Experience

Zeyrek Çinili Hamam

Istanbul, Türkiye

Zeyrek Çinili Hamam was designed by Mimar Sinan for Ottoman admiral Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha. Restoration revealed tile fragments and archaeological objects, now interpreted alongside the bath’s domed rooms and history of water.

Guide

Zeyrek Çinili Hamam was commissioned by Admiral Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha and designed by Mimar Sinan between 1540 and 1546. The bath’s name refers to its distinctive tiles, many of which were damaged or removed after fires and earthquakes in the eighteenth century.

Continue exploring

Discover the full story

Keep reading with a travel pass and explore every full guide and tour.

Upgrade

Quick facts

  • The bath was commissioned by Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha and designed by Mimar Sinan.
  • Construction dates to approximately 1540–1546.
  • Restoration uncovered tile fragments and archaeological objects dating from the fifth to twentieth centuries.

More places in Istanbul

museum

Istanbul, Türkiye

Aşiyan Museum

Aşiyan Museum preserves the house that poet Tevfik Fikret designed and lived in from 1906 to 1915. Its name means “nest,” and the rooms and garden connect the writer’s domestic life with a wider community of Turkish literary figures.

landmark

Istanbul, Türkiye

Atatürk Library

Atatürk Library’s hexagonal roof forms and lanterns shape how daylight enters the reading spaces. Designed by Sedad Hakkı Eldem and Hamdi Şensoy, the building reinterprets traditional central plans through modern materials and geometry.

landmark

Istanbul, Türkiye

Basilica Cistern

Beneath Sultanahmet’s crowded streets, the Basilica Cistern holds a forest of columns above a vast underground reservoir. Its dim water and repeated supports reveal the hidden infrastructure that helped sustain Constantinople’s palaces and public buildings.

square

Istanbul, Türkiye

Beyazıt Square

Beyazıt Square occupies the footprint of an ancient imperial forum and now connects Istanbul University, Beyazıt Mosque, booksellers, and the Grand Bazaar. Its changing names and uses make it a meeting point between Roman, Ottoman, and modern civic life.

landmark

Istanbul, Türkiye

Beylerbeyi Palace

Beylerbeyi Palace faces the Bosphorus as both a summer residence and a state guesthouse. Built under Sultan Abdülaziz between 1863 and 1865, it combines European exterior influences with features of a traditional Ottoman house, reflecting its role as a royal retreat for visiting dignitaries.

landmark

Istanbul, Türkiye

Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque’s six minarets and cascading domes shape the Sultanahmet skyline, while its interior is known for İznik tilework. Built under Ahmed I, it faces Hagia Sophia across a square layered with Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman history.