FENER-BALAT-AYVANSARAY DAY TOUR, OCTOBER 4, 2026

FENER-BALAT-AYVANSARAY TOUR

9 AUGUST 2026

1,100 TL

Tour Departure Points;

06:00 In front of Özcanlar Meatball Restaurant, Tekirdağ Coast 
06:00 In front of Çerkezköy Chamber of Commerce 
07:00 Behind Çorlu Old Girls’ Vocational High School (opposite Vatan Computer) and in front of Orion Shopping Mall
07:30 Durak Büfe, opposite Silivri Kipa

NOTE: You must be at the departure point 20 minutes before the departure time.

OLD TOBACCO WAREHOUSE-GÜL MOSQUE-FENER GREEK PATRIARCHATE-IRON CHURCH-FENER STREETS-REMAINS OF THE KANTEMİROĞLU PALACE-SANCAKTAR SLOPE-FENER GREEK HIGH SCHOOL-MESNEVİHANE-CHURCH OF ST. MARY OF THE MONGOLS-BALAT STREETS-AGORA TAVERN-SURP HRAŞTAGABED ARMENIAN CHURCH-FERRUH KETHÜDA MOSQUE-AYVANSARAY-BLAHERNA HOLY SPRING CHURCH
 The tour begins at 07:00 in the morning with departure from behind the old girls’ vocational high school. Cibali’s “old tobacco warehouse,” also known as the Rezzan Has Museum inside Kadir Has University, will be our starting point. We will visit this building, which was transformed from an old industrial establishment into a distinguished educational institution through extensive restoration. Our walk through the streets of Cibali will begin with the Rezzan Has Museum. After seeing the historic Cibali Gate and Cibali Police Station, we will proceed to Gül Mosque. Once one of Byzantium’s magnificent churches, this building was converted into a mosque after the conquest and will especially surprise you with its interior decorations. Our next stop will be the Fener Greek Patriarchate (Church of St. George). We are sure that the religious and political history of the Patriarchate, the center of Eastern Orthodoxy, will greatly interest you. After visiting the Patriarchate, we will visit the Iron Church (Sveti Stefan Bulgarian Church). We will examine the historic fabric by walking through the old streets of Fener. In succession, after seeing the remains of the Kantemiroğlu Palace, Sancaktar Slope, Fener Greek High School (Red School) and Mesnevihane, we will visit the Church of St. Mary of the Mongols, which will deeply affect you with its sad story and fascinating architecture. We will also see the Girls’ High School (Yovakimyan School) panoramically and allow free time for lunch. After lunch, our destination will be Balat . During our walk through the old streets of Balat, you will have the opportunity to see and photograph fascinating examples of architecture.  In Balat, where members of the Jewish community predominantly lived in old Istanbul, we will see the Çana, Yanbol and Ahrida Synagogues from the outside and hear their stories. Afterwards, we will visit the famous Agora Tavern, one of Istanbul’s oldest taverns and the subject of songs. We will also see the Surp Hraştagabed Armenian Church and Ferruh Kethüda Mosque panoramically before proceeding to Ayvansaray, the final stop of our tour. We will also see Blachernae panoramically, known throughout the world for the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary (Panagia Blaherna) and regarded as one of the most important holy springs of the Greeks worldwide, and we will end our tour in Ayvansaray. We bid you farewell, hoping to meet again at another Çorlu Travel organization.

NOTE: This tour is entirely focused on walking and photography, and is a cultural and urban walking-photography tour where you can frequently see historic monuments. 

Places to Visit: OLD TOBACCO WAREHOUSE-GÜL MOSQUE-FENER GREEK PATRIARCHATE-IRON CHURCH-FENER STREETS-REMAINS OF THE KANTEMİROĞLU PALACE-SANCAKTAR SLOPE-FENER GREEK HIGH SCHOOL-MESNEVİHANE-CHURCH OF ST. MARY OF THE MONGOLS-BALAT STREETS-AGORA TAVERN-SURP HRAŞTAGABED ARMENIAN CHURCH-FERRUH KETHÜDA MOSQUE-AYVANSARAY-BLAHERNA HOLY SPRING CHURCH