Day 21 Biblelands trip

Day 21
First stop the Topkapi palace(meaning Cannon gate) which was the residence of the Ottoman sultans.. completed in 1475 on an area of 700,00 square metres! The last Sultan lived here in the mid 19th century and then the Dynasty moved to the Dolmabahce palace on the water, built in 1853. There are 4 courtyards, getting progressively more private. Great views of the Bosphorus which is a channel connecting the Marmara sea and Black sea.

Next stop Hagia Sofia,(means Holy Knowledge) the largest temple structure in Turkey.. Rebuilt 3 times. It was originally a Christian church then became a mosque then now a museum. Spectacular mosaic walls and ceilings! There are 104 marble columns taken from the temple of Artemis in Ephesus which is why we only saw one still standing there. A lot of marble spheres and blocks are also 'repurposed' from Pergamum
Next stop the Basilica cistern, an underground water system constructed for Justinian the Byzantine Emperor in 5th century (140m long 70m wide with 336 columns, each 9m high)
Next we had a quick look at the Blue mosque (so named for the more than 20,000 blue tiles) but as it was under restoration most of it was under wraps.
We very briefly explored the Grand bazaar with 3000 shops.. Then quickly exited 😲
We walked back to our hotel which is right near the
Galata tower, built as an observation tower in 14th century.Read more