 Whirling Istanbul |
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The Turkish Flag
The beautiful Bosporus, green forested hills rolling into the blue water. Welcome to the Asian side of Istanbul, where million dollar homes dot the edge and the Turkish flag waves proudly.
Overlook of Istanbul
Enjoy the view from our hotel room! It's built in the garden of the last sultans in the middle of the city.
In the distance...
This is a zoom view from our room, with the Ayasofya and Blue mosque in the distance.
The Blue Mosque or Sultan Ahmet Mosque
This mosque is ENORMOUS. At night, you can hear the call to prayer from the 8 minarets. You can hear the call throughout the city coming from any of the 2,800 mosques. Inside the mosque, everyone m... [more]
Washing
Before entering the mosque, you're supposed to wash your face and hands. This is an old washing area by the Ayasofya.
The Ayasofya
This 6th century Basilica was turned into a mosque. Very interesting after seeing mosques turned to cathedrals in Spain. It is now a museum. The inside was originally covered in gold leaf and beaut... [more]
Inside the Ayasofya
This is some of the original artwork kept by the muslims from the original basilica. 600 A.D.!!!
Yerebatan Satayi, "The Sunken Palace"
Wow! In 532 A.D. this huge underground cistern was built to hold water collected by the aquaducts around the city. Its under the city and it literally takes your breath away. The walls are 13 feet t... [more]
The Sunken Palace
Haunting photos. The water quietly trickled down a couple of the pillars. I can't imagine being under there without any lights.
Carp
These carp are enormous. They live in the underground cistern with no natural light. People that got water from the cistern would sometimes report fish coming in throught the pipes.
Medusa's head
There is a great mystery in the Sunken palace. 2 pillars have upside down or sideways heads of the Medusa at their base. They were stolen from the Greeks but no one knows why they're there.
Fishing for ... Anchovies??
Men crowd all of the many bridges in Istanbul at all hours hoping to snag some anchovies. And for all the hours and after putting up such a big fight to reel them in, they let them go!
Dolmabahce Palace
Only one of the many palaces along the Bosporous, this housed the Sultans until Turkey became a Republic under Ataturk. The palace has 3 rooms bigger than football fields for welcoming guests.
Juice anyone?
Turkey is filled with fresh produce, spices, and meats. All over there are street vendors selling everything fresh. This guy makes juice on the spot out of the fruit you see. I had a fresh watermel... [more]
More vendors.
This guy's selling fresh cukes and other veggies. Name your price. Oh, by the way, nice hat.
Cherries!
Turkey loves cherries. They have cherry juice everywhere (its great with vodka too). I saw this guy 2x in one day.
The Grand Bazaar
If you've ever been to a muslim country, no visit is complete without a trip to the bazaar. It's endless. And don't forget to bargain. I asked for the price of a bowl and the guy told me 45 lyra (3... [more]
Turkey's Flag
Map of Turkey
Travel Blogs by tronqui1:« Previous Entry
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