BYZANTINE MEETS OTTOMAN TOUR

                                             BYZANTINE MEETS
                                               OTTOMAN TOUR

Blue Mosque:
Its magnificent series of domes and          In 1461, less than ten year after
semi-domes, its six slender minarets        the Conquest, Fatih Mehmet
sprouting from the corners of the             ordered the construction of
mosque, its spacious courtyard,                Topkapi Sarayi a palace that would
and its grandiose yet elegant                     be known as Dar-üs Saadet, the
proportions, make the Blue                       “House of Felicity”. Topkapi Sarayi
Mosque one of the architectural                remained the seat of the Ottoman
marvels of the world.                                 Sultans until 1868, the                                 

Hippodrome and Obelisks:                     Abdul-mecit I moved to the
The ancient Hippodrome, the                    European style Dolmabahce Palace
scene of chariot races and the                    farther up the Bosphorus.
center of Byzantine civil life, stood
in the open space in front of the
Blue Mosque.

Haghia Sophia Museum:                      Suleymaniye Mosque:
Haghia Sophia was built at the               Suleymaniye is without question
command of Emperor Justinian in          one of the greatest works of its
the years 532 to 537.                               architect, Sinan. Begun in 1550,
The courtyard of Haghia Sophia             the mosque was completed in
harbors a number of minor but               1557, with two more years
fascinating Ottoman structures.              Required in order to finish the entire complex.