Istanbul Stopover Tours:

The Istanbul Ataturk airport is the hub of many airlines, located roughly 13 miles from Istanbul old city centre which makes the city an accessible destination for on a long layover.

Istanbul layover Tour; we are aware of how important your time is while on transit. Whether you only have a few hours in between journeys or that you just want the safety and comfort of a Private Istanbul Tour after a flight. Whilst in transit, turn your Istanbul airport layover into exciting mini-vacation. Outside working hour services are also available for late arrivals.

With our meet and greet service, the tour begins from the moment you arrive in Istanbul. You will be welcomed at Istanbul Ataturk airport IST by a Private Istanbul Walking Tours representative carrying a sign that bears your name on it before driven to the city center for the tour. Following the tour, you can be drop off at a central Istanbul hotel or at the IST airport. Pick up is available directly from Istanbul airport arrival terminal and return to your departure terminal at the end of the tour. Allow approx. 45 minutes to clear customs to begin your tour. Check in for international flights is at least two hours and for domestic flights one hour before your scheduled departure time.

Passengers on layovers will normally have their luggage forwarded to their final destination by their airline, if you will have your luggage with you, you can bring them to the tour vehicle as well.

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The Hippodrome of Constantinople: 

The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social center of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named Sultan Ahmet Meydani (Sultan Ahmet Square) in the Turkish city of Istanbul, with a few fragments of the original structure surviving. 

The word hippodrome comes from the Greek hippos, horse, and dromos, path or way. Horse racing and chariot racing were popular pastimes in the ancient world and hippodromes were common features of Greek cities in the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras.

Although the Hippodrome is usually associated with Constantinople's days of glory as an imperial capital, it actually predates that era. The first Hippodrome was built when the city was called Byzantium, and was a provincial town of moderate importance. In AD 203 the Emperor Septimius Severus rebuilt the city and expanded its walls, endowing it with a hippodrome, an arena for chariot races and other entertainment.

The track was lined with other bronze statues of famous horses and chariot drivers, none of which survive. The hippodrome was filled with statues of gods, emperors and heroes, among them some famous works, such as a Heracles by Lysippos, Romulus and Remus with their wolf and the Serpent Column of the Plataean tripod.

Throughout the Byzantine period, the Hippodrome was the center of the city's social life. Huge amounts were bet on chariot races, and initially four teams took part in these races, each one financially sponsored and supported by a different political party (Deme) within the Roman/Byzantine Senate: The Blues (Venetoi), the Greens (Prasinoi), the Reds (Rousioi) and the Whites (Leukoi). The Reds (Rousioi) and the Whites (Leukoi) gradually weakened and were absorbed by the other two major factions (the Blues and Greens).

A total of up to eight chariots (two chariots per team), powered by four horses each, competed on the racing track of the Hippodrome. These races were not simple sporting events, but also provided some of the rare occasions in which the Emperor and the common citizens could come together in a single venue. Political discussions were often made at the Hippodrome, which could be directly accessed by the Emperor through a passage that connected the Kathisma (Emperor's Loge at the eastern tribune) with the Great Palace of Constantinople.

The rivalry between the Blues and Greens often became mingled with political or religious rivalries, and sometimes riots, which amounted to civil wars that broke out in the city between them. The most severe of these was the Nika riots of 532, in which an estimated 30,000 people were killed and many important buildings, such as the second Hagia Sophia Church, were destroyed. The current (third) Hagia Sophia was built by Justinian following the Nika Revolt.

Constantinople never really recovered from its sack during the Fourth Crusade and even though the Byzantine Empire survived until 1453, by that time, the Hippodrome had fallen into ruin. The Ottoman Turks, who captured the city in 1453 and made it the capital of the Ottoman Empire, were not interested in racing and the Hippodrome was gradually forgotten, although the site was never actually built over.

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Hagia Irene Museum

Hagia Irene means "Divine Peace" in Greek, so it was a church dedicated to holly peace, not to a Saint Irene as it's wrongly pronounced today. It's believed that the church was first built in the 4th century AD over the ruins of a pagan temple by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine I. The wooden construction was burned during the Nika Riot in 532 AD and it was renovated by Justinian I, representing typical characteristics of early Byzantine architecture. During the following centuries, the church was restored several times because of the earthquakes and some big fires.

The Janissaries used the church as an arsenal after the Conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The staircases to the galleries and the inscription on the gate was added by the Ottomans. In the 19th century it was opened as a sort of museum displaying old weapons. At the beginning of the 20th century it was closed and remained empty for many years, until they started the restorations.

Today, Hagia Irene church is in the first courtyard of the Topkapi Palace behind Hagia Sophia, and is called as Aya Irini in Turkish. At present, some classic music concerts or art exhibitions are organized in the building during important festivals. Inside, nothing much remained from its original mosaics but a large cross above its main narthex, showing us that they were never re-made after the Iconoclastic period.

Hagia Irene was closed, except for special occasions, until recently. In April 2014, it was opened to public as a museum. The entrance fee is 20 TL per person. The museum is open every day between 09:00-17:00, except on Tuesdays.

