Hagia Sophia

The Historic Areas of Istanbul are a group of sites in the capital district of Fatih in the city of Istanbul, Turkey. These areas were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. This World Heritage Site includes buildings and structures such as the Sarayburnu, the Topkapı Palace, the Hagia Sophia, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Hagia Irene, Zeyrek Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque, Little Hagia Sophia and the Walls of Constantinople.

Soğukçeşme Sokağı (literally: Street of the Cold Fountain) is a small street with historic houses in the Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, sandwiched in-between the Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace. The car-free zone street is named after the fountain situated at its end towards Gülhane Park. The wooden, two or three-storey Ottoman houses consisting of four to ten rooms date to the 19th to 20th century, and have been restored with the initiative of Çelik Gülersoy in 1985-1986. Called "Ayasofya Konakları" (Hagia Sophia Mansions), nine of the houses are part of the hotel Hagia Sofia Mansions Istanbul, Curio Collection by Hilton. The houses are named after the flower shrubs next to them as "Yaseminli Ev" (Jasmine House), "Mor Salkımlı Ev" (Wisteria sinensis House), "Hanımeli Ev" (Honeysuckle House) etc. The buildings are decorated in the 19th-century style with furniture including such items as beds and consoles, silk curtains, velvet armchairs and gilded mirrors. Most notable guest of the hostel was Queen Sofía of Spain, who stayed in the spring of 2000 for four nights.The birthplace of Turkey's 6th president Fahri Korutürk (1903–1987) is also situated in this street. One of the houses hosts the library "İstanbul Kitaplığı" with over 10,000 books about Istanbul owned by the Çelik Gülersoy Foundation. On one end of the street towards Gülhane Park is a Byzantine cistern, which houses the "Sarnıç Restaurant" today.

The Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III (Turkish: III. Ahmet Çeşmesi) is a fountain in a Turkish rococo structure in the great square in front of the Imperial Gate of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. It was built under Ottoman sultan Ahmed III in 1728, in the style of the Tulip period. It was a social centre and gathering place during the Ottoman period of Constantinople.

Old Darülfünun building (Turkish: Eski Darülfünun Binası) was a university building constructed next to Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century. It was a three-storey building in neo-Renaissance style that had a great visual impact on Istanbul's urban character. The building's designer was Swiss architect Gaspare Fossati (1809—1883), who was also responsible for extensive restoration of Hagia Sophia. After its construction as a university (Ottoman Turkish: Darülfünun) building in 1854, it was passed on to the Ministries of Finance and then on to the Ministry of Justice and Foundation. Later it was also used by the Ottoman Parliament, and finally served as Palace of Justice. It was destroyed by a fire in 1933.

The Augustaion (Greek: Αὐγουσταῖον) or, in Latin, Augustaeum, was an important ceremonial square in ancient and medieval Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey), roughly corresponding to the modern Aya Sofya Meydanı (Turkish, "Hagia Sophia Square"). Originating as a public market, in the 6th century it was transformed into a closed courtyard surrounded by porticoes, and provided the linking space between some of the most important edifices in the Byzantine capital. The square survived until the late Byzantine period, albeit in ruins, and traces were still visible in the early 16th century.

Hagia Irene (Greek: Αγία Ειρήνη) or Hagia Eirene (Medieval Greek: Ἁγία Εἰρήνη Greek pronunciation: [aˈʝia iˈrini], "Holy Peace", Turkish: Aya İrini), sometimes known also as Saint Irene, is an Eastern Orthodox church located in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. It is one of the few churches in Istanbul that has not been converted into a mosque, as it was used as an arsenal for storing weapons until the 19th century. The Hagia Irene today operates as a museum and concert hall.

The Zeynep Sultan Mosque (in Turkish Zeynep Sultan Camii) is a mosque built in 1769 by Ayazma Mosque's architect Mehmet Tahir Ağa for Ahmed III's daughter Zeynep Sultan. It evokes Byzantine churches because of its architectural style and materials that were used in its construction.

The Caferağa Medrese or Cafer Ağa Madrasa (Turkish: Caferağa Medresesi) is a former medrese, located in Istanbul, Turkey, next to the Hagia Sophia. It was built in 1559 by Mimar Sinan on the orders of Cafer Ağa, during the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (1520-1566). The medrese was transformed by the Turkish Cultural Service Foundation in 1989 into a tourist centre with 15 classrooms/exhibition rooms, a big salon and a garden where traditional Turkish handicrafts such as calligraphy, ceramics, jewelry and so forth are taught, made and sold. It is now recognised as an important centre of Turkish classical arts, run by the Foundation for the Service of Turkish Culture. There is an annual exhibition at the end of each year where students of various classes (ceramics, mosaics, etc.) are given a chance to show case their works which are preselected by their teachers for this particular exhibition. The medrese is located close to the Hagia Sophia - stairs lead down to it from the small street - and to Topkapi Palace. The structure is entered through the main gate which leads into the inner courtyard, around which the former learning rooms are located. There is a restaurant inside that offers a variety of Turkish dishes. The medrese is located within the historical centre of Istanbul's Sultanhamet district, and as such comes within the UNESCO World Heritage Site conservation area which covers the entire district.

The 740 Constantinople earthquake took place on 26 October, 740, in the vicinity of Constantinople and the Sea of Marmara. In Constantinople, the earthquake caused the collapse of many public buildings. The Walls of Constantinople were also damaged. The casualties in Constantinople reportedly included over 1,000 people. The earthquake reportedly destroyed a number of towns in Thrace. It also damaged the cities of Nicaea (İznik), Nicomedia (İzmit), and Praenetus. The historians Theophanes the Confessor (8th-9th century) and George Kedrenos (11th century) reported that the earthquake caused the sea to retire away from the coast in many places. The sea soon returned, and flooded many towns. The description given matches that of a seismic sea-wave (tsunami). The date of the earthquake is recorded by (among others) Anastasius Bibliothecarius (9th century), Joannes Zonaras (12th century), Carolus Sigonius (16th century), Caesar Baronius (16th-17th century), and Sethus Calvisius (16th-17th century).

Sultanahmet Jail (Turkish: Sultanahmet Cezaevi), a former prison in Istanbul, Turkey, is now the luxury Four Seasons Hotel at Sultanahmet. It is located in Sultanahmet neighborhood of Fatih district on the historical peninsula.

The Milion (Greek: Μίλιον or Μίλλιον, Míllion; Turkish: Milyon taşı) was a monument erected in the early 4th century AD in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). It was the Byzantine zero-mile marker, the starting-place for the measurement of distances for all the roads leading to the cities of the Byzantine Empire. It thus served the same function as the Golden Milestone (Milliarium Aureum) in Rome's forum. The domed building of the Milion rested on four large arches, and it was expanded and decorated with several statues and paintings. It survived the Fourth Crusade and Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 but had disappeared by the start of the 16th century. During excavations in the 1960s, some partial fragments of it were discovered under houses in the area.

The Hagia Sofia Mansions Istanbul, Curio Collection by Hilton, previously known as Hotel Yeşil Ev, (literally: Hotel Green House) is a historic wooden mansion, located in the Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, which is used as a hotel after restoration. The premises is run by the Dorak Holding.