Beyazıt Tower

The Istanbul University Observatory (Turkish: İstanbul Üniversitesi Gözlemevi) is a ground-based astronomical observatory operated by the Astronomy and Space Sciences Department at Istanbul University's Faculty of Science. Established in 1936, it is situated next to the historic Beyazıt Tower within the main campus of the university at Beyazıt Square in Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey.

Istanbul University (Turkish: İstanbul Üniversitesi) is a prominent public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, it was re-established in 1846 as the first Ottoman higher education institution based on European traditions. The successor institution, which has been operating under its current name since 1933, is the first university in modern Turkey. Some pre-1930 western sources refer to it as the University of Constantinople, after the previous name of the city, while one in French referred to it as the Université de Stamboul ("Stamboul" the name for the historic inner city).At present, there are 69,411 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students studying in 33 academic units, including faculties, institutes, colleges, and vocational schools at 10 campuses. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square in Fatih, the capital district of the province, on the European side of the city. Besides being a member of the Coimbra Group, in 2019, the University took first place in Turkey according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. Moreover, Istanbul University is ranked in the top 25 at the QS Universities In Emerging Europe And Central Asia 2021 Ranking. In 2020, the university's AACSB accredited Business School was ranked 3rd in the Middle East and 2nd in Turkey, according to Eduniversal. The Faculty of Transport and Logistics is accredited by the International Road and Transport Union. In addition, the Faculty of Natural Sciences represents Turkey in four major studies conducted by the European Organization for Nuclear Research.Istanbul University alumni include 2 Nobel laureates, Aziz Sancar (in Chemistry) and Orhan Pamuk (in Literature), the longest-serving President of Israel Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, two Prime Ministers of Israel (David Ben-Gurion and Moshe Sharett), President of Turkey Abdullah Gül, six Prime Ministers of Turkey (Suat Hayri Ürgüplü, Sadi Irmak, Nihat Erim, Refik Saydam, Naim Talu, Yıldırım Akbulut), Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu.

Istanbul Zoology Museum, more precisely Zoology Museum of Istanbul University (Turkish: İstanbul Üniversitesi Zooloji Müzesi) is a natural history museum, located in Istanbul University's Vezneciler Campus at Fatih, Istanbul featuring animal collections. It was founded in 1933 and rearranged in 1989. The museum is owned and maintained by the Department of Biology at Faculty of Science.

Eski Saray (Turkish for "Old Palace"), also known as Sarây-ı Atîk-i Âmire, was a palatial building in Constantinople during the period of Ottoman rule, and it was the first such palace built in the city following the conquest of 1453. It was located in the Beyazıt neighborhood of the Fatih district, in an area now housing the main campus of Istanbul University, between the Süleymaniye Mosque and the Bayezid II Mosque. Construction of the palace commenced shortly after the 1453 conquest, and it was completed in 1458. Although historians of the period such as Doukas and Michael Critobulus stated that it was completed in 1455, the general opinion is that by then various parts such as the harem and mansion were finished, but it was not fully completed until 1458. Evliya Çelebi stated in his Seyahatnâme that the construction of the palace began in 1454 on the site of an old church and that the palace was surrounded by a solid rectangular wall covered with a blue lead that had a perimeter of 12,000 arşın, approximately equivalent to 9 kilometres (5.6 mi). Historian Tursun Beg, a contemporary of Mehmed II, mentioned that the palace housed mansions, a harem, the Imperial Council, the throne room where the Sultan carried out state affairs, and its grounds included an area for hunting. Later on in his reign, Mehmed II began to build the Topkapı Palace, and when the palace was completed in 1478 he settled there. Although the Sultan lived in the Topkapı Palace, he continued to visit the harem at the Eski Saray on some days of the week. In subsequent years, the palace and its grounds went through numerous changes. In the early 1500s, Sultan Bayezid II built the Bayezid II Mosque partially on the grounds of the palace. Matrakçı Nasuh depicted the palace in miniature, with two walls and residential buildings along the inner wall. In 1540–1541, the Eski Saray was largely destroyed by fire before being rebuilt by Kanuni. After the fire, which destroyed the harem of the palace, the harem of Suleiman was permanently moved into the Topkapı Palace ("New Palace"), from this moment on, the imperial harem of Ottoman sultans would remain permanently in Topkapi palace. The mother of deceased sultans were sent to the Eski Saray at the request of current mother sultan, disgraced concubines, women of former Sultans or şehzade accused of treason (such as Şehzade Süleyman) continued to be sent or exiled in the Eski Saray's harem. When the complex of the Süleymaniye Mosque was constructed in 1557, it once again took up part of the Eski Saray's area. In the years 1625-1632 during the reign of Murad IV the palace was restored, but in 1687, a large fire broke out near the palace. By the next evening the fire had engulfed the Eski Saray. The fire burned for five hours and many places of the palace burned down. Most of lives of people in the palace were saved by aghas and other servants of the palace, but Muazzez Sultan was affected from the fire and she died the next day. Today, no remains of the palace have survived.

