The Historic Areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 World Heritage List in 1985.

It includes locations such as the Galata Bridge

Galata Bridge

The Galata Bridge is a bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels.-History:...

, the Seraglio Point

Sarayburnu

Sarayburnu is a promontory separating the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul, Turkey. The area is where the renowned Topkapı Palace and Gülhane Park stand...

 where the Topkapı Palace

Topkapi Palace

The Topkapı Palace is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years of their 624-year reign....

, the Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...

, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque

Sultan Ahmed Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is a historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire . The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior....

, the Yeni Mosque near the Galata Bridge, the Beyazıt Tower

Beyazit Tower

Beyazıt Tower, also named Seraskier Tower, from the name of the Ottoman ministry of War, is an 85 metre tall fire-watch tower located in the courtyard of Istanbul University's main campus on Beyazıt Square in Istanbul, Turkey, on top of one of the "seven hills" which Constantine the Great had built...

 and the Süleymaniye Mosque.

The World Heritage site covers four zones, illustrating the major phases of the city's history using its most prestigious monuments:

• the Archaeological Park, which in 1953 and 1956 was defined at the tip of the peninsula;
• the Süleymaniye quarter, protected in 1980 and 1981;
• the Zeyrek quarter, protected in 1979;
• the zone of the ramparts, protected in 1981.