Many travelers see only the Old Town and believe they've visited Istanbul. But you can't get a full appreciation for the Istanbul of today without a stroll through the lively, cosmopolitan, and oh-so-European New District. And where better to experience urban Istanbul than Istiklal street (Istiklal Caddesi)—the city's main pedestrian drag, connecting the vast Taksim Square at the top with the historic Galata Tower at the bottom. Along Istiklal street, you experience the living city—this is where you see, smell, hear, taste, feel, and enjoy Istanbul—along with thousands of locals at any time of the day.
Taksim Square (Taksim Meydani) is the heart of Istanbul's New District. The square and its surrounding neighborhoods are like a living, breathing organism, active all through the day and night. And if Taksim is the New District's heart, then Istiklal street is its main artery. Lined with Art Nouveau facades, cafes, restaurants, pubs, bookstores, music shops, art galleries, cinemas, theaters, and a rainbow of shops, Istiklal street is the most modern, cosmopolitan, and European part of Istanbul. Pastry shops and restaurants that once served only the upper crust now open their doors to commoners like you and me.

ORIENTATION

Length of This Walk: Allow three hours, though it'll take longer if you decide to linger in churches and museums.
Getting There: From the Old Town, take the tram all the way to Kabataş, at the end of the line. Exit the tram stop with the Bosphorus on your left, and you'll walk directly into the funicular station (requires a second token). Take the funicular up to the Taksim Square—the first, last, and only stop. Exit following Istiklal Caddesi signs. Traffic Warning: Even though Istiklal street is pedestrian-only, it crosses several other streets that are busy with cars—be careful.
Nostalgic Tram: A "nostalgic tram" runs very quietly up and down Istiklal street between Taksim Square and Tünel. This is handy if you want to skip ahead or backtrack quickly during this walk . But if you're walking, be careful to stay off the tracks.
Pera Museum:, Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 12:00-18:00, closed Mon, Meşrutiyet Caddesi 141, Tepebaşı, tel. 0212/334-9900.
Galata Dervish Monastery: Museum, open Wed-Mon in summer 9:30-17:00, winter 9:00-16:00, closed Tue, last entry 30 min before closing; Performances—25 YTL, on Sun in summer at 17:00, in winter at 15:00, sometimes Sat also, Galip Dede Caddesi 14, Tünel, tel. 0212/245-4141.
Galata Tower:  daily 9:00-20:00, Büyük Hendek Sokak, tel. 0212/293-8180.
Churches: We've mentioned several churches along the course of this walk. These have sporadic hours; if you're near one, drop in to see if it's open.
Art Galleries: Several art galleries have recently opened on İstiklal street (and throughout the surrounding areas). These galleries, which are primarily sponsored by banks, display permanent and temporary exhibitions of both well-established artists and rising stars in the art world. This is a good opportunity to check in on Turkey's often-overlooked contemporary art scene (most are free to enter). While we haven't listed any specific galleries in the text.

THE WALK BEGINS

• Begin at Taksim Square, right next to the Republic Monument.

Taksim Square

Taksim Square (Taksim Meydanı; tahk-seem may-dah-nuh) is the New District's transportation hub, connected to other parts of Istanbul by bus, Metro, funicular, and "nostalgic tram." Taksim Square also marks the beginning of modern Istanbul's trendiest business and residential neighborhoods, which stretch in the direction of the big park behind the line of buses.
At the top of Taksim Square is the big, black, blocky Atatürk Cultural Center, the setting for classical music concerts, opera, and ballet performances (generally late fall through early spring). Events are usually state-subsidized, so tickets are dirt cheap. Consider dropping by this building to check schedules (pick up a seasonal brochure) or to buy tickets. For more details, see the Entertainment chapter. • Now focus on the...

