The excavation of the Great Palace built by Justinian in the 6th c. were made possible by the fire that 1912 almost destroyed the neighborhood. Archeologists and researchers revealed one of the most important find of mosaics of this century in Istanbul. The mosaics were left in their original place, once the pavement of the courtyard of the Great Palace, covering an area of 2000 square meters of which only 180 square meters survived to this day. The scenes of daily life, activities, people, animals, plants, are vividly represented with admirable realism and often with geometric and figurative motifs, symbolism like in the mythological depiction of Dionysus or the seasons. In the photo a scene probably from the hippodrome games: two soldiers with spears and shields hunting tigers.
So far so good for the first day in Istanbul. We can relax and refresh in Gulhane Park or just walk toward Sirkeci Train Station for an evening treat: the mevlana performance, mystic dance of the whirling dervishes. Let's go.