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Valens Aqueduct Istanbul:

The Valens Aqueduct stands in Istanbul, in the quarter of Fatih, and spans the valley between the hills which are today occupied by Istanbul University and the Fatih Mosque. It is a creation of the late Roman and the early Byzantine time. It is uncertain as to when the aqueduct’s construction began, but it is mentioned in certain sources that it was completed eithe during the reign of Emperor Valens (364–378CE) or of Hadrianus (117–138CE) whose names it bears. The aqueduct was later repaired during the rule of Emperor Justinian II (576), Konstantinos V (741–775), and Basileios II (1019). After the 11th century, and during the siege and invasion of the city, it received a large amount of damage.

During the 6th century, the Valens Aqueduct was used to provide water to the palaces of Istanbul, the Ahilleus Bath, and the Cistern. Nevertheless, according to Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, a Castilian diplomat who traveled to Constantinople en route to an embassy in 1403, the aqueduct was also used to water the gardens. After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, Sultan Mehmet II repaired the whole water supply and added new arches to the structure in order to attempt to solve the water shortage problem of the city. During the Ottoman period, it was also repaired several times. The repairs and the addition of new lines and arches to the water-supplying net continued during the reign of Bayezid II (1447/48-1512), Suleiman I (1494-1566), and Mustafa II (1664-1703). These restoration works made a sufficient impact on the ability of the Valens Aqueduct to reach the present day.

It is thought that the Aqueduct of Valens had a length exceeding 1000 meters during the early Byzantine period, but today it had an average length of 971 meters and a maximum height of about 28 meters (63.5 meters above sea level). A great part of the Valens Aqueduct was destroyed and only the part located on Atatürk Boulevard has survived today. H. Prost, who prepared the structural plan of Istanbul, enabled vehicles to proceed through the Valens without causing any damage during World War II. The part of the Valens Aqueduct located on Atatürk Boulevard was cleaned and strengthened by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 1988. This historical structure was restored between 1990 and 1993 by Doğan Kuban and Ş. Akıncı.

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Suleymaniye mosque, Suleiman the Magnificent Mosque: 

Suleymaniye mosque, or better known as the mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent, was built in the 16th century by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan for Sultan Suleiman the Magnificient, also known as the Legislator. It stands on a hilltop (3rd hill) dominating the Golden Horn and contributing to the skyline of Istanbul. The mosque is the largest mosque of Istanbul.

The mosque was ordered by the sultan Suleyman, and architect Sinan built it in 7 years, between 1550-1557 AD. Like all big and important mosques of that period, also this mosque was built as a complex including a hospital, library, madrasa, kitchen and hospice for the poor, hamam, and shops. It's one of the best examples of Ottoman Islamic architecture in Istanbul.

The mosque is less ornate respect to the other mosques of the time, but its simple decorations gives another atmosphere to this masterpiece. As in all great mosques, it has an outer courtyard and the inner courtyard with four minarets in the corners. Two of these minarets are taller (74 meters - 242 feet) than the other two (56 meters - 184 feet) and these have 3 balconies on each meanwhile shorter ones have two balconies on each. This symbolizes Suleyman as the fourth sultan after the Conquest of Constantinople and the tenth sultan from the beginning of the Ottoman Empire. These balconies (called as "serefe") have separate stairways inside. The inner courtyard (or late-comer’s courtyard) is surrounded by a portico of small columns and domes to protect people from the sun or rain depending on the season, and it has a fountain for the ablutions in the middle (which is dry today).

There are 3 entrances to inside of the mosque, one being from the inner courtyard on the axis of the mosque and other two being on the sides of the outer courtyard. Inside, the floor is covered with carpets. The chandeliers are low and dim so it gives you an idea of the time when it was lit with candles, and there are 138 windows. The marble Mihrab is directly ahead of you, meanwhile the Minbar is on the right of mihrab and the sultans' lodge is on the left corner. Above, you'll notice the great dome which has a diameter of 27 meters (88 feet) and a height of 53 meters (173 feet). There are massive arches and four large columns lifting the main dome and smaller half domes thus creating a large space. Indoors, there are simple but beautiful decorations such as floral designs, geometrical patters, and calligraphy from the Koran. The acoustics of the hall is incredibly sharp.

In the outer courtyard to the southeast, there is an old cemetery where important people were buried once upon a time. Sultan Süleyman, his wife Hürrem, and architect Sinan have their own mausoleums within the compound as well.

Today Suleyman's mosque is one of the most popular sights in Istanbul. Normally tourists enter the mosque from the inner courtyard and after taking the shoes off. Camera and flash is allowed in the mosque.

In November 2010, the Suleymaniye mosque is re-opened to public after a long restoration period of three years.

Süleymaniye Camii
Süleymaniye - Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 5140139

Open daily except prayer times

You may book one of our Private Istanbul Tours to explore the Suleymaniye mosque. For more information regarding to private tours in Istanbul please contact us:
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