ISTANBUL - Part of the Places of a Lifetime series from Traveler magazine
National Geographic Istanbul Part of the Places of a Lifetime series from Traveler magazine “If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Constantinople,” marveled Alphonse de Lamartine, the 19th-century French writer and politician. Sixteen centuries as the legendary capital of the ...   »

Istanbul Walking Tour: Kuzguncuk
Travel.nationalgeographic.com Istanbul Walking Tour: Kuzguncuk Part of the Places of a Lifetime series from Traveler magazine     Map: Istanbul Kuzguncuk View Printable Walking Tour Turkish television shows often feature Kuzguncuk’s rows of colorful 19th-century wooden houses “to evoke a sense of old Istanbul.”—Kathy Hamilton, culture ...   »

HAGIA SOPHIA
Hagia Sophia, which is considered as one of the eight wonders of the world, also occupies a prominent place in the history of art and architecture. It is one of the rare works of this size and age that has survived to our day. The church (called Ayasofya in Turkish) ...   »

One of the greatest instrumentals of Ottoman classical music from Vasilaki Efendi
The Ottoman Empire was a multi-ethnic state, and cultural influences, including music, were shared by groups including the Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians and Jews. İmportant performers and composers of the Ottoman classical music (Klâsik Türk Mûsikîsi, Sanat Mûsikîsi, Saray Mûsikîsi), like Vasilaki Efendi, Yorgo Bacanos, Hristâki Kiryazis, Andon (Batrik Kiryazis), Zaharya, ...   »

St. Irene Church (Museum)
Other than Hagia Sofia, St.Irene is the largest and oldest church from the Byzantine era still standing in Istanbul. St.Irene, which is one of the largest and oldest Byzantine churches other than Hagia Sofia, was commissioned in the year 330 by Emperor Constantine the Great. The ...   »

The Church of Panagia of Blachernæ
The best known and most celebrated shrine of the Holy Virgin in Constantinople was the church of Panagia of Blachernæ. The history of the shrine, the fame of which had spread throughout the Christian world, extends over the entire Byzantine era, and the great events associated with it are linked ...   »

The Patriarchal Church of Saint George
The Church of St. George in the Phanar (Fener) is the fifth Patriarchal church in Constantinople and home to the Ecumenical Patriarchate since the fifteenth century. Prior to the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Patriarchal churches were:     * A church (underground cave) in Argyroupolis (Findikli), 38–144.     ...   »

History of The Ecumenical Patriarchate
Following the establishment of Constantinople (the ancient city of Byzantium) as the state capital of the Roman Empire in the early part of the fourth century, a series of significant ecclesiastical events saw the status of the Bishop of New Rome (as Constantinople was then called) elevated to its current ...   »

Church of Saint George Edirnekapi
The Church of Saint George Edirnekapou lies close to the Adrianoupolis Gate (Edirnekapou) and only a short distance from the shrine of Mihrimah, daughter of Sultan Suleiman I the Magnificent. In one sense the church is the successor of an earlier Byzantine monastery destroyed by the Ottomans in 1555 in ...   »