Full-Day Small-Group Guided Tour to Famous Mosques in Istanbul

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Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

Our first stop will be Hagia Sophia Mosque, which is considered as the best and the most visited sights in Istanbul. Hagia Sophia is a former church and museum and declared as one of the world’s greatest architectural works and accepted as the 8th wonder of the world. Built as a church in 325, Hagia Sophia was rebuilt in 537 and was converted into a mosque by Fatih Sultan Mehmet after the conquest of Istanbul in 1453. Serving as a museum since 1935, a decree on 10th of July 2020 to formally declare the Hagia Sophia as a mosque.

Blue Mosque

• This wondrous building is perhaps the most photographed site in Istanbul and one of Istanbul’s most iconic buildings, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque was built in the early 17th century as an audacious reassertion of Ottoman power.
• The mosque is famed for its magnificent blue interior. It is lined with over 20,000 handmade Iznik ceramic tiles in over 50 different designs, increasing in flamboyance from the lower levels up to the galleries.
• Working closely with architect Sedefhar Mehmet Aga, the sultan ordered six minarets to be constructed on the mosque, a controversial decision as the only other mosque in the world with this number of minarets was in Mecca.
• Both within and outside the mosque, its multiple domes create a magnificent effect: a cascade from the outside, while from inside the domes reinforce the eyes' gaze upwards toward the center of the mosque, which soars toward heaven.

Hippodrome

Hippodrome of Constantinople, was a public arena mainly for chariot races and was also home to gladiatorial games, official ceremonies, celebrations, protests, torture to the convicts, and so on. Hippodrome functioned all in Roman (203-330 CE), Byzantine (330-1453 CE), and Ottoman (1453-1922) periods.

Suleymaniye Mosque

• Suleymaniye Mosque, which is known as the Mosque of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, is the most renowned imperial mosque in Istanbul.
• The mosque was built between 1550 - 1557 during 7 years by the legendary architect Mimar Sinan. It is the masterpiece of Mimar Sinan, who was the chief architect of the Ottoman Empire. The truly staggering size of the Suleymaniye Mosque is one of its most distinctive features. It is full of surprising details reflecting the genius of architect Mimar Sinan, who hosts the elegantly decorated interior and the 53 m high central dome.
• Today, Suleymaniye Mosque is one of the most popular religious sights located in the historical old peninsula in Istanbul.
• The tombs of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent and his favorite wife Hurrem Sultan is located next to the mosque as well.

Fatih Mosque and Complex

The Imperial Fatih Mosque, constructed between 1462 and 1470, bears the name of the Ottoman conqueror of Istanbul, Fatih Sultan Mehmet, and is the site of his mausoleum. Standing atop another of Istanbul's hills, its vast size and great complex of religious buildings - medreses, hospices, baths, a hospital, a caravanserai, and a library make it well worth a visit.