Republic Monument (Cumhuriyet Anıtı)

In 1928, Turkey's leaders sought a way to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the founding of their Republic. They wanted a suitably patriotic monument to decorate Taksim Square—something that would capture the heady excitement of the time. But the city council couldn't afford to fund the project...so the people of Turkey reached into their pockets. Istanbul deputies collected
money from the public, from local and foreign banks, and from other organizations.
The finished product, a lively marble-and-bronze memorial created by Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica, was an immediate success. The bigger statue groups feature the two sides of Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey (see sidebar on this page). On one side, he's wearing his military uniform, as the hero of the War of Independence. On the opposite side, we see Ataturk in civilian clothes, as the first president of modern Turkey, surrounded by figures representing the proclamation of the Republic. The other two sides—with soldiers and waving flags—symbolize victory.
Taksim Square was once the center of the city's water-distribution system. Notice the remnants of this network along the low wall behind the Republic Monument. To the left of this wall, you can see the top of Istiklal street. And behind the row of fast-food signs is the top of Aya Triada Greek Orthodox Church.
• Follow the "nostalgic tram" tracks that loop around the monument to the top of...

istiklal Street

Most of our walk follows this pleasant pedestrian boulevard. Istiklal Caddesi (ees-teek-lahl jahd-deh-see; "Independence Street") is the main drag through the New District. After a devastating 1871 fire, the street was rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style that was in vogue in Europe at the time.
• Walk one block down Istiklal street and take the first left, on an alley called Meselik Sokak (with three ATMs), to Aya Triada Church (set back from the alley, on a courtyard).

Aya Triada Greek Orthodox Church

Aya Triada—or, as the locals call it, the Grand Church—is the largest active Orthodox church in town. If it's open (as it usually is, except during Sunday Mass), step inside. Built in Neo-Gothic style in 1880, the church has some interesting flourishes, such as the delicate icons that line the walls of the sanctuary. Also enjoy the colorful frescoes and Baroque-style decorations on the ceiling and dome. This is the first of many (non-Muslim) churches we'll see along the walk today—constant reminders that historically, this is one of the most tolerant, cosmopolitan areas of Istanbul.
• Head back to Istiklal street and continue three more blocks down the boulevard. About a block before you reach the first and only mosque on the street, lookfor the shop on the left called...

Ali Muhhidin Hacı Bekir

The candy called Turkish delight {lokum in Turkish; loh-koom)—a sweet, flavorful cube of gooey gelatin dusted with powdered sugar, sometimes embedded with nuts—isn't just an export. Turkish kids cheer when their parents bring home a box of lokum—and Hacı Bekir is the best there is Browse their selection; the lokum comes in boxes of all shapes and sizes, packed with many different flavors and add-ins (pistachios are popular). Their almond paste, hard candies, and helva (sesame oil and tahini treat) are also good. Thirsty? Try their unique demirhindi—made from Indian dates, with a sweet-and-tart taste.
• Across the street and a few steps down from Hacı Bekir, look for the ornately decorated entrance to a shopping gallery called...

Rumeli Han

Notice the eclectic decorations on the entrance portal—Greek Ionic columns, lions' heads, Arabic script, and more. The han (a combination marketplace and inn for merchants) was built in the 1870s for the sultan by the same architects who did Dolmabahçe Palace . Later it became a commercial complex with shops, cafes, art studios, and office space on the upper floors. It's hard to tell from here, but this huge complex takes up about a third of the block.
• Continue down Istiklal street, passing the late-16th-century Ağa Mosque, then the street called Sakız Ağacı Caddesi (which leads to the
well-regarded Hacı Abdullah restaurant—). Halfway down the next block, on the left, is the very skinny facade of the...

Alkazar Theater (Alkazar Sineması)

This narrow storefront—with a fancy pseudo-arch supported by little statues on pedestals—hides one of the first movie theaters built in Istanbul, dating from just after World War I. In those first years of the early Republic, it was a gathering place for the aristocracy. Later, when cinema fell out of fashion and other theaters closed down, this one kept its doors open. In the 1970s and 1980s, the only way it could keep paying the bills was to show erotic films. In recent years, the Turkish film industry is coming back, thanks to bigger-budget attractions, foreign films, and the buzz created by Istanbul's International Film Festival. Today the theater prefers to show European art-house films.
A few more steps down Istiklal street, look down the first street to the right. This alley, called Yeşilçam (yeh-sheel-chahm; "Green Pine"), used to be the heart of film industry— the "Turkish Hollywood." While actors, directors, and producers have moved on to other parts of town, "Yeşilçam" is still the nickname for the local film industry—and in Turkey, filmmaking is all about making a good movie on a very small budget.
• Walk another two blocks on Istiklal street. On the right (just before Sahne Sokak), look for an ornately decoratedfacade with a beautiful stained-glass window above the door...

