Attractions

Istanbul is a city that has successfully incorporated a rich past into a promising future -- no small feat considering the sheer magnitude of history buried under those cobblestone streets. Three of the greatest empires in Western history each claimed Istanbul as their capital; as a result, the city overflows with extraordinary sites all vying for equal time. Conveniently, all of the top sights are located on or immediately around Sultanahmet Park, but that by no means is an indication that there's nothing worth seeing outside of that neighborhood. A dizzying number of restoration projects are under way in the Old City and the bustle of Taksim, Beyoglu, Cukurcuma, Galata, and Tünel, where you can stroll past freshly restored turn-of-the-19th-century ambassadorial palaces and barracks, converted 16th-century waterhouses, and crisp, minimalist museums, all while shopping for an expensive pair of Levi's.

Hours & Admission Costs for Mosques & Churches -- Unless otherwise noted, opening hours for mosques and churches are daily, from dawn to dusk; unless otherwise noted, admission is free.

700 Years of Turkish Jews

Jews visiting Turkey inevitably ask for a tour of a local synagogue, and as the default working temple in the heart of Galata, Neve Shalom is usually the first and only stop. While interesting to see (particularly after sustaining recurring terrorist attacks), a visit to Neve Shalom is far from the Holy Grail of Jewish sites in Istanbul. It's also not necessarily guaranteed, since a pre-visit request accompanied by a faxed copy of your passport is the minimum requirement for entry. I'd recommend instead the Jewish Museum of Turkey, located in the restored 19th-century Zulfaris Synagogue. The museum represents the vision of the Quincentennial Foundation (named for the 500-year anniversary of the Jewish expulsion from Spain) and showcases the peaceful coexistence of Jews and Turks in Turkey. The foundation's vision came to fruition in 2001 with this anthology of Jewish presence in Turkey beginning with the Ottoman conquest of Bursa, through Sultan Beyazit's invitation to those expelled from Spain, to the present day. The museum/synagogue is located at Karaköy Meydani, Perçemli Sokak (facing the lower entrance to the Tünel funicular, Perçemli Sok. is the first alley to your right; the museum is at the end of the street on your right; tel. 0212/292-6333; www.muze500.com), and is open Monday through Thursday 10am to 4pm, and Friday and Sunday from 10am to 2pm. There is no admission fee but donations are encouraged.

Istanbul's Contemporary Art Scene

Istanbul's Biennale may have put the city on the art-world map in 1987, but the city's fast-paced Europeanization and naturally creative and innovative vigor has captured international attention otherwise. If your trip to Istanbul fails to coincide with the installation of this biennial citywide celebration of art, not to worry, as these days, plenty of creative juices flow during in-between years, displayed in unique and sometimes historic environments and as part of noteworthy private collections.

The major talk of the town is the new, old Santralistanbul (Eski Silahtaraga Elektrik Santrali, Silahtar Mah., Kazim Karabekir Cad. 1, Eyüp; tel. 0212/444-0428; www.santralistanbul.org; free admission), the recently restored and repurposed Ottoman era Silahtaraga electric power plant. The industrial space, which also houses, appropriately, the Museum of Energy, also serves as a cultural and educational center. The Santralistanbul complex takes up 12 hectares (29 acres) of space on the Bilgi University campus on the northern shore of the Golden Horn. There are concert halls, a public library (in two of the former boiler rooms), an amphitheater, and living space for visiting artists. Santralistanbul is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 10pm. A free shuttle departs from Atatürk Cultural Center in Taksim every half-hour.

Another gallery that has made a splash in Istanbul is Antrepo No. 3 (Antrepo No. 3, Karaköy; tel. 0212/334-7300; www.antrepo.org; free admission), one of a cluster of Customs warehouses (among which is the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art next door, see below for review) lining the waterfront of the Bosphorus at Tophane. Designed as a warren of alternatively unexpected, chaotic, noisy, and thought-provoking exhibitions and installments, Antrepo intends to conceptually dissolve the barriers that separate art from urban life. It's a sort of micro-city teetering on the banks of one of the world's busiest maritime crossroads. The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 7pm.

The cultural face of Garanti Bank, Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center (Istiklal Cad. 115A, Beyoglu; tel. 0212/293-2361; http://platformgaranti.blogspot.com; Tues-Thurs 1-8pm, Fri-Sat 1-10pm; free admission), has been one of Istanbul's most important art spaces since it arrived on the art scene in 2001. At the helm is Vasif Kortun, curator of past Istanbul Biennales, who has created an interactive space that includes the most comprehensive library of art publications in the city. In addition to showing contemporary exhibitions featuring art from Turkey and abroad, Platform acts as a national, regional, and international cultural portal, with residency programs available for artists from countries where artistic expression remains relatively untapped.

Galerist (Istiklal Cad., Misir Apt 31 1/4, Beyoglu; tel. 0212/244-8230; www.galerist.com.tr; free admission) is another one of Istanbul's and Turkey's more influential artistic spaces. Turkey's leading artists are showcased in this gallery, while one of Galerist's objectives is to expose the international artistic community to Turkish contemporary art through exhibitions abroad. Galerist is open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 7pm.

Since its founding in Ankara in 1984, Galeri Nev (Maçka Cad. 33, Maçka; tel. 0212/231-6763; www.galerinevistanbul.com; free admission) expanded to a second space in Istanbul and has mounted more than 300 exhibitions. The founding partners, architects by trade, concentrated the earliest exhibitions on Turkey's first modernists. The gallery has also hosted exhibitions of European modernists such as Bonnard, Dali, and Picasso. Nev has a private collection of original prints, more than a hundred limited edition reproductions, and 93 volumes of art books and catalogs. The Istanbul location is open Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 6:30pm.

Also leading the charge to elevate the profile of progressive art in Turkey is the not-for-profit Elgiz Museum Proje4L (Harman Sok., Harmanci Giz Plaza Gültepe; metro to Levent; tel. 0212/281-5150; www.proje4L.org; free admission). In addition to housing the private collections of its founders Sevda and Can Elgiz -- representing a range of media by both local and international artists -- the museum organizes lectures and seminars and welcomes guest artists. The museum is open Wednesday to Friday, 10am to 6pm, and Saturday 10am to 4pm.

With all of this contemporary rebound to the antiquity of Istanbul, Gallery Apel (Hayriye Cad. 7, Galatasaray; tel. 0212/292-7236; www.galleryapel.com; free admission) offers some refreshing middle ground by featuring works created using traditional materials like felt, ceramic, wood, and glass. Exhibitions are constantly changing and feature modern sculptures, prints, and even full-size architectural mock-ups. The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:30am to 6:30pm.

Constantinople's Defensive Walls

Even before the arrival of the great Roman emperors, the city on the hill (then called Megara) was a target for attack. Persian King Darius I took the city in 512 B.C.; then in 478 B.C., the Athenians squeezed out the Persians. Alexander the Great reinforced the city's Hellenistic bend, until in 146 B.C. the city came under Roman domination. For the next 350 years, the city basked in the glow of Pax Romana, notwithstanding Septimus Severus' massacre and destruction of the city when, having proclaimed himself emperor, he was met with resistance by the citizens loyal to his opponent, Pescennius Niger. When Severus rebuilt the city, he expanded the original boundaries to those enclosed by a defensive wall running roughly north-to-south from the Galata Bridge around the Hippodrome to the Marmara Sea. Constantine's walls again enlarged the city, forming a ceinture that expanded the city out into the middle of today's Fatih district. Nothing of either the Severus or Constantine walls survive.