Süleymaniye Mosque is the largest imperial mosque and one of the best-known sights of İstanbul. Built on the order of Süleyman the Magnificient by the Court Architect Sinan. The mosque crowns İstanbul on a hilltop dominating Golden Horn. In the garden, there are two mausoleums: Tomb of Sultan Süleyman I and his wife Hürrem Sultan (Roxelana). Outside the walls is the Tomb of Master Architect Sinan.
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum is housed in the former palace of İbrahim Paşa, the grand vizier to Süleyman the Magnificient. Before being converted into a museum, the palace served as a prison, a home for foreign ambassadors, a clothing factory, and barracks. Today, the museum contains beautifully displayed examples; illuminated Qurans and a Turkish carpets collection that is rated as one of the best in the world and attracts serious carpet enthusiasts. The historical Ottoman Mansion presents a rich collection of Turkish Carpets.
Enjoy lunch in a fine Ottoman Cuisine restaurant.
After lunch, stop off at the Arasta Bazaar, built in the heart of Sultanahamet in the 17th century. Stroll down the bustling market street, filled with an array of shops that sells everything from jewelry, carpets, gifts, ceramics and so much more. Another must-see, is the Byzantine Great Palace, the former home to the emperors who governed most of the Western world from the 4th century to the 12th century, which today is a labyrinth of ruins that lies partially beneath Istanbul’s renowned Blue Mosque and next to Hagia Sophia.
Gain an insight into the history, culture opulence and luxury of the Ottomans with a visit to the Mosaics Museum. Admire carefully preserved and colourful ancient mosaics, which tell a story about how people dressed, hunted and lived in the times of these great empires. Step into the eerie underworld with a peek inside the Cistern, just one of the hundreds of complex underground reservoirs that lie under Istanbul.
Before the tour comes to an end, see the Stone of Million, a monument erected in the 4th century AD as the Byzantine zero-mile marker, and considered the origin of all the roads leading to the European cities of the Byzantine Empire, and on its base were inscribed the distances of all the main cities of the Empire from Constantinople.