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| Here I am with new friends |
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| Karla and Ozlem (our tour guide) |
A special aspect of the visit was having spectacular views
(from our ship) overlooking the Bosporus Straight (and Golden Horn) of key
sites including Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and The Blue Mosque with its 6
minarets. I had breakfast and dinner
overlooking this spectacular water view.
Because Istanbul IS a port city, we had easy access from the
ship. Within minutes (or a short tram
ride) a cruise passenger can enjoy major sites.
On our second day, I took the tram from Trophane to Eminonu, to begin my
tour. I loved the frenetic energy of the city and felt comfortable touring
around on my own, day 2.
Touring around, I felt the glory/power of this once mighty
city that served as capital of two of the world’s most powerful empires
Byzantine (for 900+ years) and Ottoman Empire (for 600+ years). The Ottoman Empire was an economic, military,
and religious powerhouse that ruled a huge chunk of the world spanning, Europe,
Asia, and Africa from the 14th till the 20th century.
As we docked in Istanbul in the early morning, we were
greeted by a robust and lively folk band of musicians dressed in traditional
Turkish decorative uniforms. I was able
to zoom in and capture great close ups of them right from my private balcony.
I met my private tour group (of threee couples I met online)
in our usual spot, across from the tour desk on deck 3.
We joined our tour guide, Ozlem (ozlemaydin33@gmail.com), who directed
us to our bus, whose driver took us directly to the site-filled area:
Sultanahmet. Sultanahmet is the Old
Town, where the city’s top landmarks are concentrated---including Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, The Blue
Mosque, The Basilica Cisterns, Hippodrome Square, and the nearby The Grand Bazaar.
Here are some comments/reflections about my time in Istanbul:
We only used the bus twice: at the beginning and end of our
day. Traffic was very congested (a new
James Bond movie was being filmed) and the Old Town is best explored on foot.
Sultanahmet Park, situated between the Hagia Sophia and Blue
Mosque, provides a great photo opp for both grand structures.
The Hagia Sophia is one of the most impressive buildings in
the world and the crowning achievement of the Byzantine Empire. Constructed by Emperor Justinian during the 6th
century, it remained the largest basilica in the world for centuries and the
remains the worlds 4th largest ever built. It served as the Patriarchal church of
Constantinople nearly a millennium until the Ottomans captured Constantinople
in 1453. Although the Ottoman Turks were
Muslim, they were so captivated by the cathedral’s grand scale and beauty, they
chose to preserve rather than destroy it.
Instead, they converted it to a mosque adding minarets, covering
Christian mosaics and frescoes with Islamic artwork, and adding an imam’s
pulpit and mihrab facing Mecca, among its many modifications. After the secular Republic of Turkey was
established, the Hagia Sophia was converted to a museum in 1936. As a result, many (well-preserved), original
Christian frescoes, which had been plastered over with whitewash, were
uncovered and are now on display. The
eight iconic 24-ft wide leather medallions with Arabic calligraphy continue to
dominate the apse, center and arches above the imperial gate.
The Blue Mosque was the first mosque outside Mecca to have
six minarets, likely a display of the Sultan’s wealth. In order to avoid upstaging the central
mosque in Mecca, which had six minarets, Sultan Ahmet I financed construction
of a seventh minaret there. Construction of this mosque marks the
beginning of the Ottoman Empire’s decline because it exhausted the treasury
that was never restored due to a succession of wars and incompetent rulers.
I saw the famous Medusa heads in the underground Basilica
Cistern (the vast, dimly-lit, former underground water reservoir, built in the
6th century).
The Waterway intersection of The Golden Horn, Bosporus
Straight, and Sea of Marmara is one of the busiest in the world. There was a continuous flow of ferry, barge,
commercial ship, cruise ship etc. traffic.
With its spectacular views, it’s no wonder that Sultan Mehmet The
Conqueror chose to this prime location on which to build his Topkapi palace.
We had a delectable and inexpensive lunch at Buhara 93 (Nakilbend Caddesi 15-near
the Hippodrome). I ordered the chicken
Kebab with rice and salad for 8 or 9TL.
They have open wood-fired ovens where you can watch men baking the
famous lavas (flat bread). (It really is
mentioned in Rick Steve’s guide, as their sign says)
I found the vendors at the Grand Bazaar (and Spice market)
to be in-your-face aggressive. The whole
experience can be a bit overwhelming at first, but, the loud, colorful, crowded
covered malls grow on you after a while.
The opening line in Turkish bazaars is always, “Where are you
from”? I am always delighted when vendors
cannot guess where I am from since they are generally skilled at discerning the
heritage of tourists. My favorite line was, “How can I hassle you today?”. My favorite sign was “Real Fake Watches Sold
Here”. There are more than 4000 stalls in a maze of streets in the grand bazaar
selling carpets, ceramics, jewelry (gold, silver, precious/semi-precious stone,
byzantine replicas), textiles, copperware, mosaics, spices, Turkish
handicrafts, clothing, water pipes, Turkish delights, Evil eye merchandise, and
of course, souvenirs, and more.
On my next visit, I will go to the bustling Taksim Square and Istikal Cadessi (Street) via the tram and funicular.
