Visit Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, and the Grand Bazaar in a half-day tour that will show you the best of old Istanbul. Experience Istanbul's imperial past and see some of the city's best-known monuments on this half-day tour!
You will visit the Hagia Sophia, one of the finest works of art and architecture in the world, along with the the Blue Mosque, one of the principal components of Istanbul's skyline, famous for its blue tiles and minarets.
Next up, The Hippodrome, the center of sportive and political activities in Constantinople! You will also get to see an obelisk from Egypt, the Serpentine Column from Delphi and the fountain of Willhelm II. The Grand Bazaar with its rich collection of handmade carpets, jewellery, leather, and souvenirs, offers you numerous shopping possibilities at the end of your adventure.
While selecting your tour date, please keep in mind that the Hagia Sophia is closed on Monday. On Mondays it is replaced by a trip to Kaariye Museum, which is a beautiful example of a Byzantine Church.
Highlights:
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See Istanbul's most famous monuments
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Explore the Hagia Sophia, which was the world's biggest cathedral for almost a thousand years.
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Visit Blue Mosque
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Roman Hipodromme and monuments.
Hagia Sophia is a great architectural beauty and an important monument both for Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum at the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia has always been the precious of its time. The first Haghia Sophia was partially burnt during an uprising. It was repaired by Theodosius II and opened to worship in 415, but was burned to the ground during another public uprising in 532.After the revolts, Emperor Justinian determined to build an unparalleled place of worship and entrusted two architect-engineers from Anatolia, Isidoros and Anthemios, with the task. Building materials were brought in from all the Mediterranean countries. In addition, the columns of a number of Pagan temples in Anatolia, including the Temple of Artemis, were dismantled and used in the building. The construction lasted five years, and Haghia Sophia was once again open to worship. The structure standing today is that which was built as a church by Justinian. Haghia Sophia was occasionally damaged, but was repaired and additions were built. Despite the changes, its essence remains untouched. (Haghia-Sophia is closed on Monday, so on that day we visit the Kariye (Chora) Museum, a former church which houses the most important surviving Byzantine mosaics and frescoes in the world.
Blue Mosque This imperial mosque is an example of classical Turkish architecture, and it is the only mosque that was originally built with six minarets. Although it is popularly known as the Blue Mosque, its real name is Sultan Ahmet Mosque. Befitting his original profession, its architect Mehmet Aga decorated the interior fastidiously like a jeweler. Built between 1609-1616, the mosque used to be part of a large complex, including a covered bazaar, Turkish baths, public kitchens, a hospital, schools, a caravanserai, and the mausoleum of Sultan Ahmet. Some of these social and cultural buildings have not survived to our day. The architect was a student of Sinan, the greatest architect of classical Turkish architecture. He applied a plan used previously by his master, but on a larger scale. There are three entrances to the mosque interior. The wealthy and colorful vista inside created by the paintings, tiles and stained glass complements the exterior view. The interior has a centralized plan; the main and side domes rise on four large columns that support broad and pointed arches. The walls of the galleries surrounding the three sides of the interior chamber are decorated by over 20,000 exquisite Iznik tiles. The areas above the tiles and the inside of the domes are decorated with paintwork.
The Grand Bazaar (Kapalicarsi) in Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world with 60 streets and 5,000 shops, and attracts between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. It is well known for its jewellery, hand-painted ceramics, carpets, embroideries, spices and antique shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by type of goods, with special areas for leather, gold jewellery and the like. The bazaar has been an important trading centre since 1461 and its labyrinthine vaults feature two bedestens (domed buildings), the first of which was constructed between 1455 and 1461 by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The bazaar was vastly enlarged in the 16th century, during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and in 1894 underwent a major restoration following an earthquake.
The Hippodrome of Constantinople (Turkish: Sultanahmet Meydani, At Meydani) was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named Sultanahmet Meydani (Sultan Ahmet Square) in the Turkish city of Istanbul, with only a few fragments of the original structure surviving. It is sometimes also called Atmeydani (Horse Square) in Turkish
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