istanbul 2014

 
 

We spend the morning close to the great walls of the city built by Theodosius II at the end of the fifth century. Just inside the walls is the ruined Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, where some of the last Byzantine emperors preferred to live. Close by is Kariye Camii, formerly the church of St Saviour in Chora. The church’s 14th century Byzantine mosaics, gleaming with gold, and its remarkable frescos, were restored by British specialists with American funding, and the building is now a museum.

 

Those who wish will be dropped at the great mosque complex, Sulemaniye Camii, built for Suleyman the Magnificent by the greatest of Ottoman architects, Sinan. We can lunch close to the mosque, and then visit parts of the complex before walking home past the tomb of the architect Sinan, and through some of the most bustling and atmospheric parts of Istanbul. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

day 6 photos

December 27, 2014