ISTANBUL, TURKEY

On this tour we will discover the Byzantine heritage of Istanbul. After a short drive we will begin our tour by making a short visit to the Hagios Georgios Church, a Greek Orthodox Church known for its wonderful icons.

On this tour we will discover the Byzantine heritage of Istanbul. After a short drive we will begin our tour by making a short visit to the Hagios Georgios Church, a Greek Orthodox Church known for its wonderful icons. Our next stop will be the Kariya Mosque, located in the west of the city it was repaired in the Period of Commenses and Palaiologuses. It is now famous for it’s magnificent mosaics and attractive surroundings, of which we will be able to take in on our visit. On exiting the Mosque we will make our way via the city walls northwards and re-enter the city at Edirne Kapi, one of the best kept gates of the city. The walls were erected in 412 A.D., and secured the four miles of the city vulnerable to a land invasion. To assure its impregnability, two sets of walls were built. The outer wall is six-and-a-half feet thick and 28 feet in height. The inner wall, built 65 feet from the outer wall, is 16 feet thick and about 40 feet in height. The walls included 96 towers, some as high as 65 feet, and 12 gates. We will then journey to the Basilica Cistern, a huge underground reservoir built in 532AD. The cistern is located in the historical peninsula of Istanbul next to the Hagia Sophia. It is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of 4 metres and coated with a special mortar for waterproofing. The cistern's water was provided from the Belgrade Woods—which lie 19kilometres north of the city—via aqueducts built by the emperor Justinian. After our final stop we will reboard our coach to drive us the short distance back to our awaiting ship. Please note this excursion involves a lot of getting on and off a coach and approximately 1 hour of walking over uneven ground. Approximately 40 steps will be encountered in order to enter the Bisilica Cistern, therefore this tour is not suitable for passengers with limited mobility or wheelchair users.

DESCRIPTION CORRECT FOR 2007 CANARIES & MEDITERRANEAN CRUISES