Explore the world with tourHQ
Highlights
- Real-time experience live-streamed from Istanbul
- Visit Hagia Sophia Mosque and Hippodrome
- Interactive tour replete with legends, stories and historical insights
Description
Join me on this live-streamed, interactive online experience to be amazed by the architecture of the Hagia Sophia Mosque and immerse in legends associated with it. This massive monument built in the year 537 was the largest cathedral when the Romans ruled. In 1453 the city of Istanbul was conquered by the Ottomans, who renovated Hagia Sophia into a mosque. The iconic structure served as a museum since the mid-1930s and was converted back into a mosque in July 2020.
On our virtual tour, I will show you the mosque with focus on many interesting aspects, such as how to determine the direction of Mecca from Turkey. We will also look at the medallions which feature the names of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, the first four Caliphs, and the Prophet’s two grandsons. Of course, I will tilt my camera up to show you the world-famous dome and the pillar where visitors insert their thumb to feel the tears of Mother Mary - and narrate for you the fascinating legend behind it. If you are lucky, we may even spot 'Betty' the cat and the feline family that has made the mosque their home since the last 12 years.
We will finish this experience with a stroll around the Hippodrome and en-route see the 'Milion Stone', the Byzantine zero mile marker that was also in use during the Roman period.
I look forward to hosting you on this unforgettable experience!
About this experience
Instructions
- Please have a good internet connection and zoom app installed on your phone or laptop
- The instructions to join the meeting will be delivered via email shortly after the booking
Know before you go
- Since this tour involves travelling to various places in the city, at times, the internet connection may be weak. However, we will attempt to minimize such disruptions
- You can book this tour for 60 USD for a group of 3 or as a private tour for 350 USD and invite up to 10 friends and family to join this activity with you from all over the world. You will see the option to book this experience as a private tour on the checkout page if it is available for that time slot
- Since these are live tours, they may be subject to last minute cancellation due to inclement weather, Internet disruptions or other unforeseen circumstances.
Meet your Host
Ugur Kilerci
I am an official tour guide in Turkey. I have been in the tourism sector for the last 18 years. To be a licensed tour guide in Istanbul one must have a thorough grasp of history, religion, languages, and styles of architecture. I have built my knowledge on each of these subjects by enrolling for classes. I have lead people from around the world to places all across Turkey. I have met over 10,000 people so far as a professional and showing and sharing insights about the Hagia Sophia is my absolute favourite!
Tour Reviews
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Jean L
Another Bucket list location off the list. This is a must-see location for all due to its importance in history. The Hagia Sophia is now a mosque, and I was actually taken inside, into the ancient and holy building of two religions. Ugur is fantastic, and completely understood our cultural differences and explained the history of the region to me in a polite and motivated manner. I highly recommend this tour or an actual visit to Istanbul.
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Feisal Mohd Azmi
As travelling is something we haven't done in a while (no thanks to Covid-19), it was nice for the family to take a virtual trip to Istanbul. Ugur was a great guide, and even though 2 of the 8 people in the group had been to Istanbul before - it was nice to hear some new trinkets of information from him about the Hippodrome and the Hagia Sophia that had not been heard before.
The weather was great and the internet connection was good so it had all the ingredients for a good tour with the icing on the cake being Ugur's historical anecdotes.
Now i have to see Ben Hur again. You will have to take the tour with Ugur to understand this line. :-)
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Tracey Pandya
We did the Hagia Sofia Mosque and Hippodrome tour with Ugur and really enjoyed it.
Ugur was friendly, professional and very knowledgeable and he paced the tour very well. We were able to communicate easily with him and learnt a lot.
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Mayank Kaul
A very informative and passionate tour of Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. Even though Blue Mosque is under renovation, the guide provides a lot of historical background to make the tour interesting. I have visited Istanbul before so it was really nice to relive my visit!
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ICHI Yabut
Hue was a good guide. I like his enthusiasm. He was always encouraging us to ask questions. He was flexible when we asked him to stop and focus on certain areas.
From USD 60 / Group
Important Information
- Fully refundable in case of any cancellation upto 2 days before the tour.