Bear and Raven Adventure Theatre
Guides of Istanbul specializes in custom-made private tours in Istanbul and other parts of Turkey for individuals and groups. Established in 2005, Guides of Istanbul has earned an excellent reputation and proudly become Turkey's preferred and recommended private tour operator in a short time.
With the completely personalized services of Guides of Istanbul that pay attention to every detail, the guests not only visit the historic sites of Istanbul with the most distinguished guides of the city, but they also experience an Istanbul most tourists never can. The guests of Guides of Istanbul enjoy their stay like upper-class Istanbulians do visiting the historic sites as well as the non-touristic but incredibly beautiful districts of the glorious Istanbul.
Guides of Istanbul is a brand of Hakan Gurger Travel Agency. Hakan Gurger Travel Agency is an official member of the Association of the Turkish Travel Agencies with license number 5123.
Info about Hakan Gurger, Owner & Managing Director of Guides of Istanbul:
Hakan Gurger studied Political Science at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL, USA) after graduating from Istanbul Erkek Lisesi (Istanbul High School). He speaks Turkish, English, German, Italian, Spanish and is learning French. During his last two years in college he took many History courses and has since then read numerous books in this field. Hakan specializes in Ottoman History, History of Modern Turkish Republic and Ataturk's Reforms and European History. He recently began studying Roman History thoroughly. He finds the connections between the Western Roman, the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) and the Ottoman Empires especially astonishing with an emphasis on Constantinople or Istanbul.
Besides History, Hakan has been interested in such rich subjects as Architecture of Istanbul, Religions and Temples of Istanbul and Turkish Cuisine. Although Hakan loves to share his knowledge with others around him, he asserts that the only thing he knows for sure is that he knows nothing. Each book he read raised more questions than giving answers and caused Hakan to read many more books on any topic. Hakan believes that in the Realm of History, the given answers always depend on points of view, thus making it impossible to reach a conclusion agreed by everyone.
Istanbul is an excellent place to raise questions:
Was the Fall of Constantinople a dark day as it was for the Romans? Or was the capture of Istanbul a glorious event as it was for the Turks?
Was Justinian a heroic Emperor having made conquests rivaling those of Alexander the Great and having built one of the masterpieces of the Christian world? Or was he a ruthless dictator having killed 30,000 people?
Was Suleyman the Magnificent the most powerful king of his time ruling over vast territories in three continents? Or was he a romantic poet who praised love and good health and wrote beatiful prose for his wife Roxelana?
Were the Venetians efficient and pragmatic merchants who frequently bought products in Istanbul and sold them back at home? Or were they cruel invaders who destroyed the entire Constantinople in 1261?
Hakan does not have answers to these questions. But sometimes the question itself can be more beautiful, more real or more important than even the best possible answer. Therefore, Hakan invites you to ask questions with him and furthermore, to think, to imagine and to dream with him.. in Istanbul of course.. in the most beautiful city of the world.. where else could it be?
Hakan is a professional, licensed guide in Turkey in English, Spanish and Italian and offers his personal tours across the country. He lives in Istanbul but travels extensively in other parts of Turkey. Every year November through February, he spends time in various European cities.
Explore Related Categories
