Private Bosphorus Straits Tour

Who is Sedat Bornovalı?

Prof. Dr Sedat Bornovalı, an art historian, graduated from Boğaziçi University. He continued his studies at Istanbul University and Istanbul Technical University.

Passionate about sharing knowledge, he started working as a tour guide during his university years, introducing the monuments of his city to distinguished visitors, including Pope Benedict XVI. Among his former clients, he fondly remembers Professor Umberto Eco.

His enthusiasm for spreading knowledge has often brought him to television and, more recently, led to a collaboration with Netflix for a documentary dedicated to an entire night spent inside Hagia Sophia.

Today, he primarily shares his expertise as a Professor of History of Architecture at Nişantaşı University in Istanbul. His recent book about the Bosphorus became a bestseller in Turkey, has been translated into English, and will soon be available in Italian.

He is also the author of monographs on three significant monuments in Istanbul: Hagia Sophia and the Catholic churches of Santa Maria Draperis and Surp Yerrortutyun.

Honored with the titles of Knight and Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, he also focuses his research on uncovering previously unknown aspects of Italian cultural heritage in Istanbul.