Topkapı, the Harem and Süleymaniye: the places behind the series many guests arrive already knowing.
A private day through Ottoman Istanbul, built around the era its guests already know by name. It opens on Sultanahmet Square, passing the bath Mimar Sinan built for Hürrem Sultan and the Fountain of Ahmed III at the palace gate, then enters Topkapı Palace, built in the fifteenth century and the main residence of the sultans until the middle of the nineteenth. Inside the palace grounds the route takes in the Harem, where the women of the court lived, the part of the day that means most to viewers of the series. From there to Süleymaniye Mosque, raised on Suleiman the Magnificent's order in the 1550s, and to the mausoleums in its courtyard where the sultan and Hürrem Sultan, known also as Roxelana, are buried. İbrahim Paşa Palace and a terrace photo stop over the Old City close the programme. A licensed guide brings the period to life while separating the popular retellings from the historical sources.
Stops flex with the weather, traffic and your guest's pace.
What to know before you go
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