Wonderful istanbul

Istanbul, with a long history expanding over years has been a major center for all three religious which are Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

The urban landscape of Istanbul is shaped by many communities. The most populous major religion is Islam. The first mosque in Istanbul was built in Kadıköyon the Asian side of the city, which was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1353, a full century before the conquest of Constantinople across the Bosphorus, on the European side. 

The first mosque on the European side of Istanbul was built inside the Rumelian Castle in 1452.

Rumelian Castle

The first grand mosque which was built in the city proper is the Eyüp Sultan Mosque (1458)

Eyup Sultan Mosque

The first imperial mosque inside the city walls was the Fatih Mosque (1470) which was built on the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles, an important Byzantine church which was originally edifice in the time of Constantine the Great.

Fatih Mosque

Many other imperial mosques were built in the following centuries, such as the famous Süleymaniye Mosque (1557) which was ordered by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan.

Suleymaniye Mosque

The famous Sultan Ahmed Mosque (1616) which is also known as the "Blue Mosque" for the blue tiles which adorn its interior.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque

The Eyüp Sultan Mosque was built in 1458 as the first Ottoman mosque after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. This is considered the holiest site in Istanbul being situated next to the site where Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Eyüp Sultan in Turkish) is buried. 

He was the standard bearer of the Prophet Mohammed and fell there during the Arab assault on Constantinople in 670. It is said that some of the personal belongings of the Prophet Mohammed himself are preserved in the tomb. Many pilgrims from Turkey and the Muslim world visit the tomb annually. 

Aya Sofya (or Hagia Sophia) is a museum today visited by millions of tourists every year.  As  the  Church  of Holy  Wisdom  it  was  built  initially  by  Emperor  Constantine  the Great and destroyed and rebuilt several times. The final form dates from the time of Justinian I (the sixth century) and is considered to be one of the best examples of Byzantine architecture. As the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople for more than 900 years.

Hagia Sophia hosted several ecumenical councils. After the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453 it was converted into a mosque until 1934 when it became a museum. Having served as a religious center for both Christianity and Islam the museum is a “must-visit” objective for all religious tourists visiting Istanbul. 

Aya Sofya

Many other old Byzantine churches in Istanbul have been either converted into mosques (Chora Church, Church of Christ Pantokrator, Church of Christ Pantepoptes, Monastery  of  Gastria,  Church  of  Saint  John  the Baptist at Lips, etc.) or function as museums (Hagia Irene). 

Chora Church

Some have been abandoned and are in ruins (Monastery of Stoudios, Church of the Virgin of the Pharos) and a few are still active (the Church of Sainte Mary of the Mongols is the only one from the Byzantine time that has never been converted into a mosque). There are also many newer churches belonging to the Greek, Bulgarian, Syriac and Armenian minorities in Istanbul as well as Catholic (especially Italian) and Protestant churches.  

The Jews of Istanbul have about twenty active synagogues in the city. The Italian Synagogue was built in the 19th century and rebuilt in 1931 by the Sephardic Jews who migrated to Istanbul from Southern Italy. The Ashkenazi Synagogue was founded by the Jews coming from Austria in 1900.  

The Italian Synagogue

Ashkenazi Synagogue