Cultural Crossroads

Karaköy - Galata - Beşiktaş - Levent - Ortaköy - Yildiz

We plan to set off from the Karaköy coast, by the Golden Horn Bridge, exploring key mosques in the area, including the oldest mosque in the whole of Istanbul, the Arap Mosque, and an underground visit to a renowned sahabi. Next, we will explore the key Judeo-Christian hub of Galata, noting the rich diversity of the area along the world-famous Istiklal Street, where we will have lunch at a premier restaurant, before visiting a coffee master, who will show us how he turns his everyday trade into an art. From here, we’ll walk South down to the beautiful Bosphorus coast, through streets which whisper of vintage Western Europe, stopping to marvel at late Ottoman architecture and its heavy European influence. We will then pray at the premier example of fusion between modern and classical mosque architecture, the sea-themed Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa Mosque, known for its incredible muezzins, before circling around to the much-loved Ortaköy Mosque, delving into its history beyond the pictures. We discover how the dome reflects Paradise, and how earthquakes over the years failed to shake its majesty. For the last part of our trail, we’ll walk the footsteps of the last great sultan, Abdul Hamid II. We’ll visit the tomb of Yahya Efendi, one of the four patron saints of the Bosphorus (with a view!) and have an evening picnic in the sultan’s royal park. Our last stop will be at the sultan’s imperial Yildiz Mosque - our personal favourite, and the final mosque of the Islamic Caliphate, with its history of royal processions and even an assassination attempt! All this and more awaits you on our Cultural Crossroads tour…