Our introduction to Ottoman art and architecture, one of the most vivid contributions to Islamic design, begins with five nights in Istanbul, where the skyline is studded with domes and minarets – eloquent testimony to more than 500 years of Ottoman rule.
Istanbul’s most celebrated landmark, Justinian’s great church of Hagia Sophia, was the greatest monument in Christendom until the fall of Constantinople. Opposite the church’s enormous dome rise the supremely elegant minarets of the Sultan Ahmet (Blue) Mosque, renowned for its breath-taking tiled interior. Topkapi Palace, isolated behind huge defensive walls that stretch from the Golden Horn to the Sea of Marmara, is the former residence of the sultans, the seat of the Ottoman Empire and the repository of countless artistic treasures.
Istanbul’s Byzantine past will also come under scrutiny: our travels through the city will take us to Kariye Camii (St Saviour in Chora), noted for the opulence of its 14th century Byzantine mosaics and frescoes, and we will reconnoitre a stretch of Theodosius’ great land walls.
Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Turks, welcomes us next. Here we will admire the famous Green Mausoleum and tour a fine complex of mosques and Islamic buildings. Nearby lies the lakeside city of Iznik, where the Council of Nicaea took place in 325.
Our tour continues westwards around the Sea of Marmara with two nights near Canakkale, close to the remains of Priam’s city, Troy, excavated by Schliemann in the 1870s. Next we cross the Dardanelles on the way to Edirne, the last Ottoman capital before the capture of Constantinople in 1453, where the tour will end with Sinan’s crowning achievement, the Selimiye, the mosque built for the son of Suleiman.
Accommodation is in comfortable three-star hotels ranging from the Yashmak Sultan, renowned for its excellent roof-top restaurant, to the historic Rustem Pasha Caravanserai, built by Sinan.
Date: Oct 30 – Nov 9, 2010 |
Cost: £1590 |
Lecturer: Andrew Wilson |
Course Code: OTT210 |
Itinerary
Day 1 Depart Heathrow 1140 on Turkish Airlines, arriving 1735. Transfer to Yasmak Sultan Hotel, central Istanbul, for five nights.
Day 2 Morning talk: Ottoman Architecture followed by hippodrome (modelled on Rome’s Circus Maximus), 17th century Sultan Ahmet (Blue) mosque, Yerebatan Cistern (336 columned Byzantine relic). Afternoon: Topkapi Palace (Mehmet the Conqueror’s seat of government) including harem.
Day 3 Morning: 14th century Kariye Camii (remarkable Byzantine mosaics and frescoes), Sehzade Mosque (built by Sinan), great land walls of Theodosius (including fortress of Yedikule). Afternoon: Justinian’s great church of Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya), free time. Evening talk: The Ottoman State.
Day 4 Morning: Suleymaniye Mosque (Sinan’s masterpiece built for Suleiman the Magnificent), Rustem Pasha Mosque (remarkable display of Iznik tiles), spice bazaar. Afternoon: optional visits to Ibrahim Pasha Museum of Islamic Art (fine example of 16th century domestic architecture) or grand bazaar.
Day 5 Cruise from Golden Horn along Bosphorus to 19th century Beylerbeyi Palace. Afternoon: Sinan’s Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque, 6th century church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (converted into mosque in 16th century), Mosaic Museum (marvellous examples from Justinian’s Great Palace). Evening talk: Islam in the Ottoman State.
Day 6 By road and ferry to Iznik (ancient Nicaea) with lake-side lunch before continuing to Bursa for two nights at Holiday Inn Bursa.
Day 7 Bursa (first Ottoman capital): Yesil Camii (Green Mosque), Green Mausoleum (tomb of Mehmet I), 14th century Ulu Camii (Great Mosque), Silk Han (caravanserai).
Day 8 Morning: Muradiye (garden complex containing tombs of Ottoman sultans) then continue to Canakkale on Dardanelles for two nights at Hotel Tusan. Evening talk: Ancient Troy.
Day 9 Troy (city of Priam) followed by optional tour of Gallipoli Peninsula (including Anzac Cove, scene of 1915 Allied landings).
Day 10 Edirne (second Ottoman capital): 15th century Beyazid II complex, Uc Serefeli Camii (mosque with three balconies), Selimiye (Sinan’s crowning achievement). Overnight at Rustem Pasha Caravanserai Hotel (former 16th century han built by Sinan).
Day 11 Depart Istanbul 1300, arriving Heathrow 1510.
Cost
Cost of £1590 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, dinner & one lunch, excursions & admissions.
Not included: travel insurance, single room supplement £190..