Beyazıt Square (Turkish: Beyazıt Meydanı) lies to the north of Ordu Caddesi in the district of Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey. Officially named Freedom Square (Hürriyet Meydanı), it is more generally known as Beyazıt Square after the early Ottoman Bayezid II Mosque on one side. The square is the former site of the Forum of Theodosius (AKA Forum Tauri) built by Constantine the Great. Its current form was designed by Turgut Cansever. Facing the mosque across the square is a medrese that formed part of its complex. In the past this served as a Museum of Calligraphy. After long years of closure, this was under restoration in 2022. On one side of the square is the main entrance to Istanbul University, its buildings designed by the French architect Marie-Auguste Antoine Bourgeois. It is accessible via a grand Neo-Renaissance arch. The Beyazıt Tower, once a fire-warning tower, in the grounds of the university is visible from the square. Between the entrance to the university and the mosque is the Beyazit State Library, founded in 1884 and completely renovated and modernised in 2006 by the Tabanlıoğlu firm of architects. During the course of the renovation the remains of a Byzantine church were found below the site. Before its conversion into a library the building had been used as a soup kitchen and caravanserai. The square has been the site of political protests, including some in 1969 known as Bloody Sunday, and a terrorist attack in 1978 (Beyazıt Massacre). In 1915 twenty Armenian activists were hanged in the square (The 20 Hunchakian gallows). Beyazit Square is accessible via the T1 tram line as is the adjacent Covered Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı). In 2022 Beyazit Square was being entirely reorganised.

The Bayezid II Mosque (Turkish: Beyazıt Camii, Bayezid Camii) is an early 16th century Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Beyazıt Square area of Istanbul, Turkey, near the ruins of the Forum of Theodosius of ancient Constantinople.

The Beyazıt massacre (Turkish: Beyazıt katliamı) or 16 March massacre (Turkish: 16 Mart katliamı) of 16 March 1978 was the massacre of students at Istanbul University, in which 7 died and 41 were injured. The university was attacked with a bomb and gunfire. The head of the Istanbul branch of the Grey Wolves, Orhan Çakıroğlu, was sentenced to 11 years in 1980; he was released on appeal in 1982. After the 30-year statute of limitations expired the mother of one of the shooters admitted his involvement, and said he had received orders from a police officer. A witness said the police did not pursue the attackers at the scene.

Süleymaniye Hamam is a historic Turkish bath (hamam) in Istanbul, Turkey. The building, situated on a hill facing the Golden Horn, was built in 1557 by Turkish architect Mimar Sinan; it was named for Suleiman the Magnificent. It is part of the Süleymaniye Mosque complex. The hamam was commissioned by Sultan Suleiman, ruler of the Ottoman Empire between 1520 and 1566. The building is arched and domed, with elaborate marble inlay work on the walls. Sülemaniye Hamam is a traditional bathhouse consisting of three sections: cold, lukewarm and hot. Temperatures in the hot section can reach 40-60 degrees Celsius (104-140 F). The hamam is still operating today and caters mainly to tourists. It is the only hamam in Istanbul where men and women bathe together. Male attendants, called tellak, cater to all the clients.

The Museum of Turkish Calligraphy Art (Turkish: Türk Vakıf Hat Sanatları Müzesi) is a museum located in Beyazıt Square in Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. Constructed between 1506 and 1508, the building formerly served as the medrese of Bayezid II Complex which was built within the order of Sultan Bayezid II, son of Mehmed the Conqueror. Its collection consists of 3121 pieces mainly reflecting Islamic calligraphic art.

The Forum of Theodosius (Greek: φόρος Θεοδοσίου, today Beyazıt Square) was an area in Constantinople. It was originally built by Constantine I and named the Forum Tauri ("Forum of the Bull"). In 393, however, it was renamed after Emperor Theodosius I, who rebuilt it after the model of Trajan's Forum in Rome, surrounded by civic buildings such as churches and baths and decorated with a triumphal column at its centre.

The Süleymaniye Mosque (Turkish: Süleymaniye Camii, pronounced [sylejˈmaːnije]) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. An inscription specifies the foundation date as 1550 and the inauguration date as 1557. Behind the qibla wall of the mosque is an enclosure containing the separate octagonal mausoleums of Suleiman the Magnificent and that of his wife Hurrem Sultan (Roxelana). For 462 years, the Süleymaniye Mosque was the largest mosque in the city, until it was surpassed by the Çamlıca Mosque in 2019. The Süleymaniye Mosque is one of the best-known sights of Istanbul, and from its location on the Third Hill, it commands an extensive view of the city around the Golden Horn.

The Kara Mustafa Paşa Mosque or Paşa Mosque (Turkish: Paşa Cami) is an historic mosque which situated in county central of Merzifon. It is the one of greatest mosque of the county which is still using as mosque.