Tag: Istanbul

I had to put this cover at the top because I liked it best … but more about the elephant later.

I always like to do a little background reading when we travel and I had high hopes with Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bethany Hughes. Unfortunately it proved to be just too epic, and I got disheartened before I even got through the prologue. (A tip I’ve since been given is if it’s too challenging to read, try the audio version … which would also be good for bus journeys … )

Instead, I sought out something slightly more readable if less worthy and began The Aviary Gate by Kate Hickson, a fictional tale of Celia Lamprey, taken into slavery by pirates in C15th and sold into the sultan’s harem in Constantinople.

The descriptions of life and events in the harem were certainly evocative and the story romped along.  It mentioned the arrival of a hugely elaborate and richly decorated automatic organ with chiming clock, sent as a present by Queen Elizabeth I to Sultan Mehmet III of Turkey and being curious, I wondered if any part of the story was based on fact. In an interview, Kate Hickson said Thomas Dallam, the organ builder, kept a diary of his trip to Turkey which she read in a library in Istanbul and this became the basis for her tale.

The diary has since been modernised by John Mole and published as The Sultan’s Organ, and while much of the book dealt with the difficult journey there and back, the account his time in Constantinople and the presentation to the Sultan was very detailed and interesting.

It also mentioned that he saw women of the harem through a grille in a wall while setting up the machine …

… and this detail became important to the story of the Aviary Gate. I felt as if I’d already been on an adventure and I hadn’t left home yet!

Having visited the Harem of the Topkapi Palace, where the entrance and courtyard are likely to have changed little, it was evocative to see the very place the story was set, and we even departed through The Aviary Gate.

There is definitely something about the secrecy of the Ottoman Court and its intrigues which attract writers, and Elif Shafak, the most widely read female writer in Turkey has also set a tale there – The Architects Apprentice.

This is another tale about a gift, this time a white elephant and a young boy who begins as a stowaway, then a mahout and finally an apprentice to the real-life Mimar Sinan, the Ottoman architect who built some of the finest buildings in the world including the Suleymaniye Mosque.

It spans the rule of three sultans – Suleymaniye, Selim II and Murad III and very appealingly weaves the fictional part of Jahan and his elephant Chota with the historical events of the time – definitely a winner!

Moving forwards in time, The Sultans Seal, is a tale of murder in nineteenth-century Istanbul which captures the political and social upheavals of the waning Ottoman Empire as Kamil Pasha, a magistrate in the new secular courts, sets out to find the killer.

More skulduggery and intrigue but also comments on the social differences between the Europeans living in Istanbul and the Ottomans and the more modern Ottomans who wanted to bridge the gap.

Hooked, I turned to The Abyssinian Proof, a conspiracy to steal an ancient reliquary which sets Kamil Pasha investigating again.

In the opening chapter, there is a flashback to 1453 when Constantinople fell to the Ottomans with Christians fleeing the city through passages in the underground cisterns which we visited , carrying the reliquary from St Saviour in Chora Church, which we also visited and running from a breach in the land walls!

Anyway, must go and finish the story lying in the sun, overlooking the warm Aegean Sea!

Just a final thought … the Cave of Zeus is nearby … maybe I should read some Greek myths next … or even download an audio version and listen on the plane home … now that’s a plan!

 

 

We have saved our last day in Istanbul to visit the Tokapi Palace and arrived at the first imperial gate at 9.45 … a little later than we had planned.

This leads to the First Courtyard which is free to enter, containing a shady garden and the queue for the ticket booth.

And then we queued. We had hoped to avoid all this queuing by buying a Museumcard to cover entry to all attractions at one of the smaller museums, then being able to enter the others more quickly, but there had been some technical problem and it just wasn’t available.

At 11.15 we entered the Second Courtyard through the Gate of Salutations and headed to the Divan, named for the seat running round the edge and where the imperial councillors met.

Next was the Gate of Felicity  through to the Third Courtyard dominated by the Throne Room which was far more impressive on the outside, than within. There was also a suite of rooms containing various relics of the Prophet where no photos were allowed, which was a shame as the highlight for us were the fabulous Iznik tiles.

Into the Fourth Courtyard and there were fine views with Atatürk Bridge and the Galata Tower in the distance. We also were lucky enough to find a bed of tulips still in flower, as most have finished … apt since tulips originally came from Turkey and the word tulip was derived from the Persian word ‘Tulipan’ which means turban as tulips were thought to resemble the shape of turbans.

A couple of stunning pavilions were saved to last, covered in beautiful tiling and sitting in the shady gardens …

… and jewel-like interiors.

As we were walking round, there seemed to be so much more to see than we had remembered from our previous visit so we are really pleased we came again.

Finally we visited The Harem which we definitely remembered, although several parts were closed for restoration we still saw the entrance passage, the Imperial Chamber and the Courtyard of the Favourites.

Having walked ourselves of our feet, we left the palace, passing the impressive … fountain … and took the tram for one stop to Cemberlitas. Here we found a falafel and humus cafe for some lunch, then we relaxed at the Cemberlitas Hamam next door where we were steamed, and scrubbed and rinsed.

It is a traditional hamam with separate areas for men and women and huge domes over the bath houses studded with little windows but it didn’t feel as local as I remembered from my first visit when there had been as many locals as tourists.

Weather here has been a little chilly first thing – around 14° then warming up in the sunshine to around 20° but with a bit of a breeze and cooling right down again in the evening so it’s been perfect for sightseeing, and the restaurants have heaters and blankets outside if you get a little cold over dinner, including Duares where the fish casserole and stuffed aubergine were excellent.

It is now time to move on and tomorrow we fly to Cappadocia.

