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Ottoman splendour
Courtyard of the Süleymaniye MosqueWell what a difference seventy-two hours can make: Friday evening I'm finishing work at the Ben Mhor Hotel in Grantown-on-Spey (in the Highlands of Scotland), and by monday afternoon I'm touching down in Istanbul, the former capital of both the Byzantine (Roman) and Ottoman (Turkish) empires. And if ever my inner traveller needed some shock therapy to awaken me from my self-imposed slumber, finding myself in the centre of a city with as many mosques as my most recent home town had people (around 2000 in all) - and with a population of around sixteen million people (and at least as many stray cats) - was sure to do the trick.
For those unfamiliar with Istanbul's history, legend has it that the city was founded by a Greek colonist named Byzas in 657BC - hence the city's original name of Byzantium. Having been incorporated into the Roman empire in 79AD the city would truly rise to prominence two hundred and fifty yeras later when, in 330AD - almost a thousand years after the city had first been settled - the emperor Constantine decided to move his capital from Rome to the city by the Bosphorous that would soon come to
Crowning glory
View of the Aya Sofya from the hostel bar be known as Constantinople in his honour. For the next one thousand years the city would remain the capital of what was by then known as the Byzantine empire, before it finally fell into the hands of the Ottoman Turks in 1453; after which it continued to flourish as the capital of the Ottoman empire for almost another five hundred years.
But the glory days would eventually come to an end when the Turks found themselves on the losing side with Germany in World War I, after which Constantinople would be occupied by the Allied forces. Soon after this, the man known as the father of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) chose to not only move the capital of the newly-proclaimed republic to Ankara; but also - in an attempt to distance modern Turkey from any negative imperial connotations - to re-name the former capital city Istanbul. But though the city of seven hills - bordered by the Sea of Marmara to the south, the Bosphorous strait to the east, and the Golden Horn to the north - had undergone yet another name change and was no longer the capital, it would remain one of the truly great cities
Streets of Sultanahmet
View of the Aya Sofya from outside the hostel of the world; and continue to be seen as the gateway between Europe and Asia.
Having flown into Istanbul's secondary airport (Sabiha Gökçen) on the Asian side of the Bosphorous, my first unexpected little mishap occurred when I had to purchase a visa stamp in order to pass through customs, but for some reason was told I could only pay in euros or dollars - despite the fact that I had spent the past two years in the UK and had been able to pay in pounds only a year ago on my previous visit to Turkey! So off I trudged to the conveniently located cash machine nearby - which of course would only dispense fifty euro notes, leaving me with 35 euros in unwanted currency (which thankfully I decided to keep for Tenerife in a month's time, rather than accept the poor exchange rates that are generally offered at airports).
After sorting out my visa, I had to take a bus across the Bosphorous and into the city centre, then take a funicular down to the waterfront, before getting a tram across the Golden Horn and up to Sultanahmet in the heart of the historical part of
Church of the Holy Wisdom
The incredible interior of the Aya Sofya the city, where my hostel was located only a few hundred metres from the Aya Sofya... but which I somehow managed to walk around in circles for about fifteen minutes trying to find, after I somehow managed to walk straight past it on a couple of occasions without noticing the big 'Cheers Hostel' sign directly above the front door! With the sun shining down as I had hoped it would, the rest of the afternoon was spent exploring my new surroundings, whilst searching in vain for a cheap pair of flip-flops to replace the ones I had recently discarded in Scotland.
Tuesday began with a visit to the justifiably famous Aya Sofya, which has a history almost as rich and colourful as the city that surrounds it. Having been built way back in the sixth century by Emperor Justinian, it would serve as a christian basilica (Aya Sofya translating as 'Church of the Holy Wisdom'😉 for over nine hundred years, before being converted into a mosque after the Ottomans conquered Istanbul in the fifteenth century, only for Atatürk to then declare it a museum in the early twentieth century.
Though it may not win any prizes for it's
Underground wonderland
In the depths of the Basilica Cistern external beauty - impressing more with it's sheer size from the outside - the interior is a different story entirely. Despite being almost a thousand years older than any of the existing mosques in Istanbul, the ingenious design of the building manages to incorporate the load-bearing pillars into the external walls, so as to support the weight of the city's largest dome (over thirty metres in diameter) without requiring any of the large 'elephant's feet' pillars that are a feature of virtually every other sizeable mosque in the city, thus creating the illusion of a 'floating dome' with no visible support.
