Military Museum
Among the exhibition of this museum are five thousand pieces from the Ottoman era through the WWII, with the most prominent piece possibly being the huge chain that the Byzantines stretched across the mouth of the Golden Horn to keep out the Sultan's navy in 1453 during the siege of Constantinople. In the yard of the museum, the Janissary Band Mehter Takımı, worldâs oldest military band gives concerts of march music in traditional uniforms each afternoon, at 3PM.
NiÅantaÅı
NiÅantaÅı is a neighbourhood east of ÅiÅli/northwest of Maçka Park known for its Art Nouveau apartment buildings, ground floors of many of which are occupied by upmarket restaurants, cafes, pubs, and garment stores lining the sidewalks. Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, well-known Turkish novelist, is a lifelong resident of the neighbourhood which formed the background of several of his novels.
Atatürk Museum
The historical 3-storey house, easily recognizable among concrete apartment buildings with its pink exterior, which the founder of Turkish Republic, Kemal Atatürk rented while staying in Istanbul before setting sail to Samsun on Black Sea coast to start the Turkish War of Independence. Hosts Atatürk-related paraphernalia and photos.
Radio Building
This building dating back to 1945 houses the local radio branch of state radio and television corporation of Turkey TRT. Not an architectural pearl for sure although fans of 1940s' totalitarian architecture may find a thing or two on its stately exterior, its importance lies on the part it played in the political history of Turkey: It was occupied three times by the Army, in 1960, 1971, and most recently in 1980, when the local radio was decidedly the broadcast type ranging most wide and far, to announce that they had taken over the governance of the country i.e., they have launched a coup d'etat.
architecture
When you are bored of Roman/Byzantine/Ottoman architecture whatsoever, this district—especially the northern sections around Levent and Maslak—is where you want to be to run an eye over steel-and-glass skyscrapers of Istanbul. However, southern sections around Harbiye, ElmadaÄ, Osmanbey, NiÅantaÅı, KurtuluÅ, and ÅiÅli has large numbers of neo-classical and Art Nouveau buildings which date back to the turn of 20th century, making a nice contrast to northern section of New Istanbul.