Okay, okay...I've been home for a while and I had almost decided that I didn't have the energy to finish the blog and then, after a gentle nudge from some friends, I was persuaded to push to the finish.
My trip to Istanbul started with a flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu where I spent the night. The next day I caught a flight from Kathmandu back (i.e., the wrong direction) to Bangkok. From there, after a long layover, I boarded a flight to Istanbul arriving at 6:00 a.m. on July 4th. Istanbul was a surprise. I was definitely back in the West. Metro cars were spacious, the stations were clean and almost everything seemed to work properly. I planned to stay in the historical Sultanahmet section of the city, which is within easy walking distance of the two most iconic sites in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya.
Moving from a Hindu country to my first Muslim country was exciting. Here I saw women in black burkas and headscarves and men gathering in enormous mosques to answer the five-times a day call to prayer broadcast by loudspeaker from the minarets.
The Blue Mosque is striking from the outside and is one of the few mosques in the world that has six minarets. Built in the early 1600s, the Mosque’s name comes from the blue tiles that adorn the walls and ceiling. Besides the cavernous space, one of the striking features of the Mosque are the hundreds of chains attached to the ceiling and from which are hung the massive horizontal chandeliers.
The Aya Sofya was completed in 537 and was one of the greatest churches in Christendom until it was converted into a mosque in 1453 after the Conquest. In 1935 it was converted into a museum and now retains evidence of both its Christian and Islamic past. Because the lines to visit the site were too long on Monday, I decided to skipp Aya Sofya until later.
Invisible except for a small entrance on a side street, the Basilica Cistern is a fascinating underground wonder. The Cistern is 65 meters wide and 143 meters long and its roof is supported by 336 columns. The cisterns once provided water for the Great Palace and once held 80,000 cubic meters of water. The eerie setting offers a cool respite from the outside temperature, as well as several oddities, including two inexplicable upside-down Medusa heads which serve as the base for two of the columns.
The next day I decided to head to the Princes' Islands which lie about 1 hour by boat into the Marmara Sea from Istanbul. In reality, I crashed a day already planned by a new friend from the hostel, Alexadra, a fellow lawyer from Seattle.
After a relaxing day on the island, the next three days gave me the chance to explore Istanbul with a little more energy. One of my first stops was Topkapi Palace. Construction on the vast palace complex was begun in 1453 by Mehmet the Conqueror. Among the most interesting buildings are the Harem (which generally served as the quarters for the imperial family) in addition to housing the sultan's concubines ...
and the Treasury, which contains such nifty items as a tooth of the Prophet Mohammed, the staff that Moses used to part the Red Sea and a portion of John the Baptist's skull. Who knew? (Sorry, but no photos allowed.)
After the Palace, I wandered down to the Galeta Bridge where I toured the Rustem Pasa Mosque, a beautiful and busy mosque. Here I observed men engaged in ritual washings (or ablutions) prior to entering the mosque.
After the mosque, I wandered across the Galata Bridge to the "Asian" side of Istanbul. It was there that I saw one of the kookiest things I saw in my entire trip ... a musical group comprised of Ecuadorians, playing Peruvian pan flutes while dressed (and dancing) as American Indians. Odd as it seemed to me, the crowd LOVED them.
Trying to avoid the huge crowds, I showed up early the next morning at the Aya Sofya. The cavernous interior space is stunning, not only for its size but also for the beautiful Christian mosaics and Arabic calligraphy.
My remaining time in Istanbul was split between a visit to the Galata Tower a landmark constructed in 1348 and the Chora Church, a beautiful Byzantine church. The interior, which dates from 1312, is replete with lovely mosaic tiles depicting important scenes from the lives of Christ and Mary.
My trip to Istanbul started with a flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu where I spent the night. The next day I caught a flight from Kathmandu back (i.e., the wrong direction) to Bangkok. From there, after a long layover, I boarded a flight to Istanbul arriving at 6:00 a.m. on July 4th. Istanbul was a surprise. I was definitely back in the West. Metro cars were spacious, the stations were clean and almost everything seemed to work properly. I planned to stay in the historical Sultanahmet section of the city, which is within easy walking distance of the two most iconic sites in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya.
