Zulal SemaThere is no city in the world like Istanbul — where continents meet, empires sleep under stone, and time loops rather than marches forward.
But perhaps nowhere is that more literal than in a dimmed theatre beside the Ayasofya Mosque, where Legends of Istanbul unfolds each evening as Türkiye’s first immersive theatre experience born from its myths.
A fusion of technology, choreography, sound, and story, Legends of Istanbul, launched in April 2025, doesn’t just depict Istanbul’s past — it resurrects it. Not in a museum, not in a classroom, but on a living, pulsing stage just metres from the landmarks that gave birth to its stories.
“We didn’t want to just inform. We wanted people to feel Istanbul,” says Murat Ceylan, the show’s creator and director. “When the show ends and you step outside, you’re face-to-face with the very streets where these stories were born.”
Unlike traditional stage productions or historical re-enactments, Legends of Istanbul exists at the intersection of immersive art and cultural diplomacy.
Projected visuals seamlessly blend with Istanbul’s historic architecture, as dancers embody memories brought to life. Just steps away from the Basilica Cistern, the show unfolds amidst centuries of imperial legacy — transforming myth into space and spectators into participants.
Each day at 4 pm, visitors from Türkiye and abroad can take the experience a step further at Yucel Arts Center in Fatih — by trying on performance costumes and stepping into the story themselves, becoming part of Istanbul’s living legend.
What makes it even more remarkable is its origin: Murat Ceylan, a Bogazici University-trained industrial engineer, traded systems and spreadsheets for lights and legend.
“Engineering taught me to build frameworks. And this show is a living system — emotional, historical, visual,” he says. “But Istanbul needed something of its own. Something timeless, and yet urgent now.”
This performance is the first in Türkiye in which a multi-sensory storytelling format, which uses digital scenography and spatial design to immerse audiences in legend, has been brought to life.
Why these eight legends?
The show’s soul lies in its selection of eight foundational stories — each chosen not just for fame but for emotional texture and historical depth.
“We didn’t choose the most obvious legends just for spectacle,” explains Ceylan. “We looked for emotional relevance. Some tales are rooted in the Byzantine era, some in Ottoman memory, others live through oral storytelling. Together, they show Istanbul’s complexity — its shadows, its splendour, its sorrow.”
And they are as symbolic as they are narrative — Medusa represents justice denied; Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi, the impossible dream of flight; The Conquest, a tectonic shift in world history; The Maiden’s Tower, love’s refusal to be erased.
The show begins above the Basilica Cistern, where many tourists start their journey in Istanbul. But here, the myth of Medusa is not just something carved into a column — it comes alive.
As the lights shift, we find ourselves surrounded by the Maiden’s Tower, rising like a question mark in the Istanbul Strait.
For centuries, this tower has been the heart of countless legends — from the tale of a princess doomed by prophecy to a lonely watchtower guiding sailors through the night. A place of mystery, of boundaries, of fate.
Then, our gaze turns to the opposite shore. Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi stands atop the Galata Tower, wind tugging at his wings. Below, the Istanbul Strait stretches wide and wild — a silver vein of doubt.
The city holds its breath — time suspends, as if even history is unsure what comes next.
Behind him lies an empire sceptical of flight; ahead, the skies of Uskudar and the silhouette of the Maiden’s Tower, timeless and waiting.
With one deep breath, he leaps — not just into the air, but into legend.
“This scene is about faith in the impossible,” says Turgay Temiz, the show’s operations director. “It’s about dreaming something so wild it makes history.”
And more: from the spiritual grace of whirling dervishes, to Mimar Sinan’s architectural brilliance, the conquest’s thunder, the dance of hurried markets, the silence of forbidden love, and the flickers of lost prophecy — each legend unfolds like Istanbul itself: layered, unpredictable, and endlessly alive.
Characters that transcend
Every performer plays multiple roles, often with just seconds to transform between identities.
“There are so many characters to embody, and the tempo is intense,” says dancer Tugce Doygunel. “But when you feel the audience’s energy, it becomes exhilarating. You realise this isn’t just a show — it’s memory made visible.”
Actor Ozan Fakioglu, who brings life to figures from Hezarfen to Fatih Sultan Mehmet, says: “When you step outside after the show, you see the city differently. The skyline isn’t just architecture anymore. It’s story.”
For many viewers, Legends of Istanbul is their first encounter with these stories — not as facts, but as feelings.
“I learned things I’d never known,” says Elif Baris, a high school student. “Like how Mimar Sinan received special stones from the Sultan to restore a mosque. The visuals made it feel real. I’ve been telling everyone they have to see it.”
Her mother, Aygul Baris, who teaches at an international school, was equally moved: “It was joyful and informative. We had fun — and we remembered. I strongly recommend it to families and students.”
Sibel Canavar, another educator, sees it as more than a performance: “This should be part of education. When visuals, sound, and story come together like this, history becomes unforgettable. I’ll be encouraging my students and their parents to go.”
Beyond entertainment
For Ceylan and Temiz, the show also acts as soft power — a way for Türkiye to tell its own story, in its own voice. “This isn’t just tourism,” says Temiz. “It’s cultural ownership. We’re saying: these are our stories — and we’re proud of them.”
Plans are underway to expand the format across Türkiye: from Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys to Antalya’s sunlit ruins, each region could soon stage its own living legends.
“Every city is its own epic,” Ceylan says. “We want to create a national mythology archive — one that people can walk through.”
As the final scene closes, the lights dim. But the myth doesn’t stop.
Because when the theatre doors open, the audience doesn’t return to the present. They step directly into the legends. Into Galata. Into the rumble of the Istanbul Strait. Into the echoes of every word they’ve just heard.
“These stories aren’t ancient,” Ceylan whispers. “They’re ours. They’re alive. And we carry them forward — every day, in every step.”
And at that moment, Legends of Istanbul becomes what it has always meant to be: not a stage, but a city remembering itself.
"Istanbul is a 'palimpsest,' a parchment overwritten across time and languages.” Straddling Seven Hills, the city offers a cinematic interplay of history and modernity, inviting exploration and weaving its timeless narratives into every corner.
