Istanbulites to rediscover their city

ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News


The more than 10 million residents of Istanbul, which is preparing to become one of the cultural capitals of Europe in 2010, will be able to learn more about the history and culture of their hometown starting from this Saturday.

The Istanbul Greater Municipality's K�lt�r A.Ş. announced on Tuesday that it will launch free-of-charge cultural tours in the city aimed at raising its residents' awareness of the cultural wealth of their city.

In a written statement, K�lt�r A.Ş. said people from all around the world were visiting Istanbul to see the cultural assets Istanbul holds but that its own citizens did not have enough knowledge of their city.

Within the framework of the project, Istanbul's sightseeing places will be sorted in three regions: Sultanahmet, Fatih and Beyazıt. The tours will be held on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The tours, which will be held under the direction of a tourist guide, will be held on foot for groups of 20 people, the statement said.

The three regions and the spots to be visited are as follows:

Sultanahmet region:

Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia Museum, Binbirdirek Cistern, G�lhane Park, Zeynep Sultan Mosque, Babıali, Yerebatan Cistern, the Milion Stone, the Obelisk (Dikilitaş), Hippodrome, the German Fountain, H�rrem Sultan Baths, Sultanahmet Mosque.



Beyazıt region:

Beyazıt Mosque, Sahaflar Bazaar, Beyazıt Library, Patrona Halil Baths, Zeynep Hanım Mansion, Laleli Mosque, Ragıp Paşa Library, Şehzade Mosque, S�leymaniye Mosque and its surrounding area.

Fatih region:

Fatih Mosque and its surrounding area, Millet Library, Fatih Park, Kariye Museum, the City Walls, the Anemas Dungeons, Mihrimah Sultan Mosque.

Detailed information on the tours is available at www.kultursanat.org


Its gonna be capital of culture in 2010, can't wait to see what it will look like by then.