Istanbulİstanbul
Ottoman mosques with a view across two continents, a municipal iftar for 16,000 people every evening of Ramadan, and a cuisine that blends the palace kitchen with the cooking of the communities who have lived here for centuries.
Muslim travel at a glance
Halal Food
High
The provincial tourism directorate describes a city cuisine built on lamb, beef, seafood and pastries, and Türkiye has a national accreditation agency for the bodies that issue halal certificates.
Prayer Spaces
High
The Presidency of Religious Affairs publishes prayer times for Istanbul and each of its districts, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists historic mosques from Eyüp Sultan to the Süleymaniye.
Muslim Community
High
Istanbul's own tourism directorate calls the city an important faith-tourism centre, with historic mosques including Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque alongside churches and synagogues. We found no official Muslim population figure to cite.
Treatment & Hospitality
High
The metropolitan municipality hands out iftar meals at 60 points every day of Ramadan and maintains the historic mosques year round, which is how visitors meet the city's hospitality.
Modest Dress & Hijab
Fairly high
Headscarf bans have been lifted in stages, in the civil service in 2013 and in the armed forces in 2017, and the Constitutional Court has found the university ban violated freedom of religion. Dress at mosques follows each mosque's own rules.
Ramadan Observance
High
The municipality serves iftar for 16,000 people every day at 60 points, holds cultural events in the squares, and lights the mahya between the minarets of the historic mosques.
Eat
Where to Eat
The provincial tourism directorate describes Istanbul cuisine as the combination of Turkish cuisine, Ottoman palace cuisine and the cuisines of many communities who have lived in the city for centuries. It points visitors to lamb, beef, fish and seafood, vegetable dishes in olive oil, bulgur and rice pilaf and rich pastries, along with a breakfast culture built around traditional Turkish tea and coffee.
Halal certification has a national home in Türkiye. The Halal Accreditation Agency evaluates and inspects the institutions that issue halal certificates, against nationally and internationally accepted standards.
Pray
Where to Pray
The Presidency of Religious Affairs publishes prayer times for Istanbul and for each district, from Avcılar and Başakşehir to Kartal and Pendik. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists the city's historic mosques, among them the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, built in 1458 by Fatih Sultan Mehmet as the first mosque constructed in Istanbul after the conquest, and the Süleymaniye, founded in 1556 by Sultan Süleyman.
Wander
Neighbourhoods
Climb to the Süleymaniye for a view that, in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's words, takes in Europe and Asia, the two seas that bathe Istanbul and the Princes' Isles in a single glance. Eyüp has its mosque and mausoleum, and in Ramadan 2023 the municipality planned mobile buffets handing out ration packs at points including the squares of Eminönü, Şirinevler and Üsküdar.
Süleymaniye Mosque
Founded in 1556 by Sultan Süleyman, on a hill with a view of Europe and Asia.
Eyüp Sultan Mosque
Built in 1458 as the first mosque constructed in Istanbul after the conquest, with a mausoleum.
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
One of the historic mosques named by the provincial tourism directorate.
People
Muslim Community
The provincial tourism directorate calls Istanbul an important faith-tourism centre, a city that holds the sacred places of worship of the heavenly religions, with historic mosques like the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, churches and synagogues.
Ramadan
Ramadan in the City
In Ramadan 2023 the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality planned to give out iftar meals to 16,000 people every day at 60 points, run culture and arts events in the squares and keep cleaning and maintaining the historic mosques. The tradition of the mahya, lights strung between two minarets, has decorated the city for centuries.
Before you go
Practical Tips
Check prayer times for the district you are in on the Presidency of Religious Affairs site, which lists them for Istanbul and each of its districts. On dress, headscarf bans in the civil service were lifted in 2013, in the armed forces in 2017, and the Constitutional Court ruled in 2018 that a university headscarf ban violated a student's freedom of religion.
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