Tour Details: Our tour starts visiting the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art; the dark stone building that houses the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art was built in 1524 by the Grand Vizier to Suleyman the Magnificent, Ibrahim Pasa, as his residence. It was the grandest private residence ever built in the Ottoman Empire. Today it holds a superb collection of ceramics, metalwork, miniatures, calligraphy, textiles, and woodwork as well as some of the oldest carpets in the world.
Next spot will the Imperial Sultanahmet Mosque; across from Hagia Sophia stands with six minarets, built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Mehmet, the building is more familiarly known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior paneling of blue and white Iznik tiles.
Drive to Suleymaniye Mosque: The cascading domes and four slender minarets of the Imperial Suleymaniye Mosque dominate the skyline on the Golden Horn’s west bank. Considered the most beautiful of all imperial mosques in Istanbul, it was built between 1550 and 1557 by Sinan, the renowned architect of the Ottoman Empire’s golden age. Erected on the crest of a hill, the building is conspicuous for its great rise from each corner of the courtyard. Lunch in a fine Ottoman Restaurant nextdoor to Suleymaniye.
Drive to Eyup where the first mosque built after the Ottoman conquest of the city, this greatly venerated shrine attracts many pilgrims. The great Mosque of Eyup which lies outside the city walls, near the Golden Horn, the standard bearer of the Prophet Mohammed, died in the Islamic assault on Constantinople in A.D. 670 will be our next spot.
Drive to Pierre Loti for a Turkish Coffee with the bird s eye view of the Golden Horn. Transfer back to the hotels.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Included in the price:
- Transfers
- Entrance Fees
- Licensed Guide
- Lunch
- V.A. Tax
- Travel Insurance.
Also see tour packages in:
Middle East
Turkey
Pilgrimage/Spirituality
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