BURSA TO ISTANBUL, TURKEY—Wednesday, May 15, 2013

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BURSA TO ISTANBUL, TURKEY—Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Almira Hotel, Bursa

Started today on the bus at 7:30 as we are driving to Istanbul and will then tour some places this afternoon before checking into the same hotel we started this tour from. As we left the city, we could see how modern and commercialized this city had become. Its proximity to Istanbul and location on the highway between Ankara and Istanbul has helped the city become ideal for new developments.

Between these two towns, there is hilly forested land with lots of plant nurseries along the way. Would have liked to stop and browse through one to see if they have any interesting plants. So far, other than some different native blooming trees, the plants planted around for landscaping seem to be the same ones we use in the States--oleander, lots of roses, hydrangeas, iris, begonias, etc.

We were at the ferry terminal by 8:50 to cross the Sea of Marmara. Not as many buses loaded on this ferry as before when we crossed the Dardanelles the first day out; perhaps this is because they had many more and more frequent ferries. As soon as we crossed we drove into heavy, heavy traffic heading from Asian Istanbul to European Istanbul and jockeying for positions in order to cross the suspension bridge over the Bosporus. It was interesting to look down on the houses and mansions as we crossed over the bridge.

The bus driver after a bit pulled into a parking area for the Blue Mosque and the adjacent Hippodrome. The Mosque was built in 1606 on the original site of Constantine the Great's Palace.

We all trooped off the bus and then gathered as usual around the tour guide. We then waited in line to then take our shoes off and place them in individual plastic bags to carry them in. We entered a side door (for non-Muslim visitors) walked down a hall and entered into the Sultan Ahmed Mosque or more popularly known as the Blue Mosque called that because of the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I and has one main dome, and unheard of, and controversial, six minarets (more than in Mecca when first built), and eight secondary domes.

The huge interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles covering the columns, ceiling, walls, and other surfaces. The tiles were made at Iznik, which was the ancient Nicaea, and have more than fifty different tulip designs. Tulips are native to Turkey and were widely cultivated in the Ottoman Empire especially in the Sultan's gardens. It became a motif widely used by the imperial workshops during the reign of Suleyman ‘the Magnificent’ (1494-1556). This was the golden age of artistic production and bright glazes were created with turquoise being so distinctive, as I stated before, that it took its name from its use on these Turkish tiles. Tulips, more associated with Holland, weren't imported there from Turkey, until the sixteenth century.

Besides the colorful tiles, the mosque has more than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs that admit natural light. Light is also provided by low hanging metal chandeliers with a multitude of glass lamps now electrified, but originally designed for candles. Like all the mosques we have visited, these chandeliers hang to just a few feet above your head and the lamps are spread out flat, covering more surface instead of the lights being all bunched together in the usual chandelier style.

The floors are covered with a red and blue carpet with a repeated arrangement of open and closed tulips woven into it. The design aids in spacing out the faithful and assists with the individuals positioning of their knees, palms, and head when praying. They had about half of the carpet covered with heavy duty plastic to protect it from foot traffic, and you weren’t allowed on the other side unless you had special permission. Valerie has a blurry picture of Aykut, our guide, carrying his shoes in one hand and showing how you would use the carpet to help you pray correctly. It is really a lovely pattern and the red and blue are very colorful, adding to the overall warm of this Mosque.

We exited the Mosque, and after putting our shoes back on, we walked into the adjacent square that was once the Hippodrome of Constantinople. It was an arena for chariot races and other entertainment and was the sporting and social centre when this city was the capital of the Byzantine Empire under Constantine the Great about 324 AD. The word hippodrome is Greek and is a combination of the word horse and "dromos" meaning path or way. Today it is a square with a few fragments of the original structure surviving.

It is estimated that this Hippodrome was about 1,476 ft long and 427 ft wide. Its stands were capable of holding 100,000 spectators. The track was lined with bronze statues of famous horses and chariot drivers, none of which survive today except for four gilded horses, now called the "Horses of Saint Mark" that were looted during the Fourth Crusade in 1204, and installed on the façade of Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice.

Works of art from all over the empire were moved here and were set up in the middle of the racing track. Among these, was the Tripod of Plataea, now known as the Serpent Column. It was cast to celebrate the victory of the Greeks over the Persians and was moved from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. The top was adorned with a golden bowl supported by three serpent heads. The bowl was also destroyed or stolen during the Fourth Crusade. All that remains of the Delphi Tripod today is the base, known as the "Serpentine Column."

An obelisk carved from pink granite, originally erected at the Temple of Karnak during the reign of Tuthmosis III in about 1490 BC, was brought from Egypt and erected near the Serpentine. The top section survives, and it stands today where it was placed on a marble pedestal. We saw the matching obelisk earlier on the cruise part of this trip when we toured Karnak. (See http://www.travelblog.org/fred.php?id=778141.)

The Ottoman Turks, who captured the city in 1453 were not interested in racing and the Hippodrome was gradually forgotten, although the site was never actually built over.

The group got on the bus and prepared to split up. Some were heading for an optional boat cruise on the Bosporus (read, additional money paid here) and the rest, us included, checked into the Grand Halic Hotel. Since we were staying in Istanbul for a quite a few more days, we decided that the cruise was something we could do later and go all of the way to the Black Sea.

Most of us would gather later that evening to go to dinner and to see a Turkish show of native folk and belly dancers plus other entertainment. We had a good time with a nice dinner of several courses that was mainly served while we watched a show. There were 4 belly dancers, one of whom is famous in Turkey for her more modern interpretation of the belly dance.

Between the belly dancer acts, a small troupe of folk dancers performed regional dances. One dance had the dances holding lighted candles in glass cups another dance had a dancer use knives in his teeth and placed on his body that he danced with and then plunged into some wood. Last was a singer who sang a song in the various languages of the people in the audience--Japanese, Spain, Italy, etc. He was fun and we laughed a lot.

However, as much as we liked the entertainment and the food, we didn't like the way