Flower Passage (Çiçek Pasajı)

This building is the talk of the town, often raved about in guidebooks and travel magazines. The original Flower Passage was built in the Neo-Baroque style in the 1870s. Until the 1940s, it was filled only with actual flower shops. Then, over time, lively pubs and taverns began to sprout inside. It became a gathering place for writers, newspaper correspondents, students, and intellectuals sitting around beer-barrel tables.
But in 1978, a century after it was built, the Flower Passage collapsed due to lack of maintenance. It remained in ruins for a decade, until the city decided to rebuild it. What you're looking at is a nostalgic reproduction of a place that's long gone. While some people enjoy the new version, most locals are skeptical. Part of the original Flower Passage's charm was its casual, spontaneous atmosphere—nothing like the white-tablecloth uniformity of today's version. (Even the font on all the restaurant signs is the same.) It's nicely genteel, but somehow lacks soul. Locals say it's way too organized for a casual get-together over a drink or two. Consider dropping in here for a meal, or try the cheaper and more diverse cuisine next door at Otantik Anadolu Yemekleri (both options described on page 282 of the Eating chapter).
 
• Now leave Istiklal street for a while, and take the alley (Sahne Sokak) to the right, around the corner of the Flower Passage. This is the renowned...

Fish Market (Balık Pazarı)

True to its name, this is the place in the New District to shop for fresh fish. But you'll find other uniquely Turkish taste treats here, too. A few steps into the alley, notice Şampiyon Kokoreç on the left. Kokoreç (koh-koh-retch; sounds—but doesn't taste—like "cockroach") is chopped-up sheep intestines, grilled and served with tomatoes, green peppers, and fresh seasonings and herbs. (If this seems inedible to you, remember that sausages are traditionally packed in sheep intestines.) You can get kokoreç by itself on a plate, or in a sandwich. Ask for a stand-alone porsiyon (pohr-see-yohn), a half-sandwich (yarım; yah-ruhm), or a quarter-sandwich {çeyrek; chey-rehk). Try the çeyrek first, to be sure you like it, before digging into a porsiyon. Not bad—it basically tastes like mutton. To enhance the flavor, doll up your sandwich with the hot peppers in the jars. As you munch, ponder how seriously Turks take their kokoreç: Recently a rumor flew through the streets that stringent new EU regulations would outlaw the beloved kokoreç. Before the story was proved untrue, many Turks did some soul-searching and decided they'd gladly give up EU membership for kokoreç.
Continuing down the Fish Market, you'll notice that several delicatessens and restaurants are moving into the fish-sellers' turf. But there are still plenty of fresh-fish and produce stands, as well as spice shops and butchers. As you wander along the fish stalls and tiny shops selling herbs, dried fruits, and nuts, you really see the work-a-day reality of Istanbul.
About halfway down the alley on the right, a narrow door leads into the courtyard of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Trinity, or Three Altars (Surp Yerrortutyan). Just beyond (also on the right) is the intersection with the street called Nevizade Sokak, lined with lively, down-to-earth restaurants and meyhanes (may-hah-neh; taverns). The ambience here is local, and the service is usually attentive. It's busiest near sunset, when locals stop by after work to chat with friends and have a drink or an extended dinner. The alley gets really active on weekends, and in good weather the action is all outdoors. While it's not necessarily cheap (check the prices before you order), it's a fun, casual scene.
• Back on Istiklal, continue walking down the street. To your left, you'll begin to see the wall and gate for Galatasaray High School—more on that later. (In case you're desperate, there are public WCs down the alley just before the wall.) Across from the high school (on the right side of Istiklal street), look for...

