Advertisement
Published: October 4th 2023
Edit Blog Post
Turkey, Turkey, Turkey! How I have missed your beautiful sights, sounds, smells and warm culture! For those of you who do not know, Sharon and I had the good fortune to have lived in Turkey when we were growing up. Dad was the Naval Attache to NATO and we lived in Izmir. That is the main reason for this trip. Having lost our Mom two years ago and Dad just this summer, we decided a memorial tour of Turkey was appropriate to honor them in some very special ways. We will visit all of the destinations we enjoyed as a family and more.
Our Turkish odyssey began with a quick Turkish breakfast that included two of my favorites, Kalamata olives and ekmek (bread) with honey on the comb. It was delightful! From there we headed to the Sultan-Ahmed Mosque, the Blue Mosque, as it is known by the rest of the world. More than 21,000 stunning blue and white tiles adorn the interior and the windows have stained glass that rivals the best basilicas in the world. The mosque was built in 1616 under direction of the 14th Sultan Ahmed when he was just 19 years old.
From there
we toured the Basilica Cistern, a vast underground cistern fed from aqueducts built in the 6th century by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. It is called basilica because of the roof architecture which is supported by 336 columns, each 30 ft high. All of the columns, including their tops and bases were repurposed from other collapsed or unused structures of the day. Even then they recycled! Some are very ornate. The cistern used to be toured by boat until 1985 when they renovated it to include a modern grate system which allows you to walk just inches about the water level. Today the water is clear and only about 12 inches deep, but there have been times it filled the entire chamber. It is one of hundreds under the city and was the only method of procuring fresh water for millennia.
Next came a trip to the Hagia-Sofia Mosque. It is actually the third building of the same name, the fist two having been destroyed. This one was completed in 543 AD, was built by the Emperor Justinian. It was the largest in the world in its day and was at one point considered the seat of the Christian church.
After the Ottoman conquest it became a mosque and all the Christian influences in the church were either removed or covered. It remained a mosque until 1935 when it became a museum charging admission. Then two years ago, it once again became an operating mosque. The entire structure is an interesting clash of religions, having retained and restored some Christian elements as well as those of the Muslim faith. The entire ceiling is covered in gold containing over 4 tons! Beautiful marble imported from various part of Turkey line the walls. Green marble from the Temple of Artemis in Efes, white marble from the island of Marmara and brown from Pergamum. Today, the Christian images are visible except during prayer time, white veils are drawn to cover them.
The entire day was filed with the best of Turkey, old and new. It ended with an authentic Turkish meal in the Albura Restaurant. Dave had walnut lamb and Sharon and I split the Mountain Chicken, a dish common to the Cappadoccia region. It came to the table in a a clay pot seated in a flaming dish. Serving of the dish included a display where the cap of the pot
was knocked off by server revealing its contents. It was a delicious blend of tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, onions, mild spices and the chicken. No room for dondurma (ice cream) tonight!
Over 18,000 steps were logged today!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.066s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 7; qc: 42; dbt: 0.0347s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb