istanbul - C2C

discussed and settled. İbrahim Pasha was the
vizier and son-in-law of Sultan Süleyman the
Magnificent, and his palace was build near the
Hippodrome. This building serves as the
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, on
the edge of the square. The museum exhibits
valuable Seljuk and Ottoman carpets and other
artefacts covering a long period of history
ranging back to the 7th century. We recommend
visitors to spare time for the museum since the
production of knotted carpets was one of the
most important artistic activities of the Islamic
countries.
Binbirdirek Cistern
Binbirdirek Sarnıcı (Cistern of Philoxenos)
is another monumental building that can be
visited on the same site. This was the second
largest cistern of İstanbul after Yerebatan. As the
Ottomans preferred running instead of still water
it fell into disuse and was even forgotten for a
long period of time. Its construction started in the
4th century, and it had 264 columns supporting
the vaults. At present it hosts occasional artistic
exhibitions. One of the most important buildings
around the Hippodrome was the Büyük Saray
(Great Palace), which was the first imperial
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