Once you board your vehicle, we will drive on a scenic road near the Bosphorus and Golden Horn before we reach the Imperial Mosque of Sultan Ahmet I which is called the Blue Mosque. The mosque (built 1603-17) is the masterwork of Ottoman architect Sedefkâr Mehmet Aga. It is built on the site of the Great Palace of Byzantium. It was built on the southeastern side of the Hippodrome and has six minarets and a great cascade of domes. While we head towards the Haghia Sofia (St.Sophie) we will have the opportunity to see the Hippodrome which was the heart of Constantinople's political and sporting life. Monuments decorating the Hippodrome include the 3500-year-old Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius, brought to Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius in 390 AD and the spiral bronze base of a three-headed serpent sculpture brought from Delphi in Greece. We will walk to through the immense gardens to visit the magnificent Topkapi Palace, the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans. See the famous treasury section with “Spoonmaker’s Diamond”, the 7th biggest diamond in the world. After the palace, we will return to the ship.