Istanbul Turkey Byzantine and Ottoman Re

Byzantine & OTTOMAN RELICS
Full Day Tour - Lunch Included

 

Pick up from your hotel between 08:30 - 08:45 in the morning. We will first visit Hagia Sophia after that we will go to Blue Mosque by walk. After we visit Blue Mosque and we have a walking-tour to Hippodrome Square, we will drive to Grand Bazaar. We will have some free time there. Shopping is possibility. After that, we will stop by restaurant for lunch break. After lunch, we will go to Topkapi palace. We will spend couple of hours in the palace, we will drive to Rustem pasha mosque withbeautifull Iznik tiles. We will drive back to your hotel. This tour concludes app. 17:00-17:30.

- Pick-up and Drop off from your hotel;
- St. Sophia is closed on Monday, replace with “Chora Church”
- Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesday, replace with “Beylerbeyi Palace”
- Free for ages of 0 - 2
- %30 discount for children below the age of 7 years old
- Tour fees includes ground transportation, guidance, entrance fees and lunch          
  (from the menu available to chose lamp, chicken or vegetable) 

About Placeses

St. Sophia; This ancient basilica, built by Constantine the Great, in the 4th century and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, is one of the architectural marvels of all time. In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks and Sultan Mehmed II ordered the building to be converted into a mosque. The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over. The Islamic features  such as the mihrab, the minbar, and the four minarets outside — were added over the course of its history under the Ottomans. It remained as a mosque until 1935, when it was converted into a museum by the Republic of Turkey.

Blue Mosque; Across from St. Sophia built in the 17th century by the architect Mehmet, this is known as the BLUE MOSQUE because of its magnificent interior of blue Iznik tiles. It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Istanbul. 

Hippodrome; The scene of ancient chariot races, the ancient Hippodrome, with its four monuments; the German Fountain Of Wilhelm II, the Obelisk Of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the Column Of Constantine.

Grand Bazaar (Covered Market); In this labyrinth of streets and passages are more than 4,000 shops with each trade having its own area; the goldsmiths’ street, the carpet sellers, Turkish arts and crafts, such as hand painted ceramic plates, hand-honed copperware, brassware and trays, water ewers, onyx ware and meerschaum pipers.

Topkapi Palace; The great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries, housing an exquisite collection of crystal, silver and Chinese porcelain; robes worn by the sultans and their families, miniatures, the Holy Mantle; Chamber of Sacred Relics. 

Rustem Pasa Mosque; The Rüstem Pasha Mosque is famous for its large quantities of exquisite  Iznik tiles, set in a very wide variety of beautiful floral and geometric designs, which cover not only the facade of the porch but also the mihrab, minbar, walls, columns and on the façade of the porch outside. These tiles exhibit the use of a tomato-red color characteristic of the early iznik period (1555-1620), and no other mosque in Istanbul makes such a lavish use of these tiles.