Beautiful Seven hills of Istanbul

The seven hills are  located in the area within the walls. Six of them  lie among the Golden Horn, while the seventh lies more  close to Marmara sea. On  each hill we can admire monumental religious buildings (churches under the Byzantines, imperial mosques under the Ottomans).

The first hill – Topkapı palace hill with heihg 30 – 40 metres is located on historical peninsula. This hill was always center of  public  life.  On this  hill we  can admire  bot the Bisantine and  Ottoman buildings.  Such  the Hagia Sofia, the Sultan Ahmed mosque, Topkapi palace, the Ibrahim Pasa palace, Hipodrome, and  so many  others ...

On the second hill  50 m  above the  sea  are to be found the Nuruosmaniye Mosque, Grand Bazaar and Column of Constantine. The second hill is divided from the first by a fairly deep valley running from Babiali on the east Eminönü.

The third hill  - Beyazid hill  60 m hill  It is  occupied by the main buildings of Istanbul University, the Bayezid II Mosque to the south and the Süleymaniye Mosque on the north. The southern slopes of the hill descend to Kumkapi and Langa.

The fourth hill- Fatih hill  was one of the most prestigious. During the  Byzantine  there  stood the Church of the Holy Apostles and then  Ottoman was  the Fatih Mosque and Külliye built  there. It  slopes down rather steeply to the Golden Horn on the north and, rather more gently, to Aksaray on the south.

On the fifth hill – Yavuzselim hill  we find the Mosque of Sultan Selim. The fifth and the sixth hills are separated by the valley running down on the west to Balat on the shore of the Golden Horn.

On the sixth hill – Edirnekapı hill   is highest one  from  seven hills  reaching an altitude of 70 meters.  There  are to be found the districts of Edirnekapı and Ayvansaray. Its gentle slopes run out beyond the line of thedefense walls.  We  can admire  here beautiful work of architect Sinan including Mihrimah Sultan Mosque.

The seventh hill, known in Byzantine times as the Xērolophos , or "dry hill," it extends from Aksaray to the Theodosian Walls and the Marmara. It is a broad hill with three summits producing a triangle with apices at Topkapı, Aksaray, and Yedikule. During  the  Ottoman period was  built  here the Haseki Külliye, Haseki *sultan Mosque and Bayrampaşa  too.