Art & Architecture of Ottomans

We start the day with walk through the 15th century Covered Bazaar (also known as Grand Bazaar) and sample the labyrinth of 3000 stores. After bazaar, we will visit the Mosque complex of Suleiman the Magnificent (1550-57 C.E.), which was built by the foremost architect of the Ottoman Empire, Architect Sinan. It is incontestably one of the most important buildings in Istanbul, having for hundreds of years inspired wonder and enthusiasm in all travelers to the City. We will walk through the daily local shops and reach to one of the most beautiful small mosques of the Ottoman Renaissance, the Mosque of Rustem Pasha with its stupendous 16th century Iznik tiles. This is surely one of the master pieces of the classical Ottoman architecture. We will also visit the Spice Market, a center for wonderful tastes and smells since the 17th century. By the way, this is the right place for the famous Turkish delight. Help yourself and try some. Meanwhile, if like cooking at home, make sure you get a mixture of magical spice mixture.
After lunch at a nearby local restaurant, we will visit the Dolmabahce Palace museum, dedicated by Sultan Abdulmecit, designed and built by the famous Armenian architect family Balyans, between the years 1843–1856. The three-storied palace, including the basement floor, built on a symmetrical plan and there is 45 thousand square meters of usable floor area so it has 285 rooms and 46 halls. It has survived intact with its original decorations, curtains, furniture, silk carpets and everything else. It consists of sixteen separate sections besides the main structure such as palace stables, pharmacies, kitchens etc. The interior of the palace was decorated with the paintings; and ceiling illustrations were made by French and Italian artists. Also, a lot of paintings by famous Russian painter Aiwazowsky enriched the interior decoration of this palace. After the Turkish Republic was founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the function of the palace ended and it was later converted into a museum. Today, it is one of the most outstanding Ottoman palaces of the 19th century. End of the tour and return to hotel.