Beyoglu Istanbul Top 3 Places To Visit – Galata and Museums

Beyoglu, Galata Tower and museums are the best places to visit in Istanbul. Beyoglu is a very popular district located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is one of the historical districts in Istanbul, and Beyoglu is also famous for its nightlife. Beyoglu, also known as Pera, is often confused with Taksim, but Taksim is the most popular district of Beyoglu.

Beyoglu district, whose history dates back to ancient times, has been one of the favorite regions of Istanbul since the 1800s. Since then, it has been one of Istanbul’s most cosmopolitan neighborhoods and is still home to some of the city’s best shopping and nightlife venues and an ever-increasing selection of cool venues.

Beyoglu is also famous for its cinemas, theaters and Yeşilçam Street, where Turkish cinema was set in the middle of the 20th century. Here; There are private museums, painting collections, second-hand booksellers, places where you can find anything you want, and an atmosphere that embraces all people. Istanbul Beyoglu Best places to visit.

Galata tower

Galata Tower: The construction date of the Galata Tower, which was known as the Christ Tower in the past, is not known exactly. However, among the estimates made regarding the construction date of the Galata Tower, the 500s AD are the most cited. This tower, which is the most important and oldest monument in the historical Galata District; It has been used throughout history for different purposes by the Romans, Venetians, Genoese and Ottomans.

Galata, one of the oldest towers in the world, was built in 528 by the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius to be used as a lighthouse and fire watchtower. The tower, which became unusable after the fires, was restored as an annex building to the Galata walls, which were surrounded by the walls, although the Genoese living in the region were forbidden. They named the tower they built using masonry stones as the “Jesus Tower”.

The tower, which was captured by the Turks in 1453, was constantly renovated and repaired. The building, which could not survive the fires, was damaged again over the years, but was repaired and made better. 

Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum

Galata Mevlevihanesi Museum, known as the Divan Literature Museum until recently, took its current form as a result of the studies that started in 2007 and continued until 2011.

Artifacts of the Galata Mevlevi House: Calligraphy plates of the period, musical instruments and clothes, tools and equipment bearing the Mevlana culture are exhibited in the Galata Mevlevi House Museum and are greatly appreciated by the visitors. Visitors have the opportunity to obtain important information about that period through museum visits.

Pera Museum

The Orientalist Painting Collection, which contains more than three hundred works, is located in the museum. In this collection, there are works of European orientalists from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century. The characteristic of these orientalists is that they were painters influenced by Ottoman culture. In addition, the Tortoise Trainer painting, which is one of Osman Hamdi Bey’s works, is also exhibited here.

The collection sections in the museum are as follows; Anatolian Weights and Measures, Intersecting Worlds, Coffee Break and Osman Hamdi Bey collection exhibitions.