The tour will start from your hotel at around 09:00 o'clock after your breakfast. The first place to visit is the ancient Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races and the center of Byzantine civic life, stood in the open space in front of Blue Mosque, an area now called Sultanahmet. Of the monuments, which once decorated it only three remain; The Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the column of Constantine. Remains from the curved-end section of Hippodrome's wall can be seen on the southwest side of these three monuments.
Facing St. Sophia stands the supremely elegant, six minarets, imperial Sultanahmet Mosque. Built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Mehmet, the building is more familiarly known as Blue Mosque because its interior gleams with a magnificent paneling of blue and white Iznik tiles. The basilica of St. Sophia, now called Ayasofya Museum, is unquestionably one of the finest buildings of all time. Built by Constantine The Great and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, its immense dome rises 55 meters above the ground and its diameter spans 31 meters. You should linger here to absorb the building's majestic serenity and to admire the fine Byzantine mosaics.
Then you will proceed to Topkapi Palace, in short walking distance, the maze of buildings at the center of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and the 19th centuries. In these oopulent surroundings the sultans and their court lived and governed. A magnificent wooded garden fills the first court. On the right of the second court, shaded by cypress and plane trees, stand the palace kitchens, now galleries exhibiting the imperial collections of crystal, silver and Chinese porcelain. The third court holds the Hall of Audience, the library of Ahmet III, an exhibition of imperial costumes worn by sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the treasury and a priceless collection of miniatures from medieval manuscripts. In the center of this innermost sanctuary, the Pavilion of Holy Mantle enshrines the relics of The Prophet Mohamed brought to Istanbul when the Ottomans assumed the caliphate of Islam.
The lunch will be served in a restaurant, located in the palace, with a panoromic view of Bosphorus strait and The Sea of Marmara.
In the afternoon, you will drive to Kapali Çarsi or Grand Bazaar, labyrinth of streets and passages, houses more than 4,000 shops. The names recall the days when each trade had its own quarter; the goldsmith's street, the carpet sellers' street, the street of of the skullcap makers. Still, the commercial center of the old city, the bazaar is the original shopping mall with something to suit every taste and pocket. Turkish crafts, the world renowned carpets, brilliant handpainted ceramics, copperware, brass ware and meerschaum pipes make charming souvenirs and gifts. The gold jewelry in brilliantly lit cases dazzles passersby. Leather and suede goods of excellent quality make a relatively inexpensive purchase. The Old Bedesten, in the heart of bazaar, offers a curious assortment of antiques. It is worth poking through the clutter of decades in the hope of finding a treasure. The tour will end at your hotel... |
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