Anemas Dungeon

Anemas Dungeons is one of the largest palaces of the Byzantine period. Anemas Dungeons, which are part of the Blaherne Palace, were built adjacent to the old fortifications close to the Golden Horn. It consists of 14 cell rooms and a two-story basement below these rooms. This structure, which is the only underground dungeon that has survived from the Byzantine Empire, was named after Mikhael Anemas, a Byzantine soldier of Arab origin. It is not known for what purpose this dungeon was used after it was conquered, where many famous people such as Emperor Komnenos, Emperor Isaakios and his son Alexios, crown prince Andronikos Palaiologos and Sultan Murad I’s son Savcı Bey were imprisoned. In recent years, the Anemas Dungeon and its cells have become the setting for historical movies.

Dimitri Kantemir’s House

Dimitri Kantemir is one of the most important composers of 18th century Turkish music, who came to Istanbul at the age of 15 and spent 22 years here. Playing a major role in the meeting of Eastern and Western cultures, Cantemir has left permanent traces on the cultural life of Istanbul with his works. The garden where the mansion where Kantemir lived in Fener is located belongs to the Kantakouzenos family, one of the biggest families of Fener. It is said that a lot of money was spent to build the house of Dimitrie Cantemir, who lived between 1688 and 1710.

FENER (TORCH)

Fener is one of the historical districts of Istanbul on the Golden Horn coast. Since the Byzantine period, mostly Greeks have lived in the district where Cibali is on one side and Balat is on the other. In the 17th century, Fener became a place where the wealthy lived with its cut stone houses and richly decorated facades. In the 18th century, aristocratic Greek families built wooden villas around the Patriarchate. The most beautiful places to visit in Fener; Fener Greek Boys’ High School, Women’s Art Museum and Aya Yorgi Metokion Church.

Bulgarian Church

The Bulgarian Church on the shore of the Golden Horn was built by the Bulgarian minority in the Ottoman Empire, who wanted to establish their own church independently of the Fener Orthodox Patriarchate. The church, built of iron, looks like a cross. It is written on the six bells of different sizes in the bell tower of the church that they were cast in Russia for the Bulgarian Church.

Arasta Bazaar

Arasta Bazaar, located between Eyüp and Sultanahmet, is one of the historical bazaars of Istanbul. The bazaar was restored and opened for use in the 1980s. The bazaar, with more than 70 shops selling handicrafts and various goods, was built on the ruins of the Old Byzantine Palace. Arasta Bazaar is also known as Sipahi Czar, because of the fact that sipahi materials were generally sold during the Ottoman period.