After a brief but enjoyable visit to the nearby underground Basilica Cistern, I headed to the other end of Sultanahmet Park to check out the Blue Mosque, where in typical Istanbul fashion a young local man appointed himself as my unofficial guide, in an attempt to lure me into his brother's nearby carpet store afterwards. Wise to his intentions - though also well aware that no amount of protesting on my part would have gotten rid of him - I simply enjoyed listening to the information that he provided me about the magnificent mosque, before telling him 'look,
Place of worship
Courtyard of the Blue Mosque there is no way I am going to buy a carpet of any kind while I am in turkey, so even if I did come to your brother's store I would only be wasting your time as well as my own'; at which point he told me I was an 'empty man inside' and walked away!
The next morning I paid a visit to Topkapi Sarayi, the former royal palace of the Ottoman sultans, where the most impressive part of the complex, the Harem, reminded me somewhat of the Nasrid Palaces at the Alhambra in Granada, both with it's labyrinthine layout and it's intricate ornamentation. It was in the Harem that the sultan used to live under the same roof as his many wives, his concubines (and the eunuchs who watched over them) and, most importantly of all, the sultan's mother, who in her role as 'grand vizier' would control every aspect of life within the Harem.
After spending a bemused hour or so exploring (and being pestered by shopowners in) the Grand Bazaar in the afternoon, the comparative peace and quiet of the Süleymaniye Mosque - not to mention it's exquisite beauty, both inside and out -
Peaceful refuge
Exterior of the 'Little Aya Sofya' provided a more than welcome change of pace (and scenery) in the evening; while the view from the courtyard of the mosque and minarets lit up at night was nothing short of stunning.
For my birthday (thursday 10th May) I had been desperately hoping to take a full day cruise on the Bosphorous - with the intention of going for a swim in both the Black Sea and Sea of Marmara at either end - but unfortunately the overcast weather of the previous day had returned, which put an end to that idea; and in the absence of any decent sort of back-up plan, I decided to simply set out on foot to explore some more of the historical peninsula upon which I had spent the previous two days.
After setting off down the hill toward the Sea of Marmara, I first stopped off at the Küçük (Little) Aya Sofya - so named because it was built at around the same time as it's more illustrious namesake, only on a much smaller scale - where the lack of tourists was a most refreshing change from the more famous sights on top of the hill; and where the peaceful
Crossing the Golden Horn
View of Karaköy from the Galata Bridge courtyard had been converted into a leafy garden surrounded by little souvenir and second-hand book shops, and I was greeted by the sight of ducks waddling their way across the grass!
From there I stopped off at the equally small Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Mosque, before heading back up the hill to the west of Sultanahmet to check out the much grander Laleli and Şehzade Mehmet Mosques, with the tree-filled park surrounding the latter being a particular highlight. After passing underneath the soaring arches of the Byzantine-era Aqueduct of Valens (through which one of the busiest roads in the city passes - with each arch being conveniently the same width as a standard motorway lane) I then headed back to my hostel to enjoy a delicious dinner of salad, rice and traditionally-roasted meat from a kebap shop at the end of the street; before finally making it down to the busy waterfront district of Eminönü just as the sun was disappearing from view, where the sight of the Galata Bridge stretching across the Golden Horn and buzzing with activity was most impressive.
On friday morning I headed back down to the Galata Bridge to finally explore the newer part
Colourful character
Cheeky vendor in the Spice Bazaar of the city on the other side of the Golden Horn. After trudging up the hillside past the landmark Galata Tower, I headed down the main shopping boulevard, İstaklal Caddesi, which unlike anywhere in Sultanahmet is lined with chain stores and filled with people in modern dress busily going about their business - it really felt no different to any other modern European city; and you could almost forget that you were in Turkey at all... if not for the ubiquitous kebap shops and dondurma (Turkish specialty ice cream) stands!
After stopping off to try kümpir (like a jacket potato, except the inside is mashed up and filled with various toppings) in Taksim Square - which is pretty much the centre of modern Istanbul - I headed back down to the waterfront in Kabataş, before following the shoreline of the Bosphorous back to the Galata Bridge. After once again crossing the Golden Horn I went for a wander through the nearby Spice Bazaar - which was less frenzied and therefore more enjoyable than the Grand Bazaar - before eventually leaving with a kilogram of lokum (Turkish Delight) and a much needed new pair of sandals!
