The Hippodrome and the Blue Mosque

Istanbul beckons with its layered history spanning millennia. On this walking tour, you'll discover the ancient Hippodrome and magnificent Blue Mosque in the heart of Sultanahmet, where Roman chariots once raced and Ottoman sultans displayed their power through monumental architecture. Witness how centuries of civilization have literally built upon one another in this remarkable open-air museum.

The tour starts at the Marmara University Republic Museum, where you'll explore the Hippodrome's ancient monuments, including the 3,500-year-old Egyptian Obelisk that was transported from Alexandria in 390 AD. You'll weave through the square examining the Serpentine Column from 5th century BC and the German Fountain, a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1898. These monuments tell the story of Istanbul's importance as a crossroads of civilizations and power.

Along the way, you'll learn how the Hippodrome once held 100,000 spectators for chariot races and was the social center of Byzantine Constantinople. You'll discover the tomb of Sultan Ahmed I, who built the Blue Mosque at just 19 years old, and explore the Arasta Bazaar, constructed to financially support the mosque complex. The tour ends at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, housed in the former residence of Ibrahim Pasha, Grand Vizier to Suleiman the Magnificent.

During this 30-minute tour, you'll have a chance to:

• Marvel at the Blue Mosque's six minarets and cascading domes, learning why this number created controversy with Mecca
• Examine ancient hieroglyphs on the Egyptian Obelisk that celebrate a pharaoh's victories from 1500 BCE
• Discover how Istanbul's ground level has risen over the centuries, burying earlier civilizations beneath your feet
• Explore the Arasta Bazaar, built on Byzantine Palace foundations and offering a more manageable shopping experience than the Grand Bazaar
• Learn about the medrese (school) that was part of the mosque's social complex, showing how these structures served multiple community functions
• Admire the intricate golden mosaics inside the German Fountain dome, representing the diplomatic relationship between the Ottoman Empire and Germany

Join this journey through Istanbul's Sultanahmet district and experience how history has unfolded in layers at this crossroads of civilizations, where each monument tells a story of power, faith, and cultural exchange.