Mado Cafe

This is a local favorite for Turkish-style ice cream. Made with goat's milk and wild orchid pollen, it has a thick, stretchy texture.
The cafe also serves traditional Turkish desserts such as baklava. Two scoops of ice cream over a portion of baklava is a real treat.
Next door to Mado is one of the best examples of Art Nouveau architecture on Istiklal street (though it may be covered with scaffolding for renovation). This building was constructed in 1875 for the Sivajian family. Later on, the Post and Telegraph Administration (PTT) bought the building and converted it into a central post office. Now the post office has moved out, and it's being turned into a sports museum.
• Across the street, sitting in the middle of a huge garden surrounded by a wall marked with a gigantic ornamental gate, is...

Galatasaray High School

Founded in 1870, this "Royal School" (Mekteb-i Sultani) was designed to properly raise and educate a new generation of public servants and officials. Its founders hoped to boost the Westernization of the struggling Ottoman Empire. Classes were taught in Turkish and in French (the lingua franca of Europe at the time). The school's first principal was a visionary Frenchman, who pursued a secular curriculum years before this was common in Europe. Non-Muslims were invited to study here—but that idea outraged the Catholic Pope, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, and the leading Muslim clerics. As the Ottoman Empire continued to decline, so did the quality of education. Many of its teachers were sent to fight in World War I, and some never returned. In 1917, the year before the war ended, only five students graduated. But after the Turkish Republic was founded, Galatasaray High School's fortunes improved. Today it's one of the best schools in the country, with a primary school, a high school, and a university.
• Just past the high school wall is a small square decorated with an abstract monument celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Turkish Republic (a post office—marked PTT-—is just behind it). This is the halfway point of Istiklal street. Continue down Istiklal. After the street curves left, go down the first street to the right (not the little alley after Simit Sarayı, but the one after the Turkish delight store). Head down the alley until it dead-ends, then continue left. At the end of that little street, you'llfind the...

Rejans Russian Restaurant

After the 1917 Russian Revolution, many of the deposed czar's officers fled to Turkey. For the next 30 years, the New District became an enclave of Russian culture, with Russian restaurants, pubs, music, shows, and dances. Though they had lost the war for their homeland, these Russian transplants spent the rest of their lives pretending they were still living high on the hog in Mother Russia. The locals continued to call them by their former titles: Baron Colonel, Count General, Grand Duke, and so on.
Founded by Russian aristocrats, Rejans (reh-zhahn)—named for the Restaurant Regence in Paris—still retains the caviar-and-vodka trappings of that era. Today's owners are proud of the restaurant's heritage, and are eager to share the stories of famous patrons; for example, look for Atatürk's photo on the wall. During World War II, the German ambassador Franz von Papen enjoyed dining here frequently. Since Turkey was neutral in that war, Istanbul became a hotbed for under-the-table negotiations and espionage—Casablanca with a Turkish accent. While some Turks criticized President ismet inönü for not entering that war to regain territory lost in World War I, today most historians agree this decision helped spare Istanbul (and the rest of the country) from the devastation that swept across Europe.
Oh, yeah—you can eat here, too .
• Continue up the alley back to Istiklal street. Emerging from the alley, turn right on Istiklal and take a few more steps down the street, watching on your left for the stone arches and metal grillwork marking the entrance to...

St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church

Remember that even back in Roman times, today's New District was the place where Western-oriented minorities settled. When Franciscan priests came here in the 13th century, they built a church in the Galata district (near the end of this walk). That church became known as the Hagia Sophia of the Roman Catholic minority in Constantinople, which was then mostly Eastern Orthodox. After that church burned down in the late 17th century, the Franciscans chose to rebuild on this site. The current Neo-Gothic building, with a particularly impressive facade, dates from 1912. St. Anthony's still serves an active Roman Catholic congregation with weekly Mass, and the Christmas service here has become a major social event in Istanbul, attended by Turkey's jet set (even many Muslims). If the church is open, feel free to take a look inside.
• Continue a couple of blocks down Istiklal street. On the right, just past Gloria Jean's Coffees, you'll see a taller, brownish glass building, slightly recessedfrom the street. This is Odakule (oh-dah-koo-leh), an office building. From here, we'll detour off Istiklal street to a pair of interesting sights, then return to the main drag.
Take the pedestrian passage through the middle of Odakule. When you emerge at the other end, you're on the street Meşrutiyet Caddesi. Directly to your left is the entrance to the...

