About this experience
Want to know what the center of Istanbul was like in the past? Where underground passages are paved right under your feet and what stood on those stones you are stepping on? A walk through the old city will reveal how closely intertwined the epochs of history are here - Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman in Istanbul-Constantinople. You will understand the city more deeply, notice things that others pass by, and feel the vibrations of the past lingering in the air day by day.
What to expect
Around familiar landmarks
Iconic places of Istanbul are easy to spot even for a casual tourist who finds themselves here for the first time. But what if familiar corners of the ancient city hide shadows of the past that can tell so much? Our route will touch upon the main architectural landmarks of Istanbul tangentially, focusing on other things. You will walk through the Hippodrome square and discover its remains, descend into the former Cistern, head to the old streets towards the church turned mosque, and examine the ceramic tiles that travelers usually try in vain to see in Sultanahmet. I will show you the old caravanserais of the Grand Bazaar, one of which has a wonderful view of the Bosphorus. You will discover magnificent locations in Istanbul for photo shoots that have inspired generations of professional photographers.
Shadows of bygone times
You will learn how the name of a mosque was able to save the life of a future Byzantine emperor and why three entrances of another are located at different levels from the ground. I will tell you how churches were converted into mosques at all, what former Christian miracles are hidden behind the external metamorphoses of buildings, and what strange architectural solutions are due to: for example, why one of the minarets of the Suleymaniye is precious. Who was one of the greatest viziers of the Ottoman Empire, where Suleiman and his wife Roxelana are buried, how in Istanbul since ancient times they use bird eggs not for their intended purpose. There could be a great many questions to the city if you look closely at its features, and I will teach you how to ask them correctly in order to be amazed by new discoveries time and time again.
Organizational details
- After you visit the Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia Museum, this tour will be a great addition to your impressions
- I highly recommend taking mirrorless cameras with you (if they are not too heavy), as the views will be worth it!
