TOPKAPI PALACE

The great Palace of the Ottoman Sultans from 15th until 19th centuries, one of the greatest effects of the Ottoman civilization, when this place was the main residence of the Sultan and his Court, also contains the textile crystal, silver, gold and Islamic artefacts & relics, rare weapons transferred from Mecca as well as from the Ottoman Empire.

HAGIA SOFIA

The Hagia Sofia is a former Orthodox-Patriarchal Basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople of the Western Crusader established Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931, when it was secularized. It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.

BLUE MOSQUE

is a historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.

It was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. While still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction.

HIPPODROME

Was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named Sultan Ahmet Meydanı (Sultan Ahmet Square) in the Turkish city of Istanbul, with only a few fragments of the original structure surviving. It is sometimes also called At Meydanı (Horse Square) in Turkish.

GRAND BAZAAR

in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 4,000 shops which attract between 250,000 and half a million visitors daily.

IMPORTANT:

St Sophia will be replaced with the Underground Cistern on Mondays
Topkapi Place will be replaced with the Beylerbeyi Palace on Tuesdays
Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays