Istanbul - Constantinople

The famous Hagia Sophia
First a church, then a mosque, and now a museum

I've spent the last week in the seething, hazy, very cosmopolitan city of Istanbul with my cousin Andrew. I found this blog difficult to write because I saw so much and learned so much.  It was very difficult to choose pictures and subjects!

The biggest city in Turkey is where the east and west join, both literally and figuratively.  It physically straddles two continents.  Downtown is a fascinating bombardment of sights, sounds and smells.  Uptown could be a nice suburb of any East Coast city.

Roman aqueduct meets modern highway

Istanbul openly displays culture from Europe and the Middle East, from both ancient history and the modern world.  Some examples:

• Men in suits in the business district sit on low stools sipping tea during lunch.
• There are as many women wearing headscarves as without.
• The ancient Roman aqueduct has been preserved, but a major highway crosses it so exactly one high speed lane runs through each ancient arch.  
• Westernization is evident in stores, banks, bars, skyscrapers, and billboards.
• On the other hand, the Sultan's palace is still a major attraction (and the subject of a popular Turkish TV series) and the daily calls to prayer remind you that this country is also home to deep-rooted values shared with its neighbors to the East.

People walking the streets are a blend of New World and Old.  What I learned from Andrew is that Istanbul has played this uneasy role of joining West and East for millenia.  And they are still debating if they are Western or Eastern or some version of both . . . does Turkey want to join the EU?  Do they become more reliant on the wealthy Middle Eastern customers buying their goods and services?

The fort constructed by Mahmed the
Conqueror (Fatih) is now surrounded by
one of the nicest neighborhoods in town,
We had breakfast with Andrew's
friend, Serra, at the base of the bridge

Byzantine walls of the old city
now contain soccer fields and fly
a Turkish flag.  In the distance
you can see a mosque topping the hill
across the Golden Horn

A picture of us in front of the newest bridge over the Bosporus
It's controversially being built through an endangered area
But makes for some really cool pictures.

Andrew just completed his masters this summer in MiddleEastern Studies and had already visited Istanbul 4 times before he joined me on this trip.  He's a wealth of knowledge on both the history of the country, the current climate here, and the best places in town to eat and drink.  He even introduced me to a couple of his friends that live here - they were genuinely wonderful and very hospitable people.  Unfortunately no pictures of our evenings with them :(  Andrew also speaks a little Turkish.  In other words, he was the best guide I could have hoped for!

A tiny sampling of Andrew insights that you won't find in guidebooks:

• Istanbul's population less than 1 million people in the 1950s and now more than 14 million people call it home.  Talk about rapid change!

Norman graffiti at the Hagia Sophia

• Want to see the Norman graffiti in the HagiaSophia?  Sure enough, There is a rune carved into the marble banister from one of the crusades, right next to where modern visitors have disfigured the same banister.
• [As we're staring at the coastline across the tiny Sea of Mamara from Kadikoy]  This relatively short stretch of land is were the Trojans fell to the Greeks, where Alexander the Great successfully invaded Asia, and where the Brits perished at Gallipoli.  
• When Ataturk [founder of modern Turkey and longtime president] successfully won independence for his country [shortly after WWI], his government strongly encouraged a movement towards secularism.  For example, his government forbade women to wear head scarves if they were public employees.  In the last 10 years, the recent government has started to slowly roll these and other longstanding reforms back.   
• I know this great restaurant that has a great view of the Bosphorus.  
• And, don't buy ice cream on this street because all the vendors screw with you.

A view from the Bosphorus tour
The Sultan's palace, the Hagia
Sophia and the Blue Mosque

 I saw a ton of famous sites, and learned a ton about the local culture and Muslim religion.  Sadly, I mean REALLY basic stuff . . . like who is Ataturk and what is the Kaaba?   History becomes very real when you're staring at 1500 year old building or 2000 year old sculptures.

French flag next to Turkish

We got into a comfortable routine of sleeping late, doing 4-6 hours of sightseeing, wandering around neighborhoods and then eating well for dinner every day.  Sadly, we arrived the same night as the Paris attacks.  So slow mornings usually included catching up on emails and the latest findings from investigations in  Paris and Brussels. It inspired my first and probably last political post.  We took a tour of the Bosphorus the same day as the Istanbul Marathon.  They hung the French flag next to the Turkish ones from the bridge being crossed by the runners.



Pictures and observations of an fascinating city:

• Istanbul is built on 7 hills, 6 of which are now crowned by mosques.  Visitors must constantly walking up and down very steep grades.  My quads did not burn this bad when I was hiking the Alps!

• The food here is amazing.  The food in Istanbul is as diverse as the population and pulls influences from the Balkans to the Mediterranean to the far east.  Simple food prepared fresh.  All of it is good.  Some of the most traditional foods like Lahmacun (flatbread) and Doner kebaps wrapped in the local tortilla-like bread reminded me a lot of Mexican food.  To further emphasize the point, there are an abundance of tomato, onion and pepper-based sauces.  We also a few of the many high-end restaurants and bars, as well as noshing on traditional street fare like Kokorec.  Thanks to Andrew for finding all the best places in town to eat!   

The baklava is amazing
Pictured here with the omni-present chai tea

Little women in white in the tourist
district roll out the traditional thin
bread that is cooked on the stone stove
to her right.

