OTTOMAN HERITAGE CULTURAL TOUR
Istanbul, with its unique setting by the Bosporus, is a meeting place of people coming from all
directions. Istanbul is the only city in the world that is located on two continents and therefore merges
both the spirits of Europe and Asia. Its exciting history made the city a place that just wants to be
discovered. The many different facets of culture, politics and society create a diverse landscape with a
very special atmosphere. Due to massive migration movements the city grew rapidly in the last
decades. Istanbul is a city of neighborhoods and timelessness. It is a place that is utterly modern and
yet so steeped in historical places and persons that it defies any attempts at placing it as a city of a
specific time or civilization. Thanks to these advantages, participants of the OIC Young Leaders
Summit had a magnificent tour around historical and spectacular places in Istanbul with professional
and experienced guides during the first day of the summit.
The Tour Route
- Eyüp Sultan Mosque
The Eyüp Sultan Mosque (Turkish: Eyüp Sultan Camii) is situated in the Eyüp district of
Istanbul, outside the city walls near the Golden Horn. The present building dates from the
beginning of the 19th century. The mosque complex includes a mausoleum marking the spot
where Eyüp (Job) al-Ansari, the standard-bearer and friend of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad, is said to have been buried.
- Süleymaniye Mosque
The Süleymaniye Mosque, built on the order of Sultan Süleyman (Süleyman the Magnificent),
"was fortunate to be able to draw on the talents of the architectural genius of Mimar Sinan"
(481 Traditions and Encounters: Brief Global History). The construction work began in 1550
and the mosque was finished in 1558.
- Fatih Mosque
The Fatih Mosque (Turkish: Fatih Camii, "Conqueror's Mosque" in English) is an Ottoman
imperial mosque located in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was one of the largest
examples of Turkish-Islamic architecture in Istanbul and represented an important stage in the
development of classic Turkish architecture. It is named after Ottoman sultan Mehmed the
Conqueror, known in Turkish as Fatih Sultan Mehmed, the Ottoman sultan who conquered
Constantinople in 1453.
- Arap Mosque
Arap Mosque (Turkish: Arap Camii, literally Arab Mosque) is a mosque in the Karaköy quarter
of Istanbul, Turkey. The building was originally a Roman Catholic church erected in 1325 by
the friars of the Dominican Order, near or above an earlier chapel dedicated to Saint Paul
(Italian: San Paolo) in 1233.