Pera Museum

Open only since 2005, this smart new museum beautifully displays its modest but good collection of historic weights and measures, Kütahya tiles, and Oriental paintings and portraits. It's housed in a renovated late-19th-century building typical of the once high-end Pera neighborhood. Go up the steps, buy a ticket (WCs and bookshop nearby), and continue by elevator or stairs up to the exhibits.
Floor 1 (one floor up from the lobby) displays weights and measures through history from Anatolia (the area now called Turkey). Circling the room clockwise, you'll watch them evolve more or less chronologically—from prehistoric times to the Republic—to suit an ever-more-sophisticated economy. Look for the weights shaped like fine statues.
Also on Floor 1 is a collection of Kütahya tiles. During the 18th and 19th centuries—the scope of this collection—Iznik tiles were used by the Ottoman court, Çanakkale tiles were for the common folk...and Kütahya tiles were for both. This exhibit shows off pieces that Turks of that time bought to decorate their homes.
On Floor 2, you'll find the museum's most striking exhibit: one of the world's best collections of Oriental paintings. More than 300 canvases capture both royal pomp and everyday life during Ottoman times. Dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries, most of these were actually painted by visiting Europeans, who were mesmerized by the "mysteries of the Orient" they found here.
Imagine a painter from buttoned-down Victorian England or Hapsburg Austria traveling to this faraway land, with its pointy minarets, exotically scented spices, and seductive harems. In fact, one of the themes of the exhibit is Ottoman women and harems, and the way they were distorted through the European lens. (For more on the truth behind harems, see page 154.) You'll also see works by the only Turkish Oriental painter, Osman Hamdi. Watch for Hamdi's masterpiece, The Tortoise Trainer. The message: Like training slow-motion tortoises, life requires patience. Rounding out the collection is a Who's Who of royal portraits, depicting both Ottoman bigwigs (find the sultans you've been learning about) and foreign ambassadors wearing Ottoman clothing (to curry favor with the sultan).
Floors 3 through 5 host good temporary exhibits. • As you leave the Pera Museum, turn left on Meşrutiyet Caddesi and walk about a hundred yards. You're heading for the large, light-green building on the right side of the street, at the end of the long terrace, just past the multistory Hotel Pera Marmara. This venerable building is the...

Pera Palas Hotel

By the late 19th century, the Orient Express train service from Western Europe had become all the rage (see page 95). But Istanbul lacked a European-style hotel elegant enough to impress the posh passengers arriving on those trains. To satisfy upper-crust demand, the company that operated the Orient Express built the top-of-the-top Pera Palas Hotel in 1892. Since then, the hotel has been an eyewitness to several landmark events: the fall of an empire, the birth of a republic, two world wars, and the creation of a beloved novel.
Allied forces used the hotel as a base during the occupation of Istanbul at the end of World War I; in World War II, it was a hotbed of spies and counter-spies. The guest book reads like a history lesson: Atatürk, King Edward VIII, Yugoslav President Tito, Jacqueline Kennedy, Mata Hari, and Agatha Christie (who stayed here several times in the 1920s and '30s, while she was writing Murder on the Orient Express).
Step inside and take a look around. The time-warp marbled ballroom and restaurant on the main floor—with giant chandeliers, walls and columns dripping with stucco, and antique furniture—evoke the hotel's glory days, and still seem ready to host the ghosts of those original Orient Express passengers. If you venture up to the rooms, notice that virtually every door is marked with a small plaque naming a celebrity who slept there. (The hotel still hosts guests, but the rooms haven't been renovated in decades.) The nostalgic iron elevator was the first electric elevator in the city—and still plods its way up and down the atrium.
 
