Istanbul Architecture

Few cities have such a rich and exciting history as Istanbul, progressively known as Byzantium then Constantinople before taking its current name. Straddling two continents and endorsing many cultures, its built environment charts a history from ancient Greek, through Roman and Ottoman architecture to become a vibrant modern metropolis.

Today the panoramic silhouette of the Historic Peninsula, with its huge domes and pencil thin minarets, is still the signature of the city, unspoiled by the intrusion of modern skyscrapers. But all around is an expanding infrastructure of airports, bridges, metros and expressways as Istanbul spreads along the Bosphorus and into Asia. Gradually the city has morphed into a huge megalopolis, the cultural and economic hub of the Eastern Mediterranean.

From the mosques and their attendant social complexes through the Baroque palaces of the late Ottoman period and the new buildings of the Turkish Republic, this guide to Istanbul Architecture provides a definitive overview.

Istanbul Architecture

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Murat Gül

Trevor Howells

Photographs by Aras Neftçi