Istanbul

Süleymaniye Camii

Istanbul, City of Empires, City of Cities, City of Wonders and Desires, Bridge between East and West. There are not enough words to fully describe the magic and beauty of this ancient capital  where East meets West, modernity confronts tradition, and Islam embraces Christianity. Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul no city had so many names and such a history. As Constantinople it was for 1,123 years the capital of the Byzantine Empire, famous for its splendor and treasures. The name Constantinople itself conjured up images of wealth beyond the dreams of the petty kings and princes of medieval Europe. After being sacked  by Western Crusaders in 1203, Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire never fully recovered.  In 1453, after the Ottoman Turks conquered the city under Mehmet II,  it was renamed  İstanbul and became the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Its bazaars now filled with the treasures from the East and the wealth of the Empire was used in the construction of magnificent mosques. In 1923, after having been the capital of the Ottoman Empire for almost 500 years, Istanbul's role as a capital was over and Atatürk declared Ankara the capital of the new Turkish Republic.

Although the Ottomans called the city İstanbul for centuries,  it was not until 1930, seven years after Turkey gained independence, that İstanbul became its official name. Probably, the name İstanbul is derived from the Greek term stin poli, meaning “to the city” or “in the city.”

In September 2004, we made a city trip to Istanbul with 6 persons.

This was our itinerary, clicking on the hyperlinks will direct you to the corresponding page:

1. Sunday September 12
   Turkish Airlines Flight TK1938 Brussels 11:15 - Istanbul15:35
   Transport to hotel, orientation in Sirkeci-Eminönü district Walk along the Galata bridge
    

2. Monday September 13
   Boat trip along the Bosphorus
    

3. Tuesday September 14
   Taxi to Edirnekapı
   Visit to Tekfur Sarayı -  Mihrimah Camii - Kariye Müzesi
   Walk through Fatih and Fener districts and visit of Bulgarian Church of St. Stephen and Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate
   Bus to Eyüp - Visit of Eyüp Camii and Eyüp Türbesi, climb to Pierre Lotti
   Return by boat
    

4. Wednesday September 15
   Archeological Museum - Museum of the Ancient Orient
   Topkapı Sarayı
    

5. Thursday September 16
   Yerebatan Sarayı (underground cistern) - Aya Sofya Müzesi (Haghia Sophia)
   Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)
   Mosaic Museum (Büyük Saray Mozaik Müzesi)
   Hippodrome (At Meydanı) - Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Camii
   Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı)
   Süleymaniye Camii
   Beyazit Square - Aqueduct of Valens (Bozdoğan Kemeri)
   Egyptian Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı)
    

6. Friday September 17
   Beyoğlu district - Galata Tower - Pera Palas Otel
   Istiklal Caddesi and Taksim Square
   Mehter Concert
   Return by Tünel
    

7. Saturday September 18
   Morning: shopping
   Return flight Turkish Airlines (THY)
   TK1939 Departure Istanbul: 14:00 Arrival Brussels: 16:30

Click on the hyperlinks for the corresponding trip report and photo album

Be careful if you're planning to use this program, it was arranged taking the opening days of the museums into account.

During this citytrip we stayed at Hotel Sude Konak, Ebusuut Caddesi No. 24, Eminönü-Sirkeci. Hotel reservation and transport from the airport were organized by Limit Tour - Kok Tourism (Tel. +90 212 297 52 48).

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