Since the area known as the historic peninsula stands as the cultural and historical center of Istanbul, it is the obvious place to begin a Old City Tour in Istanbul. Old Istanbul, which is full of palaces, temples and cisterns, is characterized by its natural beauty as well as many amazing historical monuments.
Discovering the city of Istanbul is not limited to witnessing its history. The historic peninsula is the richest area of the city in terms of its natural and scenic beauties. It is an inescapable fact that for centuries people have been drawn to this fascinating area, in which some of the most powerful empires the world has ever seen were ruled.
This is why an Old City Tour aiming to discover Istanbul in all its glory should begin here, an area that can be toured in just two days.
Some of the greatest and most well-known sites are the Hagia Sophia, a masterpiece of architectural history and building construction; the Süleymaniye and Sehzade mosques, which represent the peak of 16th century aesthetics; the Sultan Ahmet Mosque (known as the Blue Mosque), which is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world; and many Byzantine cisterns and aqueducts, as well as Ottoman fountains, all of them in close proximity on the peninsula.
Old City Tour: From Roman to Ottoman
This oldest urban area of the city is entirely encircled by the city walls. The walls go through the land and sea shores from the west side of the peninsula at the Bosphorus entrance to Istanbul on the Marmara Sea. Therefore, the area is called “Suriçi,” which means “inside the city walls.” The historic peninsula became the ruling center of the Eastern Roman Empire, i.e. the Byzantine Empire, when it was realized that it was nearly impossible to effectively rule the expansive lands of the Roman Empire. The peninsula was to remain at the heart of this magnificent eastern empire, the Byzantine Empire, in following centuries even after the original Roman Empire had collapsed.
An Old City Tour reveals the richness of Istanbul’s past and present.
The district is surrounded by the Golden Horn to the north, the Marmara Sea to the south, the Bosphorus to the east and the district of Fatih to the west. In this ancient area of Istanbul, there are several important districts and neighborhoods in terms of both history and culture, including; Eminönü, Sultan Ahmet, Beyazıt, Laleli, Aksaray, Süleymaniye, Fener, Balat, and Haliç (Golden Horn).
Following the great separation of religious sects between western and eastern councils, the historic peninsula became the global and divine center of eastern Christianity, the Orthodox. The Hagia Sophia, which is undeniably one of the greatest assets of Christianity, served as the center of the Byzantine Church and Eastern Roman religions previously. After the conquest of Istanbul (Constantinople) by the Ottomans, it became one of the most important centers of Islam.
Join us on an Old City Tour, where every cobblestone holds the echoes of centuries gone by. This is where the story of Istanbul truly begins.