Tour Istanbul Turkey

Sometimes it seems that there is no secluded place in the summer stamboral, where you can escape from the scorching sun. But in fact it is right in the center of the Turkish metropolis - the area of ​​Sultanahmet. This is a basil tank - a beautifully preserved ancient underground reservoir of Constantinople, located at a depth of 10-12 meters. In this huge cool room, you will not only be able to escape from the heat, but also learn a lot of interesting things.

The construction was built on the site of the Basilica of St. Sophia. The tank in Greysly means "reservoir", so today the museum is called the Basilica tank.

To date, more than 40 tanks have been found under Istanbul.
The Greeks began to build a basilica tank under the emperor Konstantin I (306-337), and finished only in 532 during the rule of the emperor of Justinian. Of course, such a large-scale construction was not covered not just so - a large supply of drinking water was kept in the tank in the case of drought or siege of the city. It places about 100 thousand tons of water.

Tour Istanbul Turkey Istanbul is one of the world’s great cities. There are so many wonderful reasons why you should visit this city. Istanbul is old, dating back thousands of years, and with that, there are many historical places to visit.

Next, we have one of the most curious facts about Istanbul that I’m pretty sure you don’t know. While the Netherlands is famous as the tulip nation, the tulip actually originates in Istanbul.

The first tulip bulb was sent from the Ottoman empire to Vienna in 1554 and later redistributed to the Netherlands. Dutch loved them so much that they started growing tulips everywhere.

You can find some of the best tulips in Istanbul around the fountain between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque).

Istanbul is a shopping paradise. There’s everything there, and it’s priced exceptionally well. The city is such a popular shopping destination that the neighboring countries organize shopping day-trips there.

The cherry on the top is the Grand Bazaar, the world’s biggest covered market. In operation since 1461, The Grand Bazaar covers 61 streets and 3,000 shops attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 customers per day!

If you ever get the chance to visit Istanbul, make sure the market is on your itinerary. The place is not only extraordinarily exotic but also offers tremendous free Turkish sweets samples. Just make sure to practice your haggling skills because no price is set in stone in the Grand Bazaar.

Rise of Hagia Sophia
It was Byzantine Emperor Justinian I who ordered the construction of Hagia Sophia (meaning “holy wisdom” in Greek). At the time, it was the largest interior space in the world. When the building became a mosque, several changes were made.

In order to align with Islamic beliefs, many of Hagia Sophia’s sublime works of art were plastered over during Mehmed II’s rule of the Ottoman Empire from 1451 to 1481. Bold flowing lines of Arabic calligraphy on hanging roundels and a beautiful marble mihrab, indicating the direction of Mecca, replaced the grand mosaics of six-winged angels and other Christian figures.

If you only have time for one thing in Istanbul, it should be the Hagia Sophia.

This cathedral was constructed in 537 AD. For 900 years it was the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople. The Hagia Sophia was the single greatest architectural achievement of the Byzantine Empire. In 1453, when the Ottomans took over Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque. It functioned as a museum until July 2020. Now, it is a mosque.

Step inside this amazing wonder. The Hagia Sophia still retains the elements of Christian and Islamic religions.

Allow about two hours to tour the entire building.