Our Story
8,500 Years Beneath Your Feet
Updated:
Where Istanbul Began
Hotel Marius stands on Istanbul's oldest ground. Here is the story of the streets outside our door.
The First Settlement
Archaeological finds trace settlement in the Sirkeci area back some 8,500 years — one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth.
Constantinople, the New Rome
Emperor Constantine made the city the capital of the Roman Empire — today's Sirkeci was its bustling waterfront.
A Thousand Years of Byzantium
Hagia Sophia — a short walk from our door — was raised in 537 and remained the largest cathedral on earth for nearly a thousand years.
The Ottoman Capital
After the conquest, Topkapı Palace, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar turned this district into the trading heart of an empire spanning three continents.
The Orient Express Arrives
Sirkeci station opened as the final stop of the legendary Orient Express — Istanbul's gateway to Europe.
Hotel Marius
Our guests sleep on top of that history and wake minutes from Hagia Sophia, Topkapı and the Bosphorus.
