The Seven Hills Of Istanbul: Tracing The City’s Roots

The Seven Hills Of Istanbul: Tracing The City’s Roots

Like Rome, Istanbul was built on seven hills, but this isn’t a canny coincidence. The Byzantine Empire
built the city on seven hills to proclaim themselves as the new Rome. It was a deliberate snub to the
former grand empire in the beginning stages of decline.

On top of the seven hills of Istanbul, they built churches, and when the Ottoman Empire invaded the city
that by then was known as Constantinople, they built mosques instead. Anyone with a passion for
Istanbul’s history can visit the hills sitting in the European Fatih district and discover Byzantine and
Ottoman landmarks, palaces, places of worships and much more that tell the story of its illustrious past.
Let’s find out what to see on which hill.

Exploring the Seven Hills of Istanbul

1: Topkapi and Hagia Sophia

The old historical centre sitting in the current Sultanahmet district is the first and most significant hill.
From here, Greek settlers first built up the Byzantium city, and Ottoman sultans ruled over their vast
empire from Topkapi Palace, a sprawling complex that was, in fact, a mini-city within a city. Both realms
saw many advantages of placing their ruling centres here because the peninsula surrounded by water on
three sides was perfect for a fortress. As a hub of grand power for over 2000 years, when Turkey
changed their capital from Istanbul to Ankara in 1920, it lost its supreme status.

2: Cemberlitas Hill

Sitting a short distance away, the great forum of Constantine sat on Cemberlitas Hill. These days, just
the bottom half of the 330AD Constantine column, also nicknamed the burnt pillar is still on the show.
The 18th-century Nuruosmaniye Mosque, its other famous landmark, is instead reaching for prestigious
status by awaiting approval to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

3: Beyazit Hill – The Seven Hills Of Istanbul

Beyazait was home to the Theodosius Grand Forum. Once again, little of it remains, but the hill still has a
claim to fame through two prominent landmarks. The 16th-century Süleymaniye Mosque designed by
Mimar Sinan, the Ottoman Empire’s favourite architect, belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It
sits next to Beyazit square also known as freedom square. Otherwise, most tourists to Istanbul head to
the second famous landmark for souvenir shopping. The Grand Bazaar, a maze of alleys and shops is
also one of the largest markets in the world.

4: Fatih: The Conqueror’s Hill

During the Byzantine Empire, the Holy Apostles Church, an important religious building of that time sat
on this hill. Over time, it crumbled, and when the Ottomans invaded, they cleared the ruins and built the
15th century Fatih Mosque. It seems like fate wasn’t kind to this religious building either. Damaged by an
earthquake, it had to be rebuilt in the 18th century. Such is its esteemed status, prominent people buried
in the courtyard include Mehmet the Conqueror who instigated the Byzantine Empire’s fall by invading
Constantinople at the age of just 21.

5: Yavuz Selim: The Fifth Hill

The Cukurbostan neighborhood is home of the fifth hill where the 16th century Yavuz Selim Mosque
stands. Once the location of Aspar Cistern, a Byzantine open-air water reservoir, it’s the closest hill to
the Golden Horn separating the two sides of European Istanbul. While here, visitors should also take a
slight detour to Balat and Fener, old Greek and Jewish quarters that are full of surprises. Popular walking
tours provide a cultured look at these two prominent and nostalgic neighborhoods including prominent
buildings like the Greek High School and Ecumenical Patriarchate building.

6: Edirnekapi: Sun and the Moon – The Seven Hills Of Istanbul

Sitting across a valley from Yavuz Selim Mosque, the Edirnekapi quarter was the highest point of the
walled city. Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned the most prominent landmark, the 16th-century
Mihrimah Sultan Mosque for his daughter. Staying in trend with other famous mosques of Istanbul,
architect Mimar Sinan also designed it. Hundreds of windows makes it a bright and airy space, and
original mother-of-pearl jewels appear on the main gate. This mosque also stands out from other royal
places of worship because it only has one minaret.

7: Sumbul Efendi: The Old Slave Market

Coming to the seventh hill sitting in the Sumbul Efendi neighbourhood, our last prominent landmark to
visit is Kocanmustafapasa, that was a 13th-century Byzantine church and later converted to a mosque.
As well as being home to the Forum of Arcadius (ox,) next door to the mosque is the tomb of Sundul
Efendi, a follower of the Sufi order after whom the neighbourhood is named after. Arriving here, we have
walked the path of the seven hills of Istanbul, a lesser talked about, but important fact of the city’s
history. If you have time left, find more things to see and do in our Istanbul blog.

The Seven Hills Of Istanbul: Tracing The City’s Roots

Author: Maximos Real Estate