L'Hippodrome était un haut lieu du sport et du divertissement dans l'ancienne Constantinople, capitale de la Rome d'Orient, et un important centre politique, car sport et politique étaient étroitement liés à cette époque. Il n'est donc pas étonnant que l'Hippodrome ait été le point de départ de révoltes et de mouvements politiques tout au long de l'histoire. L'écho des cris des esclaves chevauchant des chars lors de courses féroces et les paroles inspirantes des intellectuels et des poètes qui ont enflammé les mouvements populaires ont encore marqué les esprits des personnes à l'imagination débordante.

Shrine of Holy Wisdom, a marvelous Byzantine basilica built in the 6th century, marks the golden age of Justinianus. The domed construction of the sanctuary is an architectural innovation and was so lavishly and artistically decorated that Justinian proclaimed, "Solomon, I have outdone thee!". Humankind would have to wait for millennia before building a cathedral that would surpass the gigantic size of Hagia Sophia. Converted to a mosque following the Ottoman conquest of the city, by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453, as the young Sultan fulfilled a divine premonition by the Holy Prophet Mohammad himself. In 1935 the building was converted to a museum by the executive order of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey. Hagia Sophia, whose status was converted to a mosque in July 2020, has been taking its visitors on a journey through the multi-layered texture of history as a mosque ever since.

Le plus grand, le plus ancien et le plus attrayant bazar couvert du monde, où l'on échange bijoux, tapis, nourriture, parfums et même des potins depuis des siècles ! La visite comprend également une courte démonstration de tapis turcs.

La mosquée Sultan Ahmed, aussi connue sous le nom de Mosquée Bleue, suscite l'admiration par les délicats carreaux ottomans qui ornent ses murs. Les motifs floraux des carreaux et les espaces intérieurs spacieux et lumineux témoignent de la pérennité de l'esprit ottoman.

The Topkapı Palace has been the Imperial residence of the Ottoman Sultans from the 15th to the 19th century. Its design, initially devised by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror himself and then enhanced by Architect Sinan, hides marks of the rituals and structure of Ottoman hierarchy and the running of state affairs.Home to the imperial treasury, cabinet and the site of the barracks for Janissaries, the elite of the army, every single corner of the palace mentions the splendor of the Ottomans. Apart from the priceless treasury, a distinguished collection of Chinese porcelains, holy relics, Sultan’s attires, and imperial weaponry are exhibited in different palace sections. Admission fee: 500 TRY/per person