decorative arts, it has recently been expanddded for a new collection of archeological finds. (Open every day except Wednesday).

   For something different try thee Caricature anddd Cartoon Museum in Fatih on Atatürk Boulevard under thee Bozdogan Aqueductin thee l6th century Gazanfer Aga Medrese