Next morning we were in the queue for Hagia Sophia by 9.00 and just under an hour later, we entered! It was built in the C6th for Emperor Justinian as a Byzantine church and remained the largest enclosed space in the world for a thousand years.

The huge dome has collapsed a couple of times and been rebuilt, with bigger buttresses that block some of the windows, making the interior rather gloomy, not helped by the grey marble. In 1453 the city was captured by the Turks and Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque, which it remained until 1934 when it became a museum. They are part way through redecorating, which must be a huge task in building of this size. We wandered round the gallery first …

… and saw some of the Byzantine mosaics …

… and also some Viking graffiti left by warriors who were employed as bodyguards to the Emperor.

We even caught a glimpse of the Blue Mosque through the window!

Downstairs, the spot where Byzantine emperors were crowned is marked by marble inlay …

… and behind is the mimbar or pulpit and the mihrab …

… but there seemed to be as much interest in the resident felines!

On the way out, Chris touched the weeping column as it is renowned for curing ills in the hope it would help get rid of the nasty cough he’s been suffering with.

Over the road, the underground Basilica Cistern was built in the C6th to store water for the palace and the roof is supported by 336 columns. A couple of the columns are supported by Medusa heads, clearly relics from a previous building, and while it was suggested they were to protect the cistern, it seems strange for this one to be upside down. The atmospheric lighting alone made it worth a visit.

Returning to the story of the Turks capturing the city in 1453, we took a tram to look at the Byzantine land walls, of which various stretches remain. We went to the Panorama Park, a popular place for locals to go for a weekend bbq and picnic, and walked along the walls until we reached the spot that Mehmed the Conqueror and his troops breached the walls and entered the city.

Close by is the Kariye Museum, which was billed as having some of the best preserved Byzantine mosaics and frescoes in the world. Unfortunately, it was undergoing renovation, and only part was open but here is the best of what we saw.

A short cab ride in the busy Istanbul traffic, spotting a stretch of aqueduct on the way …

… took us up to the top of the hill to the Suleymaniye Mosque, completed in 1557 by the renowned architect Mimar Sinan for his patron Süleyman the Magnificent.

We arrived during prayers and enjoyed the courtyard until we were allowed to enter.

The difference when compared with Hagia Sofia this morning is astounding – it is big, but manages to be so light and airy and uncluttered!

A short walk down the hill, a tram ride back and one last stop … the Arcadia Blue Hotel which has a rooftop bar with a bit of a view of both Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, which we enjoyed with our glass of rose!

Later we returned to Akbiyik Cad where we have eaten every night and had a lovely meal at the Magnaura Cafe & Restaurant.

Istanbul sits on the Bosphorus, with Europe on one side and Asia on the other. It has been the capital of both Christian and Islamic empires and while no longer the capital, it is the economic and cultural heart of a modern secular Turkey.

Last time we were here we took a boat trip and also visited the Asian side,  but this time we are concentrating on the old city within the original Byzantine walls.

Having taken the metro and a tram, we arrived in Sultanahmet, the heart of the old city, and took a few snaps as we passed.

We are staying at the Marmara Guesthouse, located in a quiet part of the old town. There are views over the Bosphorus from the rooftop terrace and it is within walking distance of the main sights and a choice of restaurants.

We picked The Turquoise Cafe & Restaurant for our first Turkish meal, at a cosy table with cushions and a red rose, overlooking the street. The mezze and casseroles were very tasty and we were ready to turn in after our long day.

Next morning, there was a wonderful spread for breakfast – eggs, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, olives and peppers then bread and pancakes with a huge array of jams finishing with a selection of cakes and biscuits. We ate on the sunny terrace watching the ships busy on the water and the rose jam was amazing!

Our first stop was Sultanahmet Camii, often called the Blue Mosque, after the blue Iznik tiles which decorate the interior.

It was built for Ahmed I and finished in 1616 and boasts six minarets, visible on the skyline from various spots round the city. Until then only the mosque in Mecca had as many minarets, and then they built an extra one so it still had most!

We got as far as the courtyard before we saw the restoration notice and realised we could only see the outside, but fortunately we did go inside last trip.

We did manage to visit his tomb though, which is decorated in similar tiles to the mosque.

We had planned to visit Hagia Sophia next, but when we saw the queue, decided to get there early next day. Instead, we walked down the Hippodrome, now a paved park, but once the chariot racing track in Byzantine times.

There is an Egyptian obelisk that was brought here in the C4th, remains of a Greek bronze column made up of three entwined serpents which have lost their heads from the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, and a tall but unimpressive column to Constantine.

We took a turn round the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art but apart from a hall of carpets and snippings from The Prophet’s beard, the most remarkable thing was the view of the Blue Mosque.

The Mosaic Museum displayed quite a lot of the huge floor from the Byzantine Great Palace including quite ferocious animals.

After a late lunch of pide and salad, we took the tram to Eminonu Square which was busy with food stalls and beside the Galata Bridge.

A short walk brought us to the Spice Market, or Egyptian Bazaar, where there is a huge selection of spices and Turkish delight for sale in quite smart shops.

From there, we followed the throngs of shoppers through streets lined with stores selling anything and everything until we reached the Grand Bazaar.

With 66 alleys and more than four thousand shops, we were never going to identify the carpet shop we were standing outside when we started chatting 10 years ago.

Nonetheless, it all looked very familiar as we wandered round and bought a couple of souvenirs, before calling it a day and returning to our guesthouse.

We found out about Cooking Alaturka too late to schedule a class, so instead went for dinner in the restaurant and were treated to some delicious specialities, the best being the hot yogurt soup which sounds a little strange but which was amazing, the mushroom filled vine leaves and the walnut stuffed figs.