Having by now
Soaring survivor
Aqueduct of Valens made it to the mosques on top of three of the Old City's seven famous hills, my mission on saturday was to make it to the remaining four - which due to my insistence on walking everywhere meant for a long day on foot. Under cloudy skies I set off alongside the Golden Horn, before heading up the steep hillside to the Sultan Selim Mosque, where the opulence of the building and it's surrounding tombs provided a stark contrast to the dilapidated apartment blocks and crumbling streets of the hillside below; and from where the view of the Golden Horn was most impressive.
From there it was only a short walk to the Fatih Mosque on top of another hill, which unfortunately seemed to be closed for repairs since even the locals who had come to pray had to do so outside on mats laid out around the adjoining courtyard. A half-hour walk to the west then led to the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque, where even though the courtyard had been torn up for repairs the mosque itself was thankfully still open - and almost completely devoid of tourists. Another of the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan's creations (along with
A perfect place to relax
Chora Church and neighbouring park the Süleymaniye Mosque and countless others in Istanbul), the interior of this mosque was not only beautifully decorated but also filled with natural light thanks to the numerous windows absent from most of the other mosques that I had been into.
Only a short walk away - and just inside the existing city walls - lay one of Istanbul's hidden gems, the Chora (Country) Church. Built in the eleventh century on the site of an earlier church that had been located outside the old city walls (hence the original name 'Church of the Holy Saviour Outside the Walls), it's somewhat lacklustre exterior belies the treasures housed within, with virtually the whole of the church's interior being covered in magnificent mosaics added in the fourteenth century depicting various scenes from the bible.
Having spent a solid five hours on my feet, I decided to reward myself by splashing out on lunch at a unique restaurant beside the Chora Church that specializes in reproducing historic Ottoman recipes from the fourteenth to nineteenth centuries. Needless to say the food was unlike anything I have ever tasted before, and absoutely delicious! With my stomach well satisfied - and the sun shining down
Enjoying the view (and loving the sunshine)
Blocking the view from the Golden Horn Bridge for the first time in four days - I set off once again to follow the existing city walls (built in the fifth century, though partially restored in recent years) down toward the Golden Horn, before crossing over the Golden Horn Bridge (and enjoying the wonderful views along the way) and returning all the way back to Sultanahmet on the other side of the water.
And wouldn't you know it, I made it back to the hostel - almost nine hours after I had left - just in time to watch the most anticipated football match of the season in Turkey, with two of Istanbul's local teams (Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray) doing battle on the final day of the season, with the Turkish league title on the line. And much to the delight of the hostel staff it was the Lions from Galatasaray who held on for a goalless draw to claim the honours - leading to the sort of celebrations that in any other part of the world would be considered riots!
For my final day in Istanbul I had hoped to walk all the way up to the Bosphorous Bridge and then cross over to the Asian
Sunset over the city of seven hills
View of Emınönü waterfront from the Galata Bridge side of the city, but after making it to the base of the bridge - with the weather once again being dull and grey and without any idea of whether I was actually allowed to walk across the towering, motorway-filled bridge - I ended up cutting my losses and heading back to the Old City to spend the afternoon holed up in a ridiculously over-priced Irish bar watching all the action from the final day of the English Premier League. And with Manchester City scoring twice in the last five minutes of their match to snatch the title away from Manchester United - a team I have a passionate loathing towards - I had more than enough reason to celebrate on my final evening in the city.
Despite having only ever devoted an entire week to a single city twice before on my travels (in Paris and New York) I would have to say that Istanbul was worthy of so much time; and although the weather detracted somewhat from my enjoyment of the city, there was more than enough to see to justify staying as long as I did. What struck me the most about İstanbul was the various
Grand spectacle
Aya Sofya lit up at night contrasts: not only between the historic attractions and practices of the Old City and the modern functionality of the new city (and that's without even having made it across to the Asian side of Istanbul) but also between the opulence of some of the more historic areas when compared to the relatively poor neighbourhoods that surround them.
And then of course you have the men of the Old City, seemingly all permanently stationed outside a shop or stall of some sort drinking çay (tea), smoking cigarettes and opening their sales pitches with the oft-repeated question 'where are you from?'; while the women gather on the streets outside their homes - hidden from view to the vast majority of visitors to the city - passing their time gossiping away amongst themselves, whilst casting the odd glance in the direction of their children. I guess that's Istanbul in a nutshell for me: a city of three distinct geographical areas, seven minaret-studded hills, and about a million stray cats; but more than anything an epic city full of startling contrasts.
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