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IRRESISTANBUL ( FULL DAY ) Enjoy İstanbul Classics: View
the Hippodrome, site of ancient chariot races. Visit the Blue Mosque and
St. Sophia, explore the Topkapi Palace.
WHAT YOU VISIT
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Sultanahmet Square - Hippodrome - This large, open
square was once the site of a Roman circus that rivaled the
Coliseum in size and held a quarter of a million spectators.
Monuments on the site include the Snake column from Delphi and
the Egyptian obelisk taken from the Temple of Karnak at Luxor. |
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Blue Mosque – Six graceful minarets adorn the elegant
mosque, one of the city’s most recognized landmarks. The superb
interior is decorated with more than 20,000 blue Iznik tiles. |
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St. Sophia – The Emperor Justinian built St. Sophia
when Istanbul was Constantinople. This magnificent example of
Byzantine architecture boasts a massive done, a lengthy nave,
and an interior decorated with marble, precious stones, and
pillars from Ephesus. |
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Topkapi Palace – A huge walled complex hugging the
Bosporus, the former palace of the Ottoman sultans is now a
museum with an extraordinary collection of Chinese porcelain,
art, artifacts, and jewels including the Topkapi Diamond. The
Harem, home of the sultan and his primary living quarters,
offers exceptional insight into the sultans’ lifestyles. |
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Grand Bazaar – Your guide escorts you to a store just
outside the Grand Bazaar, your rendezvous after visiting the
market. View a carpet weaving demonstration and explore the
Grand Bazaar, where shops are organized by the wares they sell.
The narrow alleys are filled with shops offering jewelry,
carpets, leather ware, copper goods and more. Bargaining is
expected – and half the fun. |
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