Chora Church (Kariye Mosque)
Kariye Camii
Home to the best-preserved late Byzantine mosaics and frescoes in the world. It reopened in 2024 after being converted into a mosque in 2020.
The Chora Church was originally the church of a Byzantine monastery. In the early 14th century, the minister Theodore Metochites rebuilt it, and its interior is covered with gold mosaics and frescoes depicting the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, along with a Last Judgment fresco. It is regarded as the peak of Byzantine art. It was converted into a mosque in 2020, and after restoration it reopened in May 2024. Visitors can see the decorated side chapels and the narthex. Foreign visitors need to buy a ticket (about 20 euros), and entry is suspended during prayer times. The church sits by the Theodosian Walls in the northwest of the Old City and can be combined with a visit to the Balat neighborhood. Getting there: by bus or taxi.
Opening hours
About 09:00–17:30 (suspended during prayer times; confirm on site)
Nearby sights
- Balat
- Fatih Mosque
- Eyüp Sultan Mosque
- Walls of Constantinople
- Zeyrek Mosque (Pantokrator Monastery)
- Aqueduct of Valens
- Pierre Loti Hill
- Şehzade Mosque