St Chora Church

Rustem Pasha Mosque

Kucuk hagia Sophia Mosque

DAY 3 SUNDAY 23.4.2000

Today is Children's Day in Istanbul-flags out + lots of people out to celebrate. A little damp but not cold . Ove the Bosphorus Bridge to the asian side , some beautiful spring flower , Iris, Wisteria and Lilac. Up to the Buyuk Camlýca Gardens, the highest point in Istanbul for a view of the Bosphorous. Visited the lovely tea house where we all drank Apple Tea. The views must be spectacular on a clear day.

camlica view point
rustem pasha mosque Next is Rustem Pasa Cami where the interior is covered with beautiful Iznik tiles-colours of turquoise , pink and blue. This building is a complete working mosque which was built in 1561. dome of rustem pasha
little hagia sophia Our next stop was the Kucuk Ayasofya Cami or "Little Aya Sofya". This was built between 527-536 AD and was the model for the larger Aya Sofya. This is the oldest practising religious building in the world. little hagia sophia
Our final stop was the " CHORA CHURCH " meaning the church of the Holy Saviour outside the walls. For about 80 years  the church was in the country and has been in the city for 1550 years. The mosaics are the best preserved in the world and date from about 1320. They were restored between 1948-1959 under the auspices of the Byzantine Society of America.


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Hakan Kocaturk © hkocaturk@hotmail.com
Hakan Kocaturk is now the manager/owner of Apricot Hotel Istanbul
and continues with tour guiding on request.
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