Context Offers Scholar Walking Tours of Istanbul

Ready for launch in March 2009, Context will be offering a series of regularly scheduled walking seminars led by scholars and focused on archaeology, history, religion, cuisine, decorative arts, architecture, and contemporary Istanbul. The group is also packaging some of these walks into a 2 ½-day "mini" trip designed to give visitors an in-depth orientation to the city.

"Context was made for Istanbul," says co-founder Paul Bennett. "Like Rome, where we began, Istanbul is a city of layers, with the contemporary built on the modern, which is built on the Ottoman, which is built on the Byzantine. It's a true palimpsest of history and culture for which our model of pairing scholars with intellectually curious travelers is very well suited. When you're in the Kariye—to say nothing of the Hagia Sophia or Topkapi—you really want an expert who has studied, written about, and taught that structure and its art as your guide."

As in its other cities, Context will limit the group size on its Istanbul walking seminars to six people or less. The "docents" who lead them are scholars who teach in the local universities or experts in non-academic fields as gastronomy, art dealing, and journalism. Travelers on a budget or wishing to join a group walk will be able to choose from a series of regularly scheduled small-group walks that run all week long. Or, all walks will also be available privately, by arrangement.

Context has spent the fall and winter working with its docents on the ground in Istanbul to develop a series of thematic walks that link together multiple sites in a narrative experience. Among these is History and Continuity in Istanbul, a three-hour walk of the Balat neighborhood that includes an extensive visit to Kariye (the Chora church), a late Byzantine masterpiece; an exploration of the late Roman ruins in the area, including the walls; and then a hike through Balat, one of Istanbul's most diverse neighborhoods, historically the home to Jews and Greek Christians who today rub elbows with devout Muslim immigrants from Anatolia. Taken together, it is a walk that profiles the sweep of history through one of the richest cities of the Mediterranean.

Working with an international carpet dealer, Context will launch in the coming weeks a carpet appreciation walk that includes visits to an archive of antique carpets, a tutorial on carpet restoration in the atelier of one of Istanbul's best, and an in-depth explanation of how carpets are valued and sold throughout the Middle East today.

Of course, the group will run regular walks of the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace; and its network of scholars who lead these include people who've written dissertations and books on these monuments. One space on a three-hour small group walking seminar costs 125 YTL or $76 at current exchange rates.

In addition to its walking seminars, Context is also launching a 2 ½-day "mini" trip to Istanbul, as part of its Mini Trips series. This package includes visits to some of the main sites of the city coupled with such thematic seminars as Crossroads of Commerce, an exploration of the Grand and Spice bazaars and Istanbul's historic role in international trade, artfully interwoven to create a short, but intense, introduction to the city. Several programmed meals are also included, such as a historic Ottoman dinner curated by a leading specialist in decorative arts at his historic Ottoman hunting lodge on the Asian side.

The first Istanbul Mini Trip group departure is April 11 and continue through the spring, summer and fall; privately arranged departures are beginning immediately. Spaces on small-group trips begin cost 2885 YTL per person or $1756 at current exchange rates.

More information about Context in Istanbul can be gleaned at:
www.contextistanbul.com

Founded by National Geographic writer Paul Bennett and designer Lani Bevacqua, Context is a network of scholars and experts in such fields as art history, archaeology, gastronomy, and architecture who organize and lead thematic walking seminars in eight cities: Rome, Paris, New York, London, Naples, Florence, Venice, and Istanbul. Travel + Leisure has named Context one of the top European tour companies for its innovative approach to travel and the depth of its programs. To learn more about Context visit its website at: www.contexttravel.com

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