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FULL DAY BYZANTINE AND OTTOMAN TOUR

The Byzantine and Ottoman Tour takes about 7 hours. The guide will pick you up from the hotel between 08:30 and 08:45. If you are not staying around the Sultanahmet area, it might be earlier than usual.

Firstly, the guide will give you information about Istanbul, when, how, and where it was built, and then we will visit Blue Mosque on the historical peninsula in Sultanahmet.

With its six minarets, its beauty is more striking compared to other mosques. Blue Mosque was built between 1609 and 1616 and got magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik Tiles. 

After visiting Sultanahmet Mosque, the guide will take you to Hippodrome, where chariot races were held in Byzantıne.

In order, we will see the German Fountain (a gift to Abdulhamid II from Wilhelm II ), Serpentine Column –The Egyptian Obelisk, and the last one is Colossus. The Serpent Column is the oldest Greek monument in Istanbul. Its story is that it was erected by 31 cities which defeated the Persians in the battle.

After that, we will see the Egyptian Obelisk, which Egyptian king Thutmose III erected. It is 20 metres high Obelisk mounted on four brazen blocks. The last one in Hippodrome is the Colossus. We know Emperor Constantine VII erected it, made of lime Stone in 940. Farmers and fishermen depicted made of bronze gilt, but by Fourth Crusaders, it was stolen. Today you can see the holes in the panels in the Stone.

It is time for a well-earned Lunch Hour; we will stop in a nice restaurant for an hour. Choices for the main course are chicken, fish and meatballs, and drinks are extra.

After lunch, we are going to Topkapi Palace. We are going to see a palace of both empire Byzantine and Ottomans and also three different Courts. Still, we will mainly focus on the third Court, the Audience Room -Arz odasi, The Treasury (specially Khashoggi Diamond), The Revan Pavilion with Fountain, Baghdad Pavilion, and Mecidiye Pavilion. Tour Guide gives you free time for The Treasury section.

Grand bazaar is our last stop. It is a commercial centre for a jewellery store, rug, spice, and oversized coffee shop. Sultan Mehmet II (who conquered Istanbul) built it, now called Eski Bedesten. There had been several fires in the bazaar, and it was reconstructed in 1894.

There are 5000 stores such as rugs, antiques, gold, silver, and leather; even you can find real fake stuff like a Gucci belt. The tour guide gives you free time in Grand Bazaar, or you can walk around with the tour guide.

DAYS AVAILABLE : Everyday

PICK UP TIME : 09:00 ENDS 17:00

INCLUDED : Transfer - Tour Guide - Entrance Fee

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