Walk along the Divan Yolu - Small Group

Informazioni generali

Destinazione
Istanbul, Turchia

Il programma nel dettaglio

Step into a thrilling time warp with this tour to the Divan Yolu, which was known as the Road to the Imperial Council during the glorious times of the Ottoman Empire. Istanbul is a city full of magnificently preserved monuments from the many empires that have controlled it throughout history, from the elegant remains of the Byzantine Empire to the opulent ones of Ottoman times.



Way back in the Byzantine period, Divan Yolu was known as Mese Street, and it was connected to the imperial road that led from Constantinople to Rome, the capitals of the two halves of the split Roman Empire. Within Istanbul (back then, it was known as Constantinople), the Mese Street was a boulevard leading from the city centre on Seraglio Point to the Porta Aurea (Latin for “Golden Gate”), where it met the Via Ignatia, the road to Rome.



Your tour starts by a tall marble shaft called the Million. This monument marks the beginning of Divan Yolu and still stands proud to this day. As you enjoy a leisurely walk down the Divan Yolu, you will pass a variety of constructions, from the impressive mausoleums of the Ottoman sultans to some mosques of breathtaking beauty. See too, along the way, madrasas, schools, Roman forums and, of course, Byzantine monuments such as the splendid Cemberlitas (Turkish for ‘the Burnt Column’) or the astounding remains of the Triumphal Arch of Theodosius. All in all, walking down the Divan Yolu is like walking through the pages of a history book.



Languages

English.