Another Couple of Days in Istanbul

7/14

It’s been a couple of days since I last posted.  I'm finally catching up on writing about Istanbul.

As expected, I got in a ton of walking and saw plenty of sights my last few days in Istanbul.  If I keep this up should see my (disappointingly high for 25 years old) cholesterol levels fall.  The sharp drop in my cheeseburger intake since leaving the States should help too.

Since I’ve got a lot to share I’ll split this up into a few posts so it’s little easier for you and me to digest.

Objects at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art

Seeing as how I still have my museum pass, I got more use out of it.  The first stop was the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art.  Tucked away near the Blue Mosque, it is an easy to overlook museum, but worth the trip, especially if you have the museum pass.  The exhibits are very neatly displayed and the cool interior is a welcome relief from the sun and heat.  Unsurprisingly, typical works on display include beautifully copied editions of the Quran, ornate doors from mosques, carpets, wooden Quran boxes and stands, and pottery.  Like Topkapi Palace, the museum holds some holy relics of the Prophet Muhammad and items like Kaaba locks.  All in all, it’s a good way to spend an hour or two.

Door from the Great Mosque at Cizre 

The Chora Church was another stop of mine.  Following a pattern that’s typical in Istanbul, it began as Byzantine church, was converted to a Mosque by the Ottomans, and now functions as a museum.  It’s located a little further afield northwest of the Grand Bazaar and unfortunately, like so many other places, is under major renovations.  In this particular case, the work is enough to detract from the experience.  The outside of the building, which normally looks beautiful, is almost completely covered up with scaffolding and plastic wrap.  The interior is only slightly better, only a small fraction is actually accessible to visitors.  Still, there are some impressive mosaics to be seen.

Chora

Christ between Heaven and earth

 

Significantly further out (by the standards of the sights I’ve seen in Istanbul) is the Rumelihisari.  The Ottoman fortress was constructed at a narrow point of the Bosphorus next to where the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge now stands.  A corresponding fortress on the Asian side of the strait was also constructed.  It’s a bit of a trek to get there (several hours round trip by walking, though buses are available).  With plenty of time to kill, I enjoyed the walk along the Bosphorus.  All along the water’s edge you will find men fishing and the occasional old man going for a swim.  You also get to appreciate how impressive the bridges straddling Europe and Asia are.  The fortress itself is pleasant to walk around.  It’s on a steep hill and offers some great views across the strait.  Visitors are not allowed to climb on the walls or towers of the fortress.  I was disappointed by this, but it’s clear that Ottoman architects were not bound by the same safety standards of modern architects.  Rumelihisari is relatively sparsely visited and included in the museum pass.  I wouldn’t call it a must visit, but it was absolutely worth the trip to get there.

A view across the Bosphorus

Fishing in the Bosphorus


Off to Çanakkale

I'm leaving Istanbul today and taking the bus to Canakkale.  I'll probably spend two or three days there.  The main reason for heading to Canakkale is to use it as a jumping of point for Gallipoli.  The Gallipoli Campaign was one of the most important of World War I.  Extremely costly for both sides, it holds particular significance in Turkey as a great Ottoman victory and Australia and New Zealand for the role of Anzac troops in the battle and the strengthening of national identity that followed.

I'll have more on Istanbul and my past few days soon, assuming I actually sit down and do some writing.

One last breakfast in the shadow of Hagia Sophia

One last breakfast in the shadow of Hagia Sophia

 

Istanbul Day 2

7/10

After spending much of Wednesday sleeping, I spent nearly all of yesterday on my feet.  I was exhausted by the end, but it was well worth it.  

Istanbul offers a museum pass for 85 lira (about $32) that will get you into a dozen or so sights, including most of the notable museums.  It's worth it if you visit even 3 or 4 spots.  I know that I got my money's worth after yesterday alone.

The first place I visited was Hagia Sophia.  Built nearly 1500 years ago by the Byzantines as a church, it was converted to a mosque by the Ottomans after they took Constantinople.  In 1932 it was made a museum.  The building's history is demonstrated by the mix of Christian iconography and Islamic features such as calligraphy and minarets.  Impressive as it is from the outside, it should be seen from the inside to be truly appreciated.  The main body of the building is huge when you factor in how high up the dome goes.  It's hard to imagine that such a building was even possible in the 6th century.  Though it's a popular tourist sight, it didn't feel crowded at all inside.  Perhaps it was just my timing, but that was a welcome relief from what I've come to expect of these kinds of places.  The only negative thing I can say is that they were doing renovations inside which obscured some features, but that's a minor complaint.  I assume preserving the building is slightly higher priority than ensuring that I can get an unobstructed photo of the dome.

Mosaic of the Virgin Mary and Child flanked by calligraphy

Outside the main building, but within the complex are a number of tombs (türbes) of Ottoman sultans.  The interiors of these feature beautiful tile work and numerous sarcophagi.  A notable feature of the sarcophagi is that those of the sultans and princes have turbans affixed to them.

Tomb of Sultan Selim II

Adjacent to Hagia Sophia is the Topkapi Palace complex.  This was the residence of Ottoman sultans for several centuries.  It consists of a series of four courtyards surrounded by exterior walls.  It's clear from exploring the spaces for the sultan and his family that they lived an opulent lifestyle.  Every space they occupied is intricately detailed.  Beyond those spaces are a number of spaces for the workers, soldiers, and courtiers that also occupied the complex.

On the periphery of the complex is Hagia Irene.  This easily overlooked building is a former church that was turned into an arsenal by the Ottomans.  It really doesn't offer much to see, but it was dark, cool, and completely empty inside.  After spending so much time walking in the sun, this was a welcome relief.  Nets designed to collect bird droppings and feathers detract from the ability to relly appreciate this building.

Hagia Irene complete with net

Hagia Irene complete with net

My last stop was to the nearby Istanbul Museums of Archaeology.  These are a few buildings packed with sarcophagi, pottery, tiles, statues, and anything else you might expect to be dug up from thousands of years of civilization in the region.  It's a bit overwhelming to walk through and see how much history the region has.  

Sarcophagi at the Archaeological Museum

Archaeological Museum exterior

I'm glad to say it was a long day, my feet are sore, and it is just what I would hope for in a day while traveling.

Greetings from Istanbul

7/8

Despite this being the debut blog post, I am going to keep this short.  I got into Istanbul this morning around 1 am and spent most of the day sleeping.  Even though each one of my three flights on the way here was delayed in some regard, I really cannot complain about the travel experience.  My bags showed up here when I showed up and I was not surrounded by crying infants on the planes.

Though my time here has been brief, I really like Istanbul so far.  The little bit of the city I have seen is beautiful and the people have been incredibly friendly.  After getting moving today around 4 in the afternoon, I took a long, meandering walk around the old city.  It was pleasant.  I checked out the Blue Mosque.  It's quite impressive and truly beautiful.

The Blue Mosque