ITINERARY

• The center of sport activities with its four monuments
• This historical fountain 15 located in Sultanahmet square across the tomb of Sultan Ahmet I. It was a present to the sultan and to the city by German Kaiser Wilhelm II. Made in Germany, in the neo-Byzantine style and ornamented inside with gold mosaic it was erected in Istanbul in 1901.
• The Obelisk of Theodosius was one of the monuments on the spina of the Hippodrome of Constantinople during the reign of Theodosius I in 390. It was originally commissioned by the Egyptian Pharaoh Tuthmosis III in the 15th century BC to commemorate his victories in Syria. It was erected in the Hippodrome in part to commemorate the defeat of the usurper Maximus and his son Victor by Theodosius in 388.
• The Serpent Column is one of three remaining monuments of the Hippodrome of Constantinople. It now stands halfway between the Obelisk of Theodosius and the Masonry Obelisk, revealing the location of spina of the Hippodrome which was once extensively decorated with monuments and sculpture.
• The 32 m.high The obelisk was most likely a Theodosian construction, built to mirror the Obelisk of Theodosius on the spina of the Roman circus of Constantinople; the Circus Maximus in Rome also had two obelisks on its spina.
• The most famous mosque of Istanbul which is known as the BLUE MOSQUE as well because of its beautiful blue Iznik tiles.
• Important Byzantine structure in Istanbul and one of the world’s great monuments. It was built as a Christian church in the 6th century under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. In subsequent centuries it became a mosque, a museum, and a mosque again. The building reflects the religious changes that have played out in the region over the centuries, with the minarets and inscriptions of Islam as well as the lavish mosaics of Christianity.
• In this labyrinth of streets and passages are more than 4000 shops with each trade having its own area; the goldsmiths’ street, the carpet sellers, Turkish arts and crafts, such as handpainted ceramic plates, hand-honed copperware, brasware and trays, water ewers, onyxware and meerschaum pipers.
• The great palace of the Ottoman Sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries, housing an exquisite collection of precious gems, jewellery thrones of sultans, costumes worn by the sultans and their families; miniatures, the Holy Mantle; CHAMBER OF SACRED RELICS.
• Built during the same period (4th century) as its neighbour the Hagia Sophia. The name Hagia Irene Church means ‘’Godly’’ or ‘’Holy Wisdom’’ in Greek. After the conquest of Istanbul it was incorporated into the grounds of Topkapı Palace and like many other churches was converted into a mosque. However there were no major changes made to the building’s structure.