Istanbul University

Istanbul University Review

The main campus of Turkey's oldest institution of higher learning originally served as the Ottoman war ministry—hence the magnificent gateway arch facing Beyazit Square and the grandiose, martial style of the main buildings, which surround a long greensward filled with giant plane trees. The white marble 85-meter (279-foot) Beyazit Tower, built in 1828 by Mahmud II as a fire-watch station, is the tallest structure in Old Stamboul and still one of the most recognizable landmarks in the area. Though it can no longer be climbed, it's worth seeing up close. Because of its history as a nexus of political activism over the past several decades, the campus is largely closed to the public, though in theory tourists are allowed entrance from 9am to 3pm on weekdays. If you can get in, proceed through the main rectorate building to the courtyard and garden behind it, from which there is a stunning view overlooking the Süleymaniye Camii.