About this experience
I invite you to embark on a real adventure: to walk through the labyrinths of winding streets through, deep into, along and across the historical outskirts of Istanbul, where modernization began a hundred years ago only to get choked up. We will find ourselves in that part of the ancient city that seems frozen in time and has long been forgotten by the Istanbulites themselves: dilapidated, decaying, degraded. However, having survived a century of oblivion and ruination, these same areas have unexpectedly captured the interest of the creative youth of Istanbul and are now confidently transforming into a trendy art quarter with creative shops, cozy cafes, vibrant characters, and colorful restored houses.
On the outskirts of Istanbul, beauty reveals itself when ivy winds around the ruined city walls, and grass and trees sprout in the cracks. Here, among ancient stones and blackened wood, history, ruins, and real life intertwine into a coherent whole. The beauty of a broken fountain, a partially ruined wooden mansion, a century-old gas plant, a time-eaten wall of a mosque, intricate intertwining branches of plane trees—accidental beauty, and therefore real.
What to expect
I will tell you:
- about the history, architecture, traditions, and way of life of Istanbul and its legendary historical outskirts;
- how today's Fener and Balat differ from what they were centuries ago, who were the people who built these districts long ago, and who lives there today;
- about famous personalities: emperors, intrigues, prisoners, architects, writers, and photographers, with whom the history of these old quarters is inseparably linked;
- about the modern transformations that the old city is experiencing, where art galleries and trendy cafes are replacing semi-ruined houses, and whole quarters are being restored and inhabited by the Istanbul bohemians.
However, the most important mystery you will have to solve for yourself—why these dilapidated areas captivate, attract attention and the lenses of our cameras, what magic prompts us to create and be inspired?
During the walk, you will see:
- scenic colorful streets of the historical outskirts of Istanbul, Balat and Fener;
- colorful local residents: Muslim fundamentalists in their traditional attire, Istanbul gypsies in all the splendor of their bright outfits, amusing playful, often barefoot and dirty children, street vendors, stern uncles, and the sweetest Istanbul cats;
- stylish designer cafes where the Istanbul intellectual youth spend their time, vintage shops, handmade and antique shops;
- ruins of ancient Byzantine buildings;
- The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and its shrines and Christian values (optional);
- the famous Istanbul 'Hogwarts' or the school of the Greek Patriarchate—a huge mysterious red brick building resembling a medieval castle (external inspection);
- the Church of St. Mary of the Mongols—the only church not converted into a mosque and still active since the time of Constantinople (external inspection).
Optionally, it is also possible to visit the iconic attractions of Istanbul: the museums-churches of Chora (Kariye) and Theotokos Pammakaristos (Fethiye); architectural attractions where Byzantine frescoes and mosaics are preserved, the Church of the Virgin of Blachernae (where the miracle of the Protection of the Theotokos occurred) and the defensive walls of Constantinople or the ancient aqueduct.
Organizational Details
If you book the tour more than 1.5 months in advance of the booking date, please contact me before booking to additionally coordinate the date.
