Why go
Out near the old land walls, a long way from the crowds of Sultanahmet, the church of the Chora Monastery holds what many consider the finest Byzantine mosaics and frescoes in the world. The building dates mostly from the 11th and 12th centuries, but its glory came in the early 14th century, when the statesman and scholar Theodore Metochites paid for it to be rebuilt and decorated. The Ottomans converted it into a mosque in the early 16th century, it opened as a museum in 1958, and after a four-year restoration it reopened as the Kariye Mosque in May 2024. Since August 2024 foreign visitors have paid a fee and followed a dedicated route, much as at Hagia Sophia.
It is well worth the journey. The scenes are detailed, tender and full of life, and they survive in remarkable condition.
What to see
The visitor route covers the two narthexes, or entrance halls, and the parekklesion, the side chapel. In the narthexes, mosaics on gold backgrounds tell the life of the Virgin Mary and the childhood and ministry of Christ, with scenes such as the enrolment for taxation, the miracle at Cana and the healing of the sick. Look for Metochites himself, kneeling in his great hat to offer a model of the church to Christ. In the parekklesion, built as a funerary chapel, the frescoes reach their climax in the Anastasis, in which Christ pulls Adam and Eve from their tombs, one of the most powerful images in Byzantine art. In the main prayer hall, a few large mosaics are screened during worship.
Plan your visit
The official page prices the ticket in euros: €20 for foreign visitors, with free entry for children under 8 and for worshippers. Museum passes are not valid. The building is open to visitors from 9am to 6pm, Saturday to Thursday, and the ticket booth closes at 5.55pm. It is closed to visitors on Fridays, when it is used only for prayer, and on other days admission stops 15 minutes before each prayer time and resumes afterwards, so check the day’s prayer times before you set off. Dress as for any mosque: shoulders and knees covered, and a headscarf for women. Coverings and headphones for the audio commentary are sold at the ticket booth.
A visit takes 45 minutes to an hour, but the mosaics reward a slow look, so do not rush. Chora is in Edirnekapı, in the north-west of the old city. The T4 tram stops at Edirnekapı, about ten minutes’ walk away, and the T5 tram reaches Ayvansaray, about fifteen minutes away. A taxi from Sultanahmet takes 20 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic. Mornings tend to be quieter than afternoons, when tour groups arrive.
Nearby
The Theodosian land walls, built in the fifth century, run just west of the mosque and can be followed on foot for long stretches. Walk downhill through the old streets and you reach the colourful houses, cafés and churches of Balat and Fener on the Golden Horn in about twenty minutes. The Mihrimah Sultan Mosque by Sinan stands by the Edirnekapı gate.