For a more organized visit, the hotel informally shows off the rooms once occupied by two famous guests: Agatha Christie and Ataturk. Go to the reception desk and ask if someone has time to show you around. The bellhop— who often provides English commentary—expects a tip of about 5 YTL per person for the visit. You'll be escorted up to Agatha Christie's room (#411), with a glassed-in bookcase and a few other artifacts. Ask to see the hiding place of the key to her diary, which Agatha squirreled away behind the door in this room until it was found (supposedly with the help of a psychic medium) after her death. You'll also see the "Ataturk Museum" in the room where the Father of the Turks frequently stayed (#101), now preserved as a shrine. • As you leave the Pera Palas, take the alley called Peremeci Sokak directly across the street, andfollow it straight ahead about 400 yards to where it meets Istiklal street. Turn left on Istiklal and walk a half block to...

Markiz Passage

This nook is a fascinating flashback to the architectural styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Inside, be sure to check out the pastry shop called Markiz Pastanesi. This historical landmark— with gorgeous Art Nouveau tile paintings—is one of Istanbul's oldest and most famous pastry shops. Step inside to be transported to the Golden Age of Istiklal street—a time when places like the Pera Palas attracted the rich and famous, rather than cobwebs. This venerable pastry shop still gathers crowds on their way to the theater. Try the special peach-flavored tea (6 YTL; other teas-4 YTL, 5-6-YTL coffees, 7-9-YTL iced coffees, 6-9-YTL slices of cake, daily 9:00-20:30, in Markiz Passage, Istiklal Caddesi 362, tel. 0212/244-9039).
• Exiting the passage, turn right and continue along Istiklal street. Just ahead on the left is the Dutch Consulate, on whose grounds is the...

Dutch Chapel

The Union Church of Istanbul is one of the oldest congregations of its kind anywhere in the world, founded by American missionaries from the Congregational Church in the 1830s. Soon after, the Dutch ambassador invited the congregation to build a permanent home on the embassy grounds. In the years since, the church has attracted many English-speaking, Protestant worshippers. Unfortunately, the chapel's interior is generally closed except for Sunday services: at 9:30 (contemporary worship in English), at 11:00 (traditional worship in English), and at 13:30
• If you want to try to get a closer look at the chapel, take the alley called Postacılar Sokak down along the side of the consulate; the chapel's entrance is on the left, partway down the hill.
Otherwise, continue two more blocks on Istiklal street. Within a half-block on your left, you'll see steps leading down to yet another church: the Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary, one of the oldest active churches of Istanbul.
Past the Swedish Consulate (on the left), Istiklal street widens and jogs to the right. This "square"—more a wide spot in the street—is called Tünel Meydanı. Locals simply call this area...

Tünel

To Istanbul natives, "Tünel" (tew-nehl) refers both to this neighborhood (at the bottom point of Istiklal street), and to the underground train that goes from here to the bank of the Golden Horn, below. Look for the entrance to the Tünel subway behind the last stop of the "nostalgic tram," at the far end of the square.
In the 19th century, as the Golden Horn became the bustling commercial hub of Istanbul, the narrow alley connecting Istiklal street to the waterway below wasn't sufficient for transporting the increasing volume of goods and people. When French engineer Henri Gavand visited here, and saw 50,000 people walking or riding their horses up and down this hill each day, he decided there must be a better way. Funded by the British government, and approved by the sultan, Gavand spent four years building a tunnel for an underground subway train. When it was finished in 1875, Tünel was only the second subterranean train in the world (after London's Tube). The cars were lit by gas lamps, and had no roof or seats, so passengers had to stand. Initially the public wasn't comfortable traveling underground, so several of the train cars carried goods and livestock. But ultimately the efficiency and ease of the Tünel trip won out—even though the project had far exceeded its budget, Tünel quickly became a cash cow.
Locals still use this old-fashioned subway to get between Istiklal street and Karaköy (a few blocks down the hill, near the Galata Bridge on the Golden Horn). At Karaköy, you can catch the main tram line, which connects to the Old Town (Sultanahmet stop) and beyond. Riding the Tünel is covered by normal public-transit tokens and tickets (1.30 YTL for a single-ride token; see "Public Transportation Tickets" on page 30 in Orientation).
• You could use the Tunel to zip down to the Golden Horn now. But for a few more interesting sights, and a more colorful route down, keep walking above-ground with us. Head down the alley that branches straight off the end of Istiklal street (to the left of the Tunel entrance), Galip Dede Sokak. This alley is lined with shops selling electronics and Turkish and Western musical instruments. After a few steps, look to the left, for the entrance to the...

