The Four Guardians of the Bosphorus

Four shrines face each other at the two ends of the Bosphorus. In the south, at the entrance to the strait, Yahya Efendi in Beşiktaş and Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi in Üsküdar; in the north, where it opens to the Black Sea, Telli Baba in Sarıyer and Joshua (Hz. Yuşa) in Beykoz. It is as if two saints guard each entrance, which is why they are called the four guardians of the Bosphorus.

For centuries Muslims and non-Muslims alike held these figures in respect, and those sailing past their shrines would greet them and say a prayer, a custom some sailors still keep today.

We meet in Beşiktaş at 11:00 and visit all four by car: from the lodge of Yahya Efendi, foster brother of Suleiman the Magnificent, to Telli Baba, from the shrine of Joshua on Yuşa Hill to the complex of Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi in Üsküdar, talking about their lives, their legends and the living tradition of visiting them.

Private tours on request, or open dates announced by your guide Osman Altay; pick-up and drop-off can be arranged to suit you.

International guests: €100 per person plus €200 for the vehicle per tour (minimum 2, maximum 30 travellers), or a private tour at €450 per group including the vehicle. In English or Turkish; children pay the full price; lunch is not included.

The tour usually runs from 11:00 in Beşiktaş to 18:00 in Üsküdar. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.