The Sultanahmet district is the heart of historic Old Istanbul, what 19th-century travelers used to call "Stamboul."

The Sultanahmet district is the heart of historic Old Istanbul, what 19th-century travelers used to call "Stamboul."

Saint Sophia Church The Church of Saint Sophia. Saint Sophia Church is located just in front of the Blue Mosque in the Sultan Ahmet District of Istanbul. The church was built around 360 by the Emperor Constantino and burned down twice. It was rebuild at 530 AD by the Emperor Justinian. The layout and decoration is typical of a church of the Byzantine period. After the Turks took over Constantinople in 1453 AD., Saint Sophia was turned into a mosque and four minarets (the tall, thin towers), were added to it. Saint Sophia was restored several times because of damage caused by a series of earthquakes. Today Saint Sophia is neither a church nor a mosque but a museum. When you are inside, you can sense the influence of both the Catholic and Islamic religions and cultures in its decorations and frescos. Blue Mosque   During the Byzantine Era there was a hippodrome near the Blue Mosque with a capacity of 10,000 people. In 1606, Sultan Ahmet wanted to build a mosque bigger, more majestic and more beautiful than the Saint Sophia Church, and he did indeed build a mosque; you will be the one to judge which one is more impressive. The Blue mosque is called "Sultan Ahmet Camii" in Turkish, which means the Mosque of Sultan Ahmet. The mosque was built in the classic Ottoman style and is located just in front of Saint Sophias' Church the Sultan Ahmet district of Istanbul. Mosques were generally built to be used as a public service for the citizens. There are some buildings near the Blue mosque which include a theology school, a Turkish bath, a kitchen that used to serve soup for the poor, and shops. The shops would provide revenue for maintaining the mosque. The Blue mosque, as the name implies, was decorated with blue tiles and also glass-work with the same color. There are no images or statues inside the mosque since Islam forbids praying to images of any kind. Before entering the mosque you should take your shoes off. You should not wear miniskirts, shorts, or very low neckline dresss. The staff at the mosque will give you a wrap-round shawl cover yourself if they find your clothing is not appropriate for the mosque. Hippodrome The hippodrome was an immense construction 480 meters length and 117.5 meters wide; it could seat, according to estimations one hundred thousand spectators. It was build in 203 by the Emperor Septimus Severus and later on Constantine the Great extended and remodeled it. As Haghia Sophia was the center of religious life, the hippodrome was the center of the civil activities. The interests and passions of the population was divided between theological controversy and chariots races on the hippodrome. Today you can only see some monuments where the hippodrome was. If you are curios and want to see how was the old Constantinople city center click here ! The central line, or spina of the hippodrome was marked by obelisks and columns, three of which are still outstanding monuments at Sultan Ahmet square (see picture bellow: the red line is where the hippodrome was located, behind it you can see the Blue Mosque and Saint Sophia). The first monument is the Egyptian obelisk (picture above). It was originally commissioned by the pharaoh Thutmose III (1549-1503 B.C.) who erected it at Deir el Bahri opposite Thebes in upper Egypt to commemorate one of his campaigns in Syria and his crossing of the Euphrates river. It was erected on its present site by Theodosius the Great in 390 A.C. and at the bottom of it there is a marble stone with some sculptured relieves regarding Theodosius. The second monument is the Serpent column. The three bronze serpents were the base of a trophy that once stood at the temple of Apollo at Delphi. It was dedicated to Apollo as a token of gratitude by the 31 Greek cities which defeated in the Persian battle Plataea (479 B.C.). The column was probably brought from Delphi by Constantine the Great. The third monument is a roughly build pillar of stone 32 meters high dated around the 4th century. It is know that the monument was formerly reverted with gilded bronze plaques. In 1204, during the latin invasion, these plaques were removed, melted down and minted. Topkapi Palace Harem of Topkapi Palace The Topkapi Palace was the official residence of the Sultans for three centuries. Topkapi means round (top) door (kapi). After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Mehmet II - the conqueror, built this gorgeous palace. Today the palace complex is a large museum with many exhibition rooms. You can see gold objects (thrones, tea cups, knives, forks and spoons, cradles, jewelry, kilos and more kilos of gold work) with precious stones as decoration, silver, ceramic, miniatures, cloths and object which are sacred to Islam (among them you can see the beard and foot print of Mohammed the Prophet). Diamond at Topkapi Palace Golden Throne at Topkapi Palace  The Harem at Topkapi Palace is full of mystery and stories. It is open to the public so you can see how the Sultan's wife, concubines and mother lived. The Sultans' wives and concubines were for surely very beautiful women who would murder and intrigue for power, but we should also remember that the Harem was a place which was governed by much tradition, obedience and ceremonial. The Topkapi Palace was the official residence of the Sultans until the end of the 19th century. Mahmut II was the last Sultan to live at this palace. The last of the Sultans preferred to live by the Bosphorus in palaces with more European Styles, so they built the Dolmabahce, Ciragan and Beylerbeyi Palaces, which we will visit next. Underground Cistern The Underground Cistern is located near the Saint Sophia Church in the Sultan Ahmet district. The Turks call it "Yerenbatan Sarayi" which means "underground palace". The cistern was built by Justinian in the 6th century. It is 70 meters wide and 140 meters long, with a capacity of 80,000 cu.m. of water. The cistern is supported by 336 beautiful beautiful columns two of which are carved with the head of Medusa on the plinth. The cistern has been renovated and is open to the public every day of the week. While inside, you can enjoy classical background music, the differently illumuinated coloumns and watch fishes swimming in the water. And at the end of the tour you can also throw a coin and make a wish ... Fishes at the Underground Cistern For more inquiries or information please send us an e-mail and would be glad to answer you as soon as possible Looking forward to hearing from you Oguzhan APAK The Lord of Istanbul Travel Planner thelordofistanbultravelplanner@gmail.com www.thelordofistanbultravelplanner.com https://www.facebook.com/lordofistanbultravelplanner http://lordofistanbultravelplanner.blogspot.com.tr/ https://twitter.com/lordofistanbult WhatsApp:0090 533 641 32 42

Uludag Ski Season has started!!!

ULUDAG is the nearest and the best ski resort to Istanbul

With its 2,543 mt/8,343 ft summit, Uludağ is the highest mountain of northwestern Turkey. It is in the Bursa province of Turkey. In Uludağ Ski Centre the ski tracks are about 20km long. In order to make Northern and Alphine Style Skiing, tour skiing and snowboarding there are suitable areas available also for Heliskiing. In Uludağ Ski Centre the height of the snow can reach upto 3 metres high during the winter. In Uludağ Ski Centre there are 8 chair-lifts and 7 teleskis serving. 

The Lord of Istanbul Travel Planner organizes daily ski tours from Istanbul.

Tour details: -Pick up from your hotel at 06:45 ( there is no pick-up payment from the hotels where they are in the old city or Taksim district in Istanbul)

-The easiest and quickest transportation for Bursa by ferry.

-Land transfers for Uludag by private vehicle

- at least 5 hours at the site to enjoy on your own

-lunch fees included

- arrival to Istanbul by 20:00

Tour notes: -ski suits rentable on the site on your own

-overnight accommodation available on request.

-combined with bursa city tour on request.

For more inquiries or information please send us an e-mail and would be glad to answer you as soon as possible

Looking forward to hearing from you

Oguzhan APAK

The Lord of Istanbul Travel Planner

Rozella Turizm
e.mail: rozellatur@hotmail.com,
          : thelordofistanbultravelplanner@gmail.com

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