Byzantine Relics of Istanbul

Arrival at Istanbul, our representative meets and assists you at the airport. Transfer to your hotel.

Day 1

DAY 1 ISTANBUL

Day Flow

After breakfast, full day sightseeing of Istanbul including visit to the St. Sophia (Haghia Sophia) Museum which is one of the most extraordinary buildings in the history of architecture. It was the cathedral of Byzantine period for a thousand years, and then for nearly five hundred years after the Turkish (Ottoman) conquest it was one of the most important mosque of Istanbul before it was converted into a museum. When it was built in 537 AD by Justinian was the largest building in the world. Then continue to visit the ancient Hippodrome where the chariot races and competitive athletic events took place during the Roman period. See the Egyptian obelisk; visit Sultan Ahmet Mosque which is also called ‘’Blue Mosque’’ because of its blue tiles. After lunch, visit to Underground Cistern. This water reservoir is by far the largest of the many underground cisterns in the city remaining from the Roman times which was rebuilt by Justinian in 532. Continue to visit the magnificent 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. Return to hotel for overnight. (B, L)

Day 2

DAY 2 ISTANBUL / Full day sightseeing

Day Flow

DAY 3 ISTANBUL/Full day sightseeing We start your tour with a short drive along the shoreline of the Golden Horn – the Bosphorus Strait’s natural bay that was an important international shipping harbour during the Byzantine era. Visit the Patriarchate at Fener which is the seat of Orthodox Christianity since Constantine The Great’s declaration of Christianity as the religion of Roman Empire. Visit the Church of St. George (the site’s main church) and see its Byzantine patriarchal throne, dripping with opulent ornamentation. We will visit St. Savior in Chora (Kariye Museum) originally a Byzantine monastery with fantastic mosaics and frescoes portraying scenes from a bible, the life and miracles of Jesus. Continue to the historical neighbourhood of Ayvansaray, to see the Church of St. Mary of Blachernae - one of Istanbul’s best-known Eastern Orthodox churches. Following a lunch break in the area, we will explore the ancient site of Blachernae Palace, and while the site is now more “rubble” than palace, its ruins provide an inspiring sense of its former glory. See the outside of Anemas Dungeons, learning how it was once a terrifying Byzantine prison, and then see the exterior of Tekfur Palace (or Palace of Constantine Porphyrogenitus to give it its due) – the only surviving building of Blachernae. We then visit the Pammakaristos Church, converted into a mosque in 1591 and known as Fethiye Mosque and today partly a museum, is one of the most famous Byzantine churches in Istanbul, Turkey. The parekklesion, besides being one of the most important examples of Constantinople’s Palaiologan architecture, has the largest amount of Byzantine mosaics in Istanbul after the Hagia Sophia and Chora Church. Our tour will conclude on the 5th century Roman Walls that once enclosed the north-western side of the city. From this vantage point we will glimpse an outstanding view back across the territory we covered earlier. (B, L)

Day 3

DAY 3 ISTANBUL / Full day sightseeing

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Transfer from your hotel to the airport for onward flight. (B)

Day 4

DAY 4 ISTANBUL

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