The Seventh Hill of Istanbul: Pashas and Saints

Istanbul's story is best told over certain routes. This route traces the southern branch of the Byzantine promenade Mese, located on the seventh hill of Istanbul. Entering from Porta Aurea (Altınkapı), this tour examines the topography and demographics of the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. The striking differences in hierarchy between mosques and churches, pashas and saints will be highlighted and the geometric structure of the Roman-Byzantine city of Constantinople and the traces of the Islamic city of Constantinople, built by the Ottomans will be discovered. With 19th-century innovations like trains and trams, the seventh hill of Istanbul will be visited as a site where traces of the past are carried into the present.

Location: Yedikule, Fatih

Facilitators: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oktay Özman (author), Ebru Kurt-Özman (urban planner)

Language: Turkish

Quota: 25 participants

Date & Time: Friday, October 3, 2025, 2:00 PM

Starting Point: Haliç Congress Center

Notes:

Each participant may register for only one route.

After registration, route tickets must be acquired from the MARUF stand on MARUF days.

Participants must be present at the Haliç Congress Center with their tickets at 1:30 PM.

Registration information will be provided one week in advance.

Transportation to the route starting point (Yedikule Hisarı) will be provided by shuttles.  At the end of the tour, participants will return by their own means.