June 15th, 2007 Fridaay, between 9:00 am and 18:00 pm
Full Day Tour (Dolmabahce Palace, Galata Tower, The Chora Church

Dolmabahçe Palace, whose construction began in 1846 in the province of Besiktas was completed in 1856. The palace which was commissioned by Sultan Abdülmecid was built on an area of 250.000 m², and the palace itself and main outhouses were built on sea-filled surface. The palace is comprised of a main unit, Heir Section, Furniture and Guards' Room, Operational Mansions, Glass Mansion and other small pavilions. Dolmabahçe Palace which has 8 spacious saloons and 200 rooms, has two main and seven side gates and five gates on the sea front. While the gardens are arranged in four sections, the main building comprises of three sections, namely the State Office (Mabeyn-i Hümayun), Auction Hall and Private Office. The main front of the palace overlooking the sea, Private Office is a two-storey building. Süfera (envoy) Saloon on the upper floor of the palace is one of its most impressive sections. Auction Hall rises between the State and Private Offices as a monumental structure. It is built on a square-like surface, covered with a dome from the inside and a roof from the outside. It is adorned with rich decorations. The Private Office is made up of Sultan's Office and harem. Harem is a plain section with grand common-use places and closed private rooms.

Galata tower was built by the Genoese in 1348, during their occupation of the area, primarily to prevent attacks. Originally known as the Tower of Christ, it stood above the fortification surrounding the Genoese city-state. There is a spiral rock staircase which ascends to the top viewing platform, which today offers visitors spectacular 360 degree panorama of the entire city. The tower was restored in 1967, and an elevator was installed to offer a less tiring alternative to the steep climb. There is also a restaurant on the top floor.

Spice Bazaar is in Istanbul, Eminönü. It was commissioned by Mehmet the Fourth's mother, Hatica Turhan Sultan as a donation for New Mosque. The construction was initiated with Architect Kasim Aga and was completed in 1660 by Architect Mustafa Aga. It has six gates and 86 shops. It has gained its recent look after 1943 restoration. Two main gates of Misir Bazaar connect Eminönü and Sultanhamam districts. While the world was just in the wake of turning to natural products, Anatolia, which has raised Herbalists, has been distributing for centuries the healing power of the plants through Misir Bazaar.

Chora Church (Kariye Camii in Turkish) is the most interesting Byzantine church after Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The importance of the church does not come from the building itself , the frescoes and the mosaics are superb and reflect the magnificient heritage of Byzantine Art. The word "Chora" means "in the country" in Greek because of the original church which was outside the city walls. There are no remains left from the original church and the first form of the present structure dates back to 11C. The church was founded by Maria Doukaina, mother-in-law of Alexius Comnenos I between 1077-1081. Today's church was constructed after two centuries, the walls were revetted with superb mosaics and a pareclession was added decorated with beautiful frescoes. The founder of the church was Theodore Metochites who served as a prime minister during the time of EmperorAndronicus Palaeologus I. He was also an astronomer, poet, theologian and philosopher. Actually he lived a very sad life, after Palaeologus was replaced by another emperor, he was sent to exile. After he came back to Konstantinople, he devoted himself to the church as a monk and he died there. Early in the 16C, the church was converted to a mosque by Atik Ali Pasha and the mosaics were covered with plaster. In 1948, it was restored by Byzantine Institute of America and opened as a museum in 1958.

60 Euro per person.