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Turkey’s history and cultural heritage are as rich as the diverse landscape visible across this stunning destination. With several empires having risen and fallen in this country, the remains of those empires are clearly evident through the monuments and structures that populate Turkey. If you’re a history buff who loves to delve deeper into the past of a nation, then you absolutely must visit the famous monuments of Turkey, all of which you can experience when you book one of our Turkey tour packages. Witnessing the brilliance of these monuments almost feels like turning the wheels of time to experience Turkey’s past in all its glory.
Here are the famous monuments of Turkey that you can visit when you book our Turkey honeymoon packages or any of our Turkey travel packages:
The Blue Mosque is a famous monument in Istanbul, which also goes by the name of Sultan Ahmed Mosque. The construction of this mosque took place during the reign of Ahmed I between the years 1609 to 1617. The monument stands as one of the most shining examples of Ottoman-style architecture, consisting of a central dome and four semi-domes. It came to be included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites as one of the ‘Historic Areas of Istanbul’ in the year 1985.
Revered as one of the most famous monuments of Turkey, the Hagia Sophia was initially built in the 6th century CE as a church under the orders of Justinian I, who was the Byzantine emperor. It was then converted into a mosque in 1935, after which it became a museum, and then was finally converted back to a mosque in 2020.
Yet another famous monument in Istanbul to witness through our Turkey holiday packages is the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. It’s made up of three sections, namely the Archaeology Museum, the Tiled Kiosk Museum, and the Museum of the Ancient Orient. It was the first regular museum to make it to the books during the Ottoman era and has more than a million artifacts dedicated to various cultures.
The Topkapı Palace is a humongous library and museum situated in Istanbul’s Fatih district. The museum is home to the Ottoman Empire’s imperial collections, with the library having a wide collection of manuscripts and books. The museum can be found in a palace complex which was once the residence and administrative center of the imperial Ottoman court between 1478 and 1856.
The Galata Tower is among the world’s oldest towers situated in Istanbul’s Beyoglu district. It was made a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List in 2013. Although it was initially constructed as a watchtower named Galata Fire Tower, it was later converted into a museum and exhibition space.
The Basilica Cistern, which is also known as the Cisterna Basilica, is the biggest of the numerous ancient cisterns that are located underneath the city of Istanbul. It was ordered to be built by Emperor Justinian and was developed by making use of 336 columns, most of which were rescued from damaged temples. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality cleaned and renovated the cistern in 1985, after which it was opened to the public in 1987.
The Republic Monument is counted as among the most famous monuments of Turkey, located in Turkey’s Taksim Square. It was built in 1923 to commemorate the inception of the Turkish Republic and was designed by Pietro Canonica, who was a popular Italian painter and sculptor.
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