Moving from a Hindu country to my first Muslim country was exciting. Here I saw women in black burkas and headscarves and men gathering in enormous mosques to answer the five-times a day call to prayer broadcast by loudspeaker from the minarets.
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| The Blue Mosque as seen from the Aya Sofya |
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| The Blue Mosque |
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| Aya Sofya |
Invisible except for a small entrance on a side street, the Basilica Cistern is a fascinating underground wonder. The Cistern is 65 meters wide and 143 meters long and its roof is supported by 336 columns. The cisterns once provided water for the Great Palace and once held 80,000 cubic meters of water. The eerie setting offers a cool respite from the outside temperature, as well as several oddities, including two inexplicable upside-down Medusa heads which serve as the base for two of the columns.
The next day I decided to head to the Princes' Islands which lie about 1 hour by boat into the Marmara Sea from Istanbul. In reality, I crashed a day already planned by a new friend from the hostel, Alexadra, a fellow lawyer from Seattle.
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| Alexandra as Audrey Hepburn. |
We stopped at the island of Buyukada and spent the day touring it by bicycle. It's a beautiful island with odd surprises such as gingerbread houses, horse-drawn carriages and delicious honey-glazed donut hole treats. We spent the afternoon relaxing on one of the many rocky beaches planning our respective futures. By the time we left, I thought we had it all worked out (although I'm not so sure now).
After a relaxing day on the island, the next three days gave me the chance to explore Istanbul with a little more energy. One of my first stops was Topkapi Palace. Construction on the vast palace complex was begun in 1453 by Mehmet the Conqueror. Among the most interesting buildings are the Harem (which generally served as the quarters for the imperial family) in addition to housing the sultan's concubines ...
and the Treasury, which contains such nifty items as a tooth of the Prophet Mohammed, the staff that Moses used to part the Red Sea and a portion of John the Baptist's skull. Who knew? (Sorry, but no photos allowed.)
After the Palace, I wandered down to the Galeta Bridge where I toured the Rustem Pasa Mosque, a beautiful and busy mosque. Here I observed men engaged in ritual washings (or ablutions) prior to entering the mosque.
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A walk up the hill took me to the beautiful Suleymaniye Mosque (my favorite) and to the Aqueduct of Valens, built in AD 373, a grand reminder of the 400 kilometer water delivery system which fed the ancient city.
Trying to avoid the huge crowds, I showed up early the next morning at the Aya Sofya. The cavernous interior space is stunning, not only for its size but also for the beautiful Christian mosaics and Arabic calligraphy.
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| Note the horizontal chandeliers suspended just above the floor. |
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| One of the several elaborate mosaics in the Aya Sofya |
To the side of the Aya Sofya are the tombs which contain the remains of five sultans and their families. Although the walls of the tombs are covered with ornate calligraphy, the actual tombs appear to be nothing more than little tents ... not quite what comes to mind when you hear the words "sultans' mausoleum".
My remaining time in Istanbul was split between a visit to the Galata Tower a landmark constructed in 1348 and the Chora Church, a beautiful Byzantine church. The interior, which dates from 1312, is replete with lovely mosaic tiles depicting important scenes from the lives of Christ and Mary.
During my time in Istanbul, I also managed to take a quick (and slightly scary) dip in the Marmara Sea following a run on the sea wall. I also managed to squeeze in a visit to a Turkish hamam (bath). I opted for a local bath instead of one of the historic (i.e., expensive) hamams. What an experience! To call it a bath is misleading to Westerners since there are no baths to be seen, just small sinks sitting at floor level running with water of various temperatures. You haven't been clean until you've been scrubbed from head to toe by a 300 pound Turkish man with a car mitt. Once you get past the slight disgust as you notice the black layer of skin being rubbed away, it's pretty awesome.
