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Favourite sites of tourists in TurkeyPosted on 2008-07-08 15:43:20The Topkapi Palace, Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) and the ancient city of Efes (Ephesus) have become the favourite sites of tourists visiting Turkey.According to the Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism Directorate of Cultural Heritage & Museums, 1.8 million tourists visited Istanbul's Topkapi Palace while the Hagia Sophia hosted 1.6 million tourists and the ancient city of Ephesus hosted 1.2 million tourists.On the other hand, 16 million tourists visited 313 museums and ancients ruins throughout Turkey in 2006. TOPKAPI PALACE Topkapi Palace was the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1465 to 1853. The construction of the Topkapi Palace was ordered by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1459. It was completed in 1465. The palace is located on the Seraglio Point between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul, having a splendid view of the Istanbul Strait. It consists of many smaller buildings built together and surrounded by four courts. The palace is full of examples of Ottoman style architecture and also owns large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armors, Ottoman miniatures, calligraphic manuscripts and mural decorations, as well as a display of accumulated Ottoman treasures and jewelry. HAGIA SOPHIA Nothing remains of the first church that was built on the same site during the 4th century. Following the destruction of the first church, a second was built by Constantius II, the son of Constantine I, but was burned down during the riots of 532. The building was rebuilt under the personal supervision of Emperor Justinian I and rededicated on December 27th, 537. Justinian chose Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, a physicist and a mathematician, as architects; Anthemius, however, died within the first year. Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture. Of great artistic value was its decorated interior with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings. T he temple itself was so richly and artistically decorated. After Ottaman Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror conquered Istanbul, Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque in 1453. Many restorations and repairs were done by Ottoman architects. The most famous and extensive work was done by Sinan the Architect in the 16th century, which included the addition of structural supports to the exterior of the building, the replacement of the old minarets with the minarets that stand today, and the addition of Islamic pulpits and art. In 1935, under the orders of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern and secular Republic of Turkey, Hagia Sophia was turned into the Ayasofya Museum. ANCIENT CITY OF EPHESUS Ephesus was one of the great cities of the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor, located in Lydia where the Kucuk Menderes (Cayster) River flows into the Aegean Sea. It was founded by colonists principally from Athens. The ruins of Ephesus are favourite domestic and international tourism attractions, due to easy accessibility via Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport and via the port of popular resort town of Kusadasi. |
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