Galata Dervish Monastery (Galata Mevlevihanesi)

This collection of religious buildings is an enclave of "Whirling Dervishes," or Mevlevi (mehv-leh-vee). In the 13th century, a Muslim mystic named Rumi (better known to Turks as Mevlana, meaning "Master" in Persian) began to incorporate whirling meditation into his teachings. By spinning the body in a circle, the Dervish becomes part of the universal harmony A Mevlevihane (mehv-leh-vee-hah-neh) is a gathering place or residence for Dervishes—similar to  a monastery in Christian Europe.
This Mevlevihane is one of the few meeting places for the Dervishes left in Istanbul. Today it also houses a humble, fairly dull museum teaching about the Whirling Dervishes. Better yet, once a week you can actually watch the Dervishes whirl. While touristy "Whirling Dervish" performances are easy to find at Istanbul theaters and restaurants, the one here is the real deal—a religious ritual rather than a tourist show (25 YTL, Sun at 17:00 in summer, Sun at 15:00 in winter, sometimes also on Sat, lasts two hours—too long for some, confirm ahead by visiting or calling tel. 0212/245-4141). Tickets are sold only in person (no online or phone reservations); show up 30-60 minutes before the performance starts to be sure you get a ticket. Once inside, it's open seating, so try to get a seat as close as you can to the center of the hall.
While wandering the grounds or watching the Dervishes whirl, consider the theology behind this unusual ceremony (called "Sema"). Rumi believed that the purpose of life was to purify oneself from the material desires of the flesh that entrap the soul, such as greed, rage, and jealousy. Once free from these influences, a person's soul can attain eternal happiness. To accomplish this, one must "die before death"—so the Dervish ritual symbolizes finding enlightenment through the death of one's self (unchaining the soul from worldly desires). Everything in the universe whirls, from the smallest to the largest particle. So by whirling, the Dervish becomes one with the created and the Creator. Even the costume worn by Dervishes evokes death: A tall camel-felt hat, resembling a tombstone, and black cloak that represents earthly attachments. As the ritual begins, the black cloak is removed, revealing a long, white dress—similar to the shroud deceased Muslims are wrapped in when they are buried.
• Leaving the monastery, turn left and continue steeply down Galip Dede Sokak about 400 more yards (following the brick paving when the road jogs). After passing the mosque on your left, look right for the alley leading to the...

Galata Tower

This 205-foot-tall stone tower is the centerpiece of the Galata district. "Galata" comes from the word gala, or milk, from the time when the hillside here was used by sheep-herders and dairies. In the Middle Ages, when Byzantines controlled the historic core of the city, this was Genoese territory. This tower—sometimes called the "Genoese Tower"—was part of a mid-14th-century fortification. But, with a key location facing the Byzantine capital across the Golden Horn, the dramatic tower's purpose was likely as much to show off as to defend. During the Ottoman period, it was used as a fire tower, barracks, and a dungeon.
Today, the tower is a tourist attraction—offering visitors the best view of Istanbul. Climb the little staircase around behind the tower, take the elevator to the seventh-floor restaurant, and go to the observation terrace.
As you enjoy the view, ponder the strange-but-true story of the 17th-century aviation pioneer Hazerfen Ahmet. According to legend, Hazerfen Ahmet was so inspired by the drawings and models of Leonardo da Vinci that he built his own set of artificial wings, which allowed him to fly several miles from the top of this tower, across the Bosphorus, to Uskudar on Asian Istanbul. What happened to him next is unclear: Some say he was awarded a sack of gold by the sultan, while others claim that the clergy—who didn't believe that humans were supposed to fly—had him exiled to North Africa.