Find Your Happiness in Istanbul (Part 2)
Being tired visiting Hagia Sophia and Dolmabache, let’s visit another places in Istanbul. Here we go..
The third place you should visit in Istanbul is Topkapi Palace. It is a palace which was the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign. The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments and is a major tourist attraction today, containing the most holy relics of the Muslim world such as the Prophet Muhammed’s cloak and sword.Topkap? Palace is among those monuments belonging to the “Historic Areas of Istanbul”, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and is described in Criterion iv as “the best example[s] of ensembles of palaces of the Ottoman period.
Topkapi Palace, Istanbul
The palace complex is located on the Seraglio Point, a promontory overlooking the Golden Hornand the Sea of Marmara, with the Bosphorusin plain sight from many points of the palace. The site is hilly and one of the highest points close to the sea. During Greek and Byzantine times, the acropolisof the ancient Greek city of Byzantionstood here. There is an underground Byzantine cistern, located in the Second Courtyard, which was used throughout Ottoman times, as well as remains of a small church, the so-called Palace Basilicaon the acropolis have also been excavated in modern times. The nearby Church of Hagia Eirene, though located in the First Courtyard, is not considered a part of the old Byzantine acropolis.
The fourth place you should visit in Istanbul is Maiden’s Tower. It sits on a small islet located at the southern entrance of Bosphorus strait 200 m (220 yd) off the coast of Uskudar. Maiden’s Tower was first built by the ancient Athenian general Alcibiades in 408 BC to control the movements of the Persian ships in the Bosphorus. Back then the tower was located between the ancient cities of Byzantion and Chrysopolis. The tower was later enlarged and rebuilt as a fortress by the Byzantineemperor Alexius Comnenusin 1110 AD, and was restored and slightly modified several times by the Ottoman Turks, most significantly in 1509 and 1763.
Maiden Tower, Istanbul
Used as a lighthouse for centuries, the interior of the tower has been transformed into a popular café and restaurant, with an excellent view of the former Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman capital.Private boats make trips to the tower several times a day.
Interested? Which place do you want to visit in Istanbul? Topkapi Palace or Maiden’s Tower? It’s up to you.. 
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