The number of historic landmarks in the Pearl of the Bosphorus can be compared with the number of skyscrapers in Hong Kong (although the number of tall buildings in Istanbul itself is also amazing). The city is full of fascinating museums, among which we have; the Ural Ataman Classic Car Museum for lovers of luxury cars, the Atatürk Museum for getting acquainted with the history of the New Time, and Vakıflar Halı ve Kilim Müzesi, introducing visitors to the traditional craft of Turkey. There is also the Madame Tussauds Museum, among whose wax figures you can make out those of both international and local cult-heroes. Another interesting museum is called the Hisart Canli Tarih Muzesi, a kind of paradise for lovers of military history.
Among them a special place is made up of monuments of sacred architectural art. A small part of the religious monuments worth visiting include; Haseki Hürrem Sultan Mosque, built in the middle of the 16th century according to the project of Mimar Sinan, or the Topkapi Sultan’s Palace, which was the main palace of the Ottoman Empire right until the middle of the 19th century (the time of its construction dates back to the middle of the 15th century),and also the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque, for the fact that a part of it is located in the western (European) part of the city, and the other is in the Asiatic part (it was built in the middle of the 16th century). By the way, many of them were places of filming Turkish historical films and serials, the most famous of which is “The Magnificent Century”.
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