Private Tour Guide in Istanbul

Sanjak Towers are the towers where armies used to erect their flags. Tophane-i Amire Sanjak Tower was one of them. Now it is used as a clock tower. The tower was built by Sultan Abdülmecid between 1848-1849. It is thought that the tower, which is associated with the Tophane Pavilion built by Sultan Abdülmecid in the same place, was built by the Balyans. It is accepted that it was built by Sultan Abdülmecid because of the monogram on it. An engraving by Robert Waish dated 1839 indicates that there was probably a tower with a wooden structure here in earlier periods, but it is not known by whom the previous tower was built. When the Clock Tower was built, the sea was right in front of it. With the effect of the flagpole on it and the shifting of the ground on the part facing the sea, the tower tilted 1.5 degrees towards the sea over time. In this state, it resembled the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.  Galataport Istanbul initiated an extremely meticulous restoration process in which...

One of the first things that come to mind when the Bosphorus is mentioned is the Mansions in the Bosphorus. Of the 600 mansions that represent different periods and different architectural understandings, 150 of them have survived to this day. Located in the most beautiful parts of the Bosphorus, the mansions cover large areas both on the European side and on the Anatolian side. It is possible to see the most beautiful ones with a Bosphorus tour. Some mansions can even be rented for special events. During the Ottoman period, mansions were divided into colors. Members of the state lived in red-colored mansions, Muslims in light-colored mansions, and non-Muslims in gray and similar mansions. During the Ottoman period, the Sultan and his relatives built many mansions and palaces in the Bosphorus. Among these structures, Dolmabahçe Palace, Çırağan Palace, Adile Sultan Pavilion, Beylerbeyi Palace and Küçüksu Pavilion are the best known. In this article, there is a mansion that I will tell y...

The Kamondo Family is a Jewish banker family who lived in Istanbul and contributed greatly to the modernization of Istanbul. Abraham Salomon de Kamondo, one of the important members of the family, played a major role in the establishment of the first municipality of Istanbul, the modernization of the infrastructure in the city and the formation of new educational institutions, as well as being one of the founders of modern banking. It has also pioneered significant investments in urbanism, architecture and culture. When the famous banker, who had the Kamondo stairs built on Bankalar Caddesi in 1870-1880, died, he was buried with a state ceremony in the mausoleum he had built in Hasköy. In order to honor the family who contributed to the modernization of Istanbul so much, a plaque was nailed to the stairs in Karaköy Bankalar Street at a ceremony held with the participation of the Turkish Jewish Baths. Among their most important initiatives were their partnerships with the bank named İsh...

Archaic Period (650-480 BC) statuettes; almond-shaped eyes, smiley expression on the face, wide faces, rich dress folds with chiton and himation type clothes are the prominent features. The most common sculptures of the period were the kuros, mostly nude, standing male statues. Kuros are depicted from the front, standing upright, with one of their legs thrown forward, both arms hanging down or one arm broken at the elbow, extended forward. The kuros found in Emecik, with their almond-shaped eyes, thick hips and fisted hands, show an Egyptian influence and reflect the East Doric style. Emecik kuros figurines emphasize the manliness that is the most distinctive feature of Apollo.   

                      Heredotus states that castle was built in 3000 BC. Physkos (Marmaris) which has was a Caria city in that period was a transition point between the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean as it is now. The port of the city, with its trade routes opening Rhodes and Egypt had been significant throughout the ages.           During the reign of Gazi Ahmet Bey in Menteşe Seigniory in the beginning of 15th Century, the castle and its port were repaired. Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, on a military expedition to Rhodes on 22nd of July 1522, commanded to repair the castle in order to use it as a military base. Hafsa Sultan Caravanserai is located in entrance of the narrow street with steps to the castles. It is understood from an inscription above the entrance that the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent had made the Hafsa Sultan Caravanserai built in the name of his mothe...

The Kamondo family, as one of the many Jewish families who had to leave Spain in 1492, first settled in Venice and then in Istanbul (Ortaköy). In the records of 1775, a trader of Austrian nationality named Haim Kamondo is mentioned. Founded by his sons Isaac and Abraham Salomon (born 1781), the bank with the title of "Ishak Kamondo and Company" developed in a short time and became one of the respected international financial institutions of the time. Upon Isaac's death, Abraham Salomon took over and gradually expanded the business. As a financial adviser, he obtained various privileges due to the close ties he established with the Ottoman palace, and even received a "medal of honor" for providing finance to the Ottoman Empire during the Crimean War (1853-55).   Over time, his grandchildren Abraham Behor and Nisim joined their grandfather's bank and after a while Abraham Behor became the head of the bank. As a rival to the Ottoman Bank, which was established ...