The Most Impressive Buildings in Istanbul

Located right next to the Selimiye Barracks is the equally beautiful building that now serves as the Haydarpaşa campus of Marmara University. Built in 1827 by French and Italian architects Alexandre Vallaury ve Raimondo D’Aronco, the structure was Turkey’s first medical school.

Built by Istanbul’s famous architecture firm, Emre Arolat Architects, the Sancaklar Mosque is anything but your traditional religious structure. After climbing down a slope of natural stone stairs, a concrete slab canopy hides the interior of a mosque that is a simple cave-like space devoid of the usual decoration.

Another one of Istanbul’s striking modern structures, preeminent Turkish fashion house Vakko’s headquarters was completed by New York based Rex Architects in 2010. The building is a wonder composed of steel and glass panels, both reflecting its surroundings as well as offering a glimpse into the stylish offices within.

Hidden behind a large set of doors that seem to separate the present from the past (the busy street from the historic structure and its courtyard) the former St. Eugene Palace is a real discovery. A former palace turned French orphanage, the site became the workshop of one of the city’s last plaster-cast artisans (currently called Zanaat Atelye), including a museum of handmade molds including stuccos, friezes, reliefs, and cornices.