Whirling Istanbul

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I was very lucky to spend my birthday this year in Istanbul. East meets west, the major religions collide, and thousands of years of history are hidden behind 24,000 taxis, hundreds of modern lounge bars and cafes, and 12 million bustling Turks. The harmony within the city is the most amazing part. On any sidewalk you can see a group of girls, a few with tank tops and shorts on, others wearing headscarves and long sleeves, all being chatty, free, energetic women. Hundreds of men fill every open space on the bridges, hoping to throw their lines into the Bosphorus and catch sardines, while ferries cross from Europe to Asia, weaving between the hundreds of oil tankers traveling from Russia to the rest of the world. Ayasofya, the basilica-turned-mosque-turned-museum, a spice bazaar, 1500 year old underground cistern, fish markets, 2,800 mosques, a bicycle market in a car tunnel, an entire street of hanging lamp stores followed by another entire street of hose stores. Days were spent sightseeing and bargaining at the bazaar, nights were filled with whirling dervishes, delicious turkish food and music, and house music on rooftop bars. I can't wait to go back and see more of Turkey, but I won't forget to spend a few of those days back in Istanbul.

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Photos

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 must cover their shoulders and legs, take off their shoes, and women must cover their heads. The mosque, though cavernous, is warm and welcoming, almost cozy.

Inside
The tiles on the ceiling and walls of the Blue Mosque give it its name.

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 beautiful frescoes. Little is left, but the little that is left is stunning.

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 thick and there are 336 pillars.

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.

Yerebatan Satayi
People would have wells in their houses that would pull water from the cistern.

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.

Bosporous Cruise
Enjoying the sun and breeze on an afternoon cruise.

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 watermelon juice. YUMMM!

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 (30$), then Morad asked and the price for him was 30 lyra. THEN our turkish taxi driver asked and it was 25 lyria. AND HE BARGAINED it down to 20 lyra. WHAT A DEAL!!! Lesson: get to know a taxi driver.