Tag Archives: Istanbul

Diggin’ the Archeological Museum in Istanbul

Adventures, ByLanderSea Abroad, Land Adventures, Travel Journal/Blog, , , , ,

Istanbul’s Archeology Museum ranks as one of the best in the world. On our last day in Istanbul, Turkiy, travel buddy Judy and I intended to spend a few hours there but ended up browsing around most of the day.

Sign at Archeology Museum Entrance in Istanbul, Turkiye.
Sign at Archeology Museum Entrance, Istanbul, Turkiye.
Exterior of the Museum
Exterior of the Museum

The museum rests down the hill from the Topkapi Palacehttps://muze.gen.tr/muze-detay/topkapi. The complex has three main parts: the Archaeology Museum, the Museum of the Ancient Orient and the Tiled Pavilion. In addition, we found lovely statue gardens where you could sip a cup of coffee and have lunch with a multitudes of cats. There is a glassed-in pavilion in case the cats or cold weather intervene.

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See the Sultan’s Riches at DolmabahçePalace

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The Dolmabahce Palace, along the shores of the Bosphorus River in Istanbul, was built between 1843 and 1856 for Sultan Abdülmecidu. He decided the 72-acre Topkapi Palace no longer met the needs of the royal household. Six sultans went on to use the Dolmabahce as their home before the Ottoman Empire fell.

Dolmabahce Palace as seen from my cruise on the Bosphorus in Istanbul.
Dolmabahçe Palace as seen from my cruise on the Bosphorus in Istanbul.

The massive 161,500 square feet building consists of three parts: the State Apartments, Ceremonial Hall and the Imperial Harem as well as other small buildings. High walls and iron fencing with gate openings to the shoreline surround the palace. The grounds and blooming gardens feature spectacular ponds, statuary and scenic pathways.

Statuary by the side gate.
Statuary by the side gate.
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Exploring the Basilica Cistern in Underground Istanbul

ByLanderSea Abroad, Land Adventures, Travel Journal/Blog, , , , ,

Updated January 2023

Roman Emperor Justinian was a busy man. He directed the building of Hagia Sofia, hiring two renowned architects, 1000 master craftsman and 10,000 workers to get the job done. He ordered the renovations to the Chora Church (see upcoming blog post), the hippodrome and had the underground cistern built in 532 AD. The Istanbul facility has the capacity of 100,000 tons of water storage.

The Million Stone
The Stone of Million, starting point for all roads leading to Constantinople.
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