Turkey · İstanbul · Fatih
Aksaray, Fatih — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Mehmet II settled migrants here in the 15th century and their home town's name stuck: Aksaray, a dense Fatih quarter around the Şehzade Mosque.
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Where to stay in Aksaray
How the choice of base plays out on the ground.
Aksaray packs a great deal into just under a square kilometre, and a bed here puts the Şehzade Mosque, the Museum of Turkish Calligraphy Art and the Bayezid II, Turkish Bath Culture Museum inside an easy walk. Fatih surrounds it. Anything booked here trades space for proximity, since the mosques and museums of this corner of Istanbul Province stand within a short walk instead of a ride across the wider district.
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Şehzade Mosque side
the Şehzade Mosque and the Museum of Turkish Calligraphy Art share one short stretch of Aksaray, putting the quarter's largest set-piece and its script collection a block from each otherFind hotels in Şehzade Mosque sidetravellers tracing the Harbour of Eleutherios and the Amastrianum under later streetsHarbour of Eleutherios ground
the site of the Harbour of Eleutherios and the Amastrianum belongs to this part of Aksaray, with the Peribleptos Manastırı, the Bodrum Mosque and the Fenari Isa Mosque standing on the same groundFind hotels in Harbour of Eleutherios groundmuseum days spanning the İstanbul Üniversitesi Rıdvan Çelikel Arkeoloji Müzesi and the Turkish Pharmacy Museumİstanbul Üniversitesi museum streets
the İstanbul Üniversitesi Rıdvan Çelikel Arkeoloji Müzesi, the Turkish Pharmacy Museum, the Diş Sağlığı Müzesi and the İstanbul Fotoğraf Müzesi cluster on these blocks, so a whole day can run museum to museum without leaving AksarayFind hotels in İstanbul Üniversitesi museum streetsHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Things to do in and around Fatih
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
3- Bayezid II, Turkish Bath Culture Museum
- İstanbul Üniversitesi Rıdvan Çelikel Arkeoloji Müzesi
- Turkish Pharmacy Museum
Churches & Religious Sites
3- Fenari Isa Mosque Heritage
- Bodrum Mosque Heritage
- Etyemez Tekkesi Mescidi Heritage
Castles & Historic Sites
3- Harbour of Eleutherios
- İstanbul Üniversitesi Atatürk ve Gençlik Anıtı
- Turan Emeksiz Monument
Landmarks & Notable Places
1- Şehzade Mosque
worth knowingacross 4 categories in and around Fatih
About Aksaray
What are the main landmarks in Aksaray?
Mosques come first: the Şehzade Mosque, the Fenari Isa Mosque and the Bodrum Mosque, with the Etyemez Tekkesi Mescidi among them. Christian foundations survive too, in the Holy Mother of God cathedral and the Peribleptos Manastırı. Smaller museums round out the list.
Aksaray gathers the Museum of Turkish Calligraphy Art, the Turkish Pharmacy Museum, the İstanbul Fotoğraf Müzesi, the Diş Sağlığı Müzesi, the Kont Szchenyi İtfaiye Müzesi and the Türk İnşaat ve Sanat Eserleri Müzesi, alongside the Bayezid II, Turkish Bath Culture Museum.
What is the history of Aksaray?
The name travelled here with people. Migrants from another town called Aksaray were brought to this quarter in the 15th century by Mehmet II, to repopulate the city after its conquest, and the neighbourhood has carried that name ever since. Older ground lies beneath: the Amastrianum and the Harbour of Eleutherios both belong to this stretch of Fatih.
Later figures got their own markers. The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Anıtı, the Bust of Ibrahim Muteferrika and the Turan Emeksiz Monument stand across the streets.
Where is Aksaray?
Fatih holds Aksaray on just under a square kilometre of dense ground within Istanbul Province. Its mosques sit minutes apart.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Aksaray?
Şehzade Mosque side: walks that start at the Şehzade Mosque and finish at the Museum of Turkish Calligraphy Art. Harbour of Eleutherios ground: travellers tracing the Harbour of Eleutherios and the Amastrianum under later streets. İstanbul Üniversitesi museum streets: museum days spanning the İstanbul Üniversitesi Rıdvan Çelikel Arkeoloji Müzesi and the Turkish Pharmacy Museum.
Good for
Another area in Fatih
Updated October 2026