Bread, cheese, olives, eggs, sausage . . .
The breakfasts here are a feast!
Thank you Serra for sharing!

Kokerec and Kebaps

Bosa

This bartender could hold his
own in New York or London

• Turks are very proud to be Turkish!  Turkish flags hang in windows and are proudly displayed in poor and rich neighborhoods.  Likenesses of Ataturk abound.  Homes and businesses display pictures, there are statues of him in every park, and the coastal highway is lined with mini-billboard-sized pictures of him during his long tenure as president.  

A memorial celebrating Memed
the Conqueror (Fatih) successfully
conquering Costantinople (now
Istanbul)

One of many memorials
dedicated to Ataturk
this one is near Gezi Park

Turkish flags and images
of Ataturk are hung in
windows all over the city
in all neighborhoods.

More flags.  I haven't seen this
degree of national pride
since leaving the USA

The courtyard and surrounding buildings
around the Suleymaniye Mosque

• Such a central part of daily life in a Muslim country, we saw some of the most important mosques in the world in and around Istanbul.  One thing I learned is that Mosques were not /are not just a place of worship.  These big ones included complexes that provide schools for children, hospitals, baths, sometimes lodging for travelers, and shops for local businessmen, and much more.  
• Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, Suleymaniye Mosque

There are always beautiful fountains out
front for the ritual cleaning before prayer

They were performing
restoration work while
we visited the Haghia Sophia

A view of the Blue Mosque
taken from inside the Hagia
Sophia

Standing in the spot where
the Empress used to sit
when she attended church
at the Haghia Sophia

The conquering Ottomans left the
church largely as-is when they converted
it into a mosque, but added the
symbols for Allah and the prophet
in a size that "is befitting of the
Haghia Sophia"
You can still see the Madonna and
child Mosaic in the middle.

One of the many remaining mosaics
inside Hagia Sophia.  This one is curious.
It portrays the empress Zoe and her
3rd husband on either side
of the Madonna and Child

Impressive views of the large dome
in the Suleymaniye mosque, from
one of the half domes

Designed and built by the famous
architect Sinan, marble arches, golden
calligraphy, and ornate details give
this mosque a majestic feel

A view of Sinan's work
The inner courtyard and a mineret 

The marble arches leading to
the courtyard of the Suleymaniye
mosque are carved and fitted
like lock and key.  This could
not have been easy to do!  

The Kulliyah of Faith Mosque
it sits on the 4th of Istanbul's 7 hills

• It's thanks to the leniency of Muslim conquerors, the old churches from Byzantium still stand.  Now museums, they still display the incredible mosaics of Mary and Jesus and other stories from the Bible from their 1300s artists.  A few of the many mosaics in the Pammakaristos Church/Fethiya Museum and the Chora church/museum are shown below.

• The sultan's palace - a window into ancient Ottoman culture.   We weren't allowed to take pictures of the many exhibits, like the holy relics, treasury, or kitchens.

I love mosaics - even
ones that are set into
the doors of the palace

A view of one of many fountains
inside the Harem apartments

Entrance to the palace

Tile from Isnik everywhere

The palace offered some of the
best views of Istanbul

• We even took a day trip to Bursa.   This part of Turkey was conquered by the Ottomans long before Istanbul, so it contains some of the most important mosques in the world.  I enjoyed the outing, not just for the history, but because it lets you see a more industrial city in Turkey.  

Tombs of conquering Ottomans

The oldest mosque Andrew's seen
and that's saying something!

The caption says this is the carpet
laid over the Kaaba when the
Turks first conquered Mecca.
Wow.

Tea in a traditional
Han/Khan in Bursa

• Roman ruins still stand everywhere in Istanbul.  I am so impressed with Roman engineering.

Obelisks from the old hippodrome

Climbing the old city walls

The Sidamara Sarcophagus
This is what Michelangelo was
trying to re-capture

One of the cisterns built by Justinian
This man-made aquifer was
built in the 6th centrury and
covers 2.4 Acres of space
and stored water carried on
Roman aqueducts from the forests in
Belgrade 12 miles away!

• There are a zillion places to shop in Istanbul.  If you don’t care for the wares hawked by the street vendors, there is a high concentration of shopping malls per capita.  And the Grand Bazaar can take care of most of your needs.  

Every city has a pedestrian
strip for the name brands

No joke - there is a hotline
to call if you have shopping problems

• There are stray animals everywhere.  Unlike my home town, these cats and dogs appear to be well-fed by the locals.  They are fat, happy and friendly.

Locals leave food and water
out for the animals

This kid is determined to feed the cat,
and the cat is putting up with it!

• The evil eye symbol is present anywhere there are tourists to buy it - ward off bad luck by wearing one of these!  This blue and white emblem will always remind me of Turkey.

  

  The evil eye is included in everything
  from jewelry to artwork to
  dishes to home decor.

• We are lucky in America that politics and business only marginally interact.  People here are still blacklisted, shut down, and denied work if they become too politically active.  At least, that is the well-accepted perception.  There is no doubt corruption and nepotism still are part of life in Turkey.  
• Our AirBnB apartement was next to the Galata Tower.  For whatever reason, it was perfectly placed to hear calls to prayer from at least 5 different mosques.  The tower itself is a major landmark, making it easy to navigate home.  It was lit different colors on different nights.

Next stop: Thailand