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Blue Mosque built between 1609 and 1616 by Mehmet Aga, a student of the Great Sinan with 260 windows and named for the beautiful Iznik tiles which give the mosque its interior colour. Blue Mosque is one of the world’s great buildings with its six slender minarets gracing the outside, while the interior is a sea of blue. The original seventh minaret was later presented to the mosque at Mecca for diplomatic reasons
Hippodrome was built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 203 A.D. The hippodrome was a stadium which served as a meeting place for the politicians, for chariot races, wrestling, boxing, and other athletic activities that took place. Obelisk of Theodosius (The Egyptian obelisk) erected by Tutmosis III 1504-1450 B.C. before the temple of Karnak at Heliopolis.
Haghia Sophia The massive dome and four elegant minarets of Haghia Sophia rise above the Istanbul city for more than a millennium, forming the most impressive silhouette on both Asia and Europe’s sky .Not only haunting beauty of its dimly interior, it is one of the largest enclosed spaces in the world.Considered to be the 8th Wonder of the World, Hagia Sophia Cathedral is now a museum.
Topkapı Palace, which, from the 15th to the 19th century, was the principle residence of the Ottoman Sultans. We will visit the fabolous Imperial Treasury and the Baghdad Kiosk. Topkapı Palace is now a museum and has unrivalled collections of jewelry, including the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, the 3rd largest in the world, Ottoman court costumes and ceramics, notably one of the world’s finest collection of early Chinese ceramics, much of it gifts from Interestingly, some of the ceramics have a special glaze that was said to change color in the presence of poison. We also visit the Imperial Armory, displaying centuries of Ottoman weaponry. But perhaps the loveliest features of Topkapı Palace are its courtyards with their ancient trees, and it is easy to imagine the sultan strolling here far from the cares of state and empire
The Grand Bazaar, was the commercial heart of the old city and its 6,000 shops are full of treasures – including carpets and kilims, silks, jewelry, ceramics, icons, and leather goods.
Wandering through the Grand Bazaar, indulge in some shopping, Ottoman style. The Covered Bazaar is a maze that expands over 60 streets. The shops inside are filled with jewelry, pottery, spices, carpets and restaurants
Both nights in Assos Hotel in Istanbul.
AUG 22, Istanbul – USA
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