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Sumner-Boyd and Freely's Fifth and Sixth Hills, from Karagümrük to Yavuz Selim
Photo: R Prazeres / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Historian's route

Sumner-Boyd and Freely's fifth and sixth hills, from Karagümrük to Yavuz Selim

West from Fatih to the city's fifth and sixth hills: the Nişancı Mehmed Pasha Mosque from Sinan's last years, the Cistern of Aetius, now a football pitch, the Pammakaristos (Fethiye Mosque) with its mosaics, the Cistern of Aspar, now turned into a park, and the Yavuz Selim Mosque overlooking the Golden Horn. We compiled it from the thirteenth walk in Hilary Sumner-Boyd and John Freely's book Strolling Through Istanbul (1972); we added the timings, breaks and practical notes.

DurationHalf day (≈ 4 hours)
Walk≈ 3 km
Stop5
Tickets0
HS

Source: Hilary Sumner-Boyd (1913–1976) and John Freely (1926–2017)Compiled from the walk in chapter 13 of Strolling Through Istanbul (1972) · last checked 26 October 2026

This route was compiled by AnatoliaPass editors from the published recommendations of the person named; the timings, breaks and practical notes are ours. It does not mean that the person recommends or endorses AnatoliaPass.

The story in 4 parts

Two of the seven hills

Part 1The book and its authors

Hilary Sumner-Boyd was born in New York in 1913 and educated there and in England; he spent most of his life in Istanbul, teaching at Robert College, and died in the city on 2 September 1976. John Freely was born in Brooklyn in 1926; a physicist, he came to Istanbul in 1960 to teach at Robert College and over his lifetime wrote dozens of books on Istanbul, the Ottomans and the history of science; he died in 2017. Strolling Through Istanbul, which the two wrote together, was published in Istanbul by Redhouse Press in 1972 and is still in print today in revised editions.

Part 2The city of seven hills

Strolling Through Istanbul tours the historic peninsula by dividing it, like Rome, into seven hills. The fifth hill is the ridge above the Golden Horn where the Yavuz Selim Mosque stands; the sixth is the high ground near the land walls, where Karagümrük and Edirnekapı lie. The book's thirteenth walk starts from Fatih and wanders between these two hills.

Part 3Byzantium's open cisterns

For its water, the Byzantine city relied on aqueducts bringing it from beyond the walls and on great open cisterns. Two of the three great open cisterns built in the 5th century, those of Aetius and Aspar, lie on this route. In Ottoman times market gardens and houses settled inside both, and they became known as 'çukurbostan' (sunken gardens); one is now a stadium, the other a park.

Part 4From monastery to mosque

The Pammakaristos, in the middle of the walk, was home to the Orthodox Patriarchate for a time after the conquest; it was converted into a mosque in 1591. In this chapter the book shows the art of late Byzantium and the Ottoman classical period side by side in the same few streets: on one side one of Sinan's last mosques, on the other gold-ground mosaics.

1 / 4
Respect guidelines
  • Enter mosques in clothing that covers your shoulders and knees; women cover their heads, and shoes come off at the entrance.
  • During prayer times and at Friday midday prayers mosque interiors are closed to visitors; wait in the courtyard at these times or move on to the next stop.
  • Keep your voice down in tombs and graveyards; do not sit or lean on the gravestones.
  • Do not photograph people at prayer or local residents without asking permission.
  • Karagümrük and Çarşamba are quiet, conservative neighbourhoods; keep your voice down in the streets, and ask permission before taking photos in front of homes and shops.
Make your own version
  1. 1

    Nişancı Mehmed Pasha Mosque

    Start: Fatih Mosque; west along Fevzi Paşa Caddesi, then to Nişanca Caddesi, ≈ 12 min · stay 30 min

    The book begins this walk at Fatih; the first stop is this mosque in Karagümrük. According to the inscription over its door, it was begun in 1584 and finished in 1589; as Sinan died in 1588, the mosque is thought to have been completed by his assistant Davud Ağa. The spacious interior, its dome resting on eight piers, is a mature example of the classical period; the design of the tughra of Murad III above the door is attributed to the mosque's founder, who was the nişancı, the official who drew the sultan's monogram.

    Nişancı Mehmed Pasha Mosque
    Photo: R Prazeres / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Visits pause during prayer times; check the times before you go.

  2. 2

    Cistern of Aetius · Vefa Stadium

    ≈ 7 min, north-west · stay 15 min

    An open cistern built in the Byzantine period, once one of the largest in the city. In Ottoman times it became a market garden, and since 1928 it has been a football pitch, known as the Karagümrük or Vefa stadium. The stone walls rising around the pitch mark the cistern's old boundaries.

    Cistern of Aetius · Vefa Stadium
    Photo: CeeGee / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The stadium is closed most days; you can see the walls from the surrounding streets. On match days the area gets crowded, so check the fixtures before you go.

  3. 3

    Fethiye Mosque · Pammakaristos

    ≈ 8 min, east towards Çarşamba · stay 45 min

    The church of the Pammakaristos Monastery, dedicated to the Virgin Mary; after the conquest it served for a time as the Orthodox Patriarchate. In 1591 it was converted into a mosque and named Fethiye ('Conquest') to commemorate the victories of Murad III's reign. The side chapel (parekklesion) is a separate museum section: with its gold-ground mosaics, it holds more Byzantine mosaics than anywhere else in Istanbul after Hagia Sophia and Kariye.

    Fethiye Mosque · Pammakaristos
    Photo: Chris06 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The museum section's opening days and entry fee may change; the mosque section cannot be entered at prayer times. Check before you go.

  4. 4

    Cistern of Aspar · Sultan Selim Çukurbostanı

    ≈ 7 min, south-east · stay 20 min

    An open cistern built in the 5th century, with sides about 150 metres long; it is named after Aspar, the powerful Byzantine general. In Ottoman times market gardens and houses settled inside it, and it became known as the Sultan Selim Çukurbostanı. Today it holds a park, seating and tea stalls; the cistern's high walls still stand at the edge of the park.

    Cistern of Aspar · Sultan Selim Çukurbostanı
    Photo: Nick-D / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  5. 5

    Yavuz Selim Mosque

    ≈ 3 min from the northern edge of the cistern · stay 45 min

    The mosque on the terrace on top of the fifth hill, overlooking the Golden Horn. Built in the name of Selim I and completed in 1522, it is one of the most distinctive examples of the early classical period, with its single great dome and plain interior. Selim the Grim (Yavuz Sultan Selim) is buried in the tomb in the garden. From the terrace beside the mosque you can see Fener below, Hasköy opposite and the long inlet of the Golden Horn.

    Yavuz Selim Mosque
    Photo: R Prazeres / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Visits pause during prayer times; check the tomb's visiting hours before you go.

One more day? Bursa.

Outside Istanbul

≈ 2 h 15 min · fast ferry + bus · Day trip

Why here: The first Ottoman capital. The Green Mosque, the Grand Mosque and Koza Han make an easy day trip; we suggest it if you are staying in Istanbul for more than four days. Not part of this route.

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