Share Turkish Culture

After breakfast, depart hotel to meet the Turkish Cultural Foundation’s Istanbul team at their office. Seminar/discussion on Turkey’s current issues. View “Armaggan” exhibition of contemporary designs inspired by Turkish cultural heritage.

Depart TCF offices for a full day tour of Istanbul. Istanbul embraces two continents, one arm reaching out to Asia, the other to Europe. In the city’s heart, the Bosphorus Strait, connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and creates the famous Golden Horn. The former capital of three successive empires - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman – today, Istanbul honors and preserves the legacy of its past while looking forward to its modern future. Visit the Blue Mosque [16th Century], Museum of Turkish & Islamic Arts [Artifacts date back to the 9th Century], the Hippodrome [3rd Century]and Hagia Sophia [6th Century]. Lunch will be served at Ayasofya Konaklari. In Uskudar, a historical district of the Asian side of Istanbul, we visit the studio of Hikmet Barutcugil, a renowned Turkish artist and observe a demonstration of the Turkish traditional fine art of “Ebru” (Paper Marbling).

Dinner will be hosted by the Bahçeşehir University at the Beşiktaş Campus. Overnight in Istanbul.