Private Tour Guide in Istanbul

Completed in 1898, this building was originally used as a hotel under the name Prinkipo and was operated by the Compagnie internationale des Wagons-lit. Failure to allow the hotel's casino to operate caused the hotel to be sold in 1903. The building, bought by the wife of a Greek banker, is donated to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople. From that date until the ownership passed to the state in 1964, the building was used as an orphanage. Located on Büyükada, the building with an area of ​​20 000m² is considered the largest wooden building in Europe. It has 206 rooms, a kitchen, a library, a school and workshop areas. The exterior and interior architecture of the six-storey building is quite simple, with wooden decorations in some of the halls. The building was severely damaged in a fire in 1980. After the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Istanbul took ownership of the building again and is trying to save it from colla...

Levantine architect Alexandre Vallaury (1850-1921), who studied at the Paris National College of Fine Arts, was one of the inventors and pioneers of the neo-Ottoman style that defined buildings built on the Bosphorus shore in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among the buildings created by Alexandre Vallaury, we can count the Ottoman Bank building (1892) in the neo-renaissance style, or the Museum-i Hümayun (1907) in the neo-classical style, or the famous Pera Hotel (1894), which blends gaudy, ostentatious and luxurious styles. Young Turkish photographer Bilal İmren, a graduate of the faculty of fine arts, offers us to explore the legacy of Alexandre Vallaury in Istanbul - from his own selection and perspective. As a professional documentary photographer, he aims to reveal the architect behind every stylized corner and curve, detail and perspective line, shadow or directed light trail. The academic dimension of his photographs best reveals these massive and voluminous immovable s...

Sepetçiler Kasrı, which is used as the Yeşilay Headquarter today, was built by Sultan İbrahim in 1643 on the city walls from the Byzantine period. Of the structures in the garden and coastal areas of Topkapi Palace, only the Sepetçiler Kasrı remained. The materials used in its construction were brought from Darica, Iznik, Samakoy and Thessaloniki. Where does its name come from? According to rumors, the elevated structures in Edirne Palace were called Sepetçi or Sultani. That's why this magnificent place was named Sepetçiler. According to another rumor, since Sultan İbrahim protected the wicker and basket makers behind the pavilion, this name was given to the shopkeepers here. After the restorations made by the General Directorate of Foundations in 1980, it was used as the International Press Center of the General Directorate of Press. Eminönü Service Foundation restored the pavilion in 1998. After using the Press Center, Sepetçiler Kasrı, which serves in different areas such as a r...

 Baltazzi Han  One of the four oldest Hans of Galata named as "Baltazzi Han" between the years 1856-1890 which is built by " Baltazzi Family", the famous bankers of 19th century.  It is said that Baltazzi Family made a secret agreement with Ottoman Empire and built "Baltazzi Han" for the sake of economic wellbeing of the Ottoman Empire. Han is a neoclassical edifice which represents the architectural features of "transition han" from classical Ottoman han to office han.  During 1889, printing house of La Turquie newspaper was also located in these walls. Imagine that how many stories written and read about Istanbul between these walls. After the first building Han was used to name "Agopian Han", It was used by Deutsche Orient Bank until the end of World War I. Banca Commerciale Italy was also serve in the building between the years 1940 and 1976. Istelyo Movie Company was also located in the building at the time. Han used to be as popul...

  The people of Izmir know that if you are going to tell someone about a place in Alsancak, you should definitely apply to Sevinç Patisserie. The same is true for Istanbul; Tepebaşı TRT Building. But did you know that this building became what it is today after fighting two fires in the past? Let's see together... The Golden Horn side of Istiklal Street in Taksim Beyoğlu is called Tepebaşı. As far as we know from Western sources, there is a theater building in Tepebaşı that belongs to years ago. Although it is not known when it was founded, there is a strong guess as to when it was destroyed: 1870 Beyoğlu Fire… In 1872, a theater was ordered to be built here. Again, it is requested that the building be made of stone and brick in order to be protected from fire, but when the costs are high, the building is made of wood. The construction of the theater was completed in 1890. "Hillside Drama Theatre" When Atatürk came to watch the play in 1932, the two lodges were merged and...

Today, there are two palaces in Sultanahmet between St Euphemia Church and Firuz Aga Mosque, which allow us to witness the life in Istanbul centuries ago. Since these palaces have turned into ruins today, it is not possible to find any signs or traces of the palaces. One of these palaces is Lausus Palace and the other is Anthiochus Palace. In today's article, we will tell you about these two palaces.  Lausus Palace Today it is located next to Sultanahmet Square. Also known as the palace of Lausos. It was renovated by its owner with a large collection of heroic and mythological statues. Lausus had a large collection collected from the eastern temples that had been looted and emptied during the reign of Thedosius I. The pagan sculptures in Lausus's collection, although complained about by devout Christians, were exhibited for the first time out of purely aesthetic and historical considerations.  Reports indicate that Lausus arranged the statues in a particular order. The aforeme...