Byzantine Istanbul Private Walking Tour [2024]

Byzantine Istanbul tour will take you on a journey through time. During this journey you will see how the city was founded by Constantine the Great and reached its peak during the reign of Justinian.

Of course, the story of Constantinople is not just full of victories, prosperity and wealth. On the other hand, there are great rebellions, religious conflicts, sieges and palace coups in the history of the city.

Byzantine history contains extraordinary events that could be the material of dozens of films. For this reason, I try to tell this story spanning 1100 years by supporting it with rich visuals as much as possible.

Byzantine Istanbul Tour by Serhat Engul

My name is Serhat Engul and I have been a licensed tour guide in Istanbul for a long time. The Byzantine Istanbul tour is a half-day walking tour in which I passionately convey what I know about Byzantium to my history-loving guests.

I have been doing walking tours about Byzantine history in Istanbul for about a decade, and you can see my guests’ experiences about these tours in the reviews on my TripAdvisor page.

The program of the Byzantine history tour may vary depending on the restoration status of Byzantine sites in Istanbul. If you wish, you can get information about my current tour in 2024 by filling out the form on the contact page.

You can see 10 different Byzantine structures in my Byzantine history tours under the headings below. Unfortunately, all of these works are not available in one tour. However, I introduce them in different half-day tours.

1. Hippodrome

The Hippodrome was one of the first Roman buildings in Istanbul. The races here were watched by tens of thousands of people and the heart of the city used to beat in this stadium.

Some of the most famous athletes of ancient times, such as Porphyrius the Charioteer, competed here. Races in the Hippodrome with a capacity of 40,000 people would be with great splendor.

In Byzantine history, many emperors won or lost their thrones due to the influence of the crowds here. In addition, the biggest events in the history of Constantinople, such as the Nika Riots, started from here and spread throughout the city.

The Hippodrome is known as Sultanahmet Square today and still bears the traces of those old days. Here we see the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpent Column and the Column of Constantine from the Byzantine period.

Each of these pillars has its own story and symbolizes a different period in the history of Constantinople. The Hippodrome is a very important place to discover the Byzantine heritage in Istanbul.

2. Great Palace Mosaic Museum

The Great Palace Mosaic Museum allows us to commemorate a magnificent palace that no longer exists. Roman mosaics in this museum once adorned the courtyards of the Byzantine emperors’ Great Palace.

Although this museum is located in Sultanahmet, the most popular touristic district of Istanbul, it falls outside the classical tourist route. Since this museum is generally quiet, I can do a significant part of my explanations about Byzantine history here.

The most striking aspect of the mosaics in this museum is that you can see the Eastern Roman art before it was completely Christianized. In other words, there are still references to Paganism in these nature-themed mosaics from the 6th century.

3. Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia is, of course, the most important part of the Byzantine Istanbul tour. Built by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, this structure remained the largest church in the world for 900 years.

Hagia Sophia is a building identified with almost everything related to the history of the Byzantine Empire. The first generation Hagia Sophia was built by Constantius II, the son of the city’s founder, Constantine the Great.

The destruction of the First Hagia Sophia was due to the exile of John Chrysostom, the most important clergyman in the history of Constantinople, from the city. Although the structure was rebuilt by Theodosius II, it was destroyed again during the Nika Riots.

Today’s Hagia Sophia is the third church built on the same site and was completed in 537 by Justinian, the most famous emperor in Byzantine history.

4. Hagia Irene Church

Hagia Irene Church was destroyed and rebuilt in the same rebellions as Hagia Sophia. However, the structure was destroyed in an earthquake in the 8th century and was rebuilt for the 4th time during the Byzantine iconoclasm.

There are two things that distinguish Hagia Irene Church from other Byzantine churches in Istanbul. Firstly, the building was never converted into a mosque, and secondly, since it was built during the iconoclast period, it has no decoration other than a single cross.

Hagia Irene holds a special place in my Byzantine Istanbul tour. Because this building was not redecorated as it was not converted into a mosque like other churches. In this way, the interior of the building offers us a complete medieval Byzantine building experience.

5. Basilica Cistern

Basilica Cistern is one of the most fascinating Byzantine monuments in Istanbul. The cistern, which was built during the reign of Justinian, is also a contemporary structure with Hagia Sophia.

Basilica Cistern is essentially a water reservoir. However, since it was a cistern that supplied water to the royal area, it was built in gigantic dimensions. Since the Byzantine Empire was at its peak during the reign of Justinian, the imperial structures were also very magnificent.

You go below street level to see the Basilica Cistern, and when you go down the stairs, you step into another world. This 1500-year-old cistern offers a fascinating atmosphere with its hundreds of columns and Medusa statues.

6. Little Hagia Sophia Mosque

Little Hagia Sophia Mosque is essentially a Byzantine church dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus. It is located in the popular district of Istanbul, Sultanahmet, and is as old as Hagia Sophia.

On the interior walls of this magnificent Byzantine building, there are still embroideries made during the Justinian period. In addition, the capitals of the columns have survived flawlessly from the Byzantine period to the present day.

This church on the shores of the Marmara Sea is one of the most important stops on my classic half-day Byzantine tour, which includes buildings in Sultanahmet.

7. Valens Aqueduct

The Valens Aqueduct was one of the main parts of the 200-kilometer Roman water transport system that brought water to Constantinople. Located in the Historical Peninsula, where water resources are scarce, the city was fed from this water system during both the Byzantine and Ottoman periods.

Valens was an Eastern Roman emperor who died on the battlefield fighting the Goths (Battle of Adrianople). The construction of the water system began during the reign of Constantine and was completed in his time. That’s why it still bears his name.

The place where the Valens Aqueduct is located is a very busy boulevard today. There are many churches from the middle and late Byzantine periods very close to this aqueduct.

8. Monastery of Christ Pantocrator

The Monastery of Christ Pantokrator was the third largest church in Constantinople. This Byzantine structure, built by the emperors of the Komnenos dynasty, was also the burial place of late emperors.

This magnificent Byzantine structure consists of the combination of three churches and is known today as Zeyrek Mosque. The building was recently restored and is a unique Byzantine monument rising on a hill overlooking the Golden Horn.

This church, within walking distance of the Valens Aqueduct, is one of the most important stops of my second half-day Byzantine tour outside Sultanahmet.

9. Chora Church

Chora Church is one of the most important stops of Byzantine tours in Istanbul. Because the religious themed mosaics in this building reflect the peak of Byzantine art. The Byzantine mosaics in the exterior and interior corridors of Chora Church are 700 years old and still in good condition.

The patron of Chora Church’s mosaics was a high-ranking Byzantine bureaucrat named Theodore Metochites. The church was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman period, but the mosaics were not damaged.

Since this building has been under restoration since 2020, it is temporarily missing from my tours. When the renovation is completed, it will again be the crown jewel of my Byzantine history tours.

10. The Palace of the Porphyrogenitus

Byzantine palaces in Istanbul were once dazzling with their wealth. In the 12th century, Constantinople was the most populous city in the world, and the Great Palace and Palace of Blachernae were world famous.

Nothing remains from the Great Palace except the floor decorations exhibited in the Mosaic Museum (mentioned in the upper headings). Although the Palace of Blachernae, where the late Byzantine emperors lived, was destroyed, an extension has survived to the present day.

The Palace of the Porphyrogenitus is attributed to Constantine VII, a Byzantine emperor who lived in the 10th century. This building was recently restored and opened to visitors as its local name, Tekfur Palace.

Conclusion

So far, I have met with people who are interested in Byzantine history from many parts of the world, especially the USA,UK, Canada and Australia. Sometimes I have witnessed people from far corners of the world sharing the same passion as me.

There is information about my references on the about page of this site, but if you wish, you can also read reviews about me on TripAdvisor. Although some of these comments are about other tours, a significant part of them are feedback about my Byzantine Istanbul tour.

If you would like to explore Istanbul between the 4th and 15th centuries with me, you can contact me by filling out the form on the contact page. As a licensed tour guide based in Istanbul, I am ready to share with you what I know about the history of Byzantium.

Written by Serhat Engul