Private & Guided Fener - Balat Walking Tour - Istanbul Off The Beaten Track.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Suleymaniye Mosque, Prof. SIddIk Sami Onar Cd. No:1 Süleymaniye Mah, Istanbul 34116 Turkey

The first stop is Suleymaniye Mosque was built on the order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and constructed by the great Ottoman architect Sinan. The construction work began in 1550 and the mosque was finished in 1557. The mosque is modeled in part on the style of a Byzantine basilica, particularly the Hagia Sophia, which was perhaps a conscious move on the part of the sultan to create a continuity and a symbolic connection with the city's past.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Valens Aqueduct (Bozdogan Kemeri), near Ataturk Av. and Sahsade mosque, Istanbul Turkey

After the mosque, we will have a tea-coffee break at Kadinlar Pazari under the shadow of the aqueduct of Valens. A really authentic square, filled with "buryan kebab" restaurants.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Zeyrek Mosque, Zeyrek Mah. Ibadethane Sk. Fatih, Istanbul 34083 Turkey

Walking along the aqueduct will end at one of the oldest and most important churches now a mosque in the city Zeyrek Mosque or Monastery of the Pantocrator, A unique combination of two former Eastern Orthodox churches and a chapel. The Zeyrek Mosque is the second largest religious edifice after the Hagia Sophia to be built by the Byzantines remaining in Istanbul.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Gul Camii, Yavuz Sultan Selim Mahallesi, Vakif Mektebi Sk. No: 16 Fatih, Istanbul 34083 Turkey

Next stop will be the Gul Mosque, Gul Mosque started life as the 11th-century Church of St Theodosia and converted into a mosque by the Ottomans.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Hagios Nikolaos Greek Orthodox Church, Abdulezel Pasa Cad. No:255 Fener, Fatih, Istanbul Turkey

We will then continue to the beautiful districts of Fener and Balat to discover the Aya Nikola Greek Orthodox Church.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Sadrazam Ali Pasa Cad. No:35 Fener, Fatih, Istanbul Turkey

We will then continue to the beautiful districts of Fener and Balat to discover the Aya Nikola Greek Orthodox Church before visiting the Fener Orthodox Patriarchate The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is one of the fifteen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 1586 the Ecumenical Patriarchate has had its headquarters in the relatively modest Church of St George in the Fener district of Istanbul.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Balat, Istanbul Turkey

Afterward, enjoy a break from sightseeing to have a drink and we will then wander around the labyrinth cobblestone streets of Balat to see Phanar Greek Orthodox College, this Fener landmark, known locally as Kirmizi Mektep for its castellated red-brick facade, still functions as a Greek school. Then we will visit Saint Mary of the Mongols, is an Eastern Orthodox church in Istanbul. It is the only Byzantine church of Constantinople that has never been converted to a mosque, always remaining open to the Greek Orthodox Church.

Duration: 1 hour