Highlights | Overview

• Topkapi Palace (Holy Relics)
• Hagia Eirene Church * Visit may not take place due to lack of time
• Gulhane Park * Visit may not take place due to lack of time
• Half day - afternoon tour

Full Description

Daily Afternoon Tour - Topkapi Palace, Holy Relics, Hagia Irene Church, Gulhane Park

Half-day (afternoon) tour. There is no pick-up and drop-off service from hotels. Museum entrance fees are not included in the price. The tour is done on foot, accompanied by a professional tour guide.

OTTOMAN SPLENDOURS

Visits to Hagia Irene church and Gulhane park may not take place due to lack of time.

The Capital of Three Empires: Istanbul

After the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottoman Sultan Fatih Sultan Mehmed, control and tranquility were achieved in the city within three days.  Then conquest was celebrated with glorious festivities.  After the celebration, Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror forbade the soldiers to walk around the city.  It was announced that the Greeks in the city could live with their own religion and traditions.  In addition, Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror asked the Orthodox people who were living in Istanbul to elect a patriarch for the office of the Patriarchate.

Hotel pick-up and joining the group, followed by a visit to the magnificent Topkapi Palace, the residence of the early and middle Ottoman sultans. Topkapi palace was the principal residence of the Ottoman sultans and the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th to the 19th centuries. During our visit we will see the magnificent Imperial Treasury, the Baghdad Pavilion, the Sacred Relics and the Kitchen Section, which includes one of the world's best collections of Chinese celadon ceramics. The Harem, which is forbidden to everyone except the Ottoman sultan, is also located inside the Topkapi palace.

Hagia Irene, Church of the Holy Peace * Visit may not take place due to lack of time

Our next stop is the magnificent Hagia Irene. It is one of the few churches in Istanbul that was not converted into a mosque because it was used as an arsenal until the 19th century. Hagia Irene is rumored to have stood on the site of a pre-Christian temple, and had the distinction of being the first church built in Byzantium when the city was turned into the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Gulhane Park * Visit may not take place due to lack of time
The last visit of our tour will be Gulhane Park, which was once part of the outer gardens of the magnificent Topkapi Palace, and where the Declaration of Rights and Freedoms Gulhane Edict, which played a crucial role in the modernization of the Ottoman Empire, is located. Gülhane Park has hosted the Istanbul Zoo for many years after the proclamation of the Republic.

End of tour and return to hotels.

Topkapi palace

The construction of the Topkapi Palace, built on an area of ​​700,000 square meters on the Eastern Roman Acropolis in Sarayburnu, Istanbul, began in 1460 upon the order of Fatih Sultan Mehmet after the conquest of Istanbul. Its construction took 18 years. Completed in 1478, the palace was used as an administrative, educational and artistic center of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 4 centuries.

This magnificent building, accessed through the Sultanate gate on the Hagia Sophia side, consists of 4 intertwined courtyards. Today, this magnificent palace covers an area of ​​300,000 square meters and is surrounded by large gardens and squares. Within the gardens surrounding the palace, many magnificent buildings, especially the Tiled Pavilion, Sepetçiler Pavilion and the Pearl Pavilion, were built over time.

In the mid-19th century, as the dynasty moved to the Dolmabahçe Palace, the palace lost its administrative function, but was only used for ceremonies. On April 3, 1924. The first museum into the Republic of Turkey. The 300,000-piece collection of this unique museum contains porcelains, utensils, silverware and portraits of sultans from various parts of the world. There are also culturally unique works such as the sacred goods of Islam and special items and the imperial treasury.

Price included

Pick Up Place

Pick-up and drop-off service is not provided from hotels.

Pick up Point

Meeting place: Sultanahmed Square

Details to know

Half Day Afternoon Ottoman Relics Istanbul City Tour

If a full-day tour is selected, Hagia Sophia visit is extra. Tour guides are not allowed inside to visit Hagia Sophia. The visit is made with an audio guide.

Ottoman and Byzantine heritages: Full day tour.
(Can be selected from the Extra add-ons section)
Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Byzantine Hippodrome and Grand Bazaar are visited.

Additional information

Tour program for Half Day Afternoon Ottoman Relics Istanbul City Tour

Take a half-day tour of Istanbul in the afternoon to explore the relics of the Ottoman Empire. 

• Visiting Topkapi Palace (extra), was residence of the Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years. Palace complex consists of four main courtyards, important relics of the islamic world, Muhamed's clock and sword.
• Harem section of Topkapi palace (extra)
• Visiting of Hagia Eirene church * Visit may not take place due to lack of time
• Visiting of Gulhane park * Visit may not take place due to lack of time
• After the tour you can leave the group in the city

 

Ottoman and Byzantine heritages: Full day tour.
(Can be selected from the Extra add-ons section)
Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Byzantine Hippodrome and Grand Bazaar are visited.

Period & Price

01 January 2024 / 31 December 2024 - Price

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