Things to Do in Süleymaniye Beyond the Mosque

There is plenty to do in Süleymaniye beyond visiting its famous mosque. This old quarter on Istanbul's historic peninsula rewards slow wandering: stone streets that have not been smoothed over for tourists, tea gardens under the mosque walls, sudden views over the Golden Horn, and historic hans (old merchant courtyards) tucked between the lanes. If you want the short answer to what else there is to do here, it is this: walk the streets, drink çay (Turkish tea) with a view, browse the nearby bazaar quarter, and sit down for a long breakfast or a late evening on a terrace. Süleymaniye is one of the calmest corners of the old city, and that is its gift.

Wander the old streets

Süleymaniye is one of the few central neighbourhoods where everyday Istanbul still shows through. Away from the mosque courtyard, the lanes are residential and lived-in, lined with old timber houses in various states of repair, small workshops, and corner shops. There is no single route to follow. The pleasure is in turning down a street because it looks interesting and seeing where it goes.

Walk slowly and look up. You will catch glimpses of the mosque between the rooftops, washing strung across the lanes, and the occasional break in the buildings where the land drops away toward the water. This is a working neighbourhood, so a little quiet and respect goes a long way.

Find a tea garden with a view

The area around the mosque has tea gardens (çay bahçesi) where you can sit for as long as you like over a glass of çay, served strong in a small tulip-shaped glass and refilled when you are ready. Some sit in the shadow of the mosque; others perch where the hill opens onto the Golden Horn.

This is the local rhythm worth borrowing. Order a tea, take a seat, and watch the afternoon move. The historic peninsula is built for this kind of unhurried pause, and Süleymaniye does it better than the busier quarters. For more on the neighbourhood as a whole, our Süleymaniye visitor’s guide sets out the area in full, çay gardens included.

Look out over the Golden Horn

One of the quiet rewards of Süleymaniye is its height. The neighbourhood sits on high ground, and at several points the streets and terraces open onto the Golden Horn (Haliç), the inlet that splits the old city from the districts across the water. Ferries cross below, mosques rise on the far shore, and the light shifts through the day.

The view is at its best in the late afternoon and at sunset, when the water and the stone turn gold and the call to prayer carries across the rooftops. If you are chasing the best vantage points across the city, our guide to the best Bosphorus views in Istanbul sets out where to stand and when to arrive.

Explore the bazaar quarter nearby

Süleymaniye sits just above the bazaar district, so the city's great market quarter is an easy walk away. Between the mosque and the markets you pass old hans, the courtyards where merchants once stored and traded goods, many still busy with small trades today.

A few things to seek out as you go:

• The historic hans: step into a courtyard or two to see how commerce was organised for centuries. They are working spaces, not museums, which is what makes them interesting.
• The market streets: the lanes between Süleymaniye and the bazaar are full of small shops, paper sellers, and tradesmen, an everyday counterpoint to the grand monuments.
• Street food: a sesame-crusted simit from a cart, or a glass of tea standing up, is the right fuel for a morning of walking.

Settle in for a long meal

After the streets and the views, Süleymaniye is a fine place to slow down properly over food. The neighbourhood has terraces where you can take a long breakfast in the morning light or a relaxed dinner as the city lights come up. Eating here is unhurried by nature; nobody is rushing you back to the street.

An evening on a rooftop is its own reason to stay. As the sun drops over the Golden Horn and the mosque is lit against the dark, a terrace becomes the best seat in the quarter. Our guide to the Süleymaniye Mosque covers the monument that anchors the whole quarter.

A terrace to end the day

If you would like one place that draws the day together, Moss Lounge the Bosphorus sits on a Süleymaniye rooftop with the mosque silhouette on one side and the Bosphorus on the other. Adem Özen, the host, keeps it as a home rather than a restaurant: a generous Turkish breakfast in the morning, çay through the day, and nargile (Turkish water pipe) on the terrace as the evening runs long. It is a calm way to spend the quiet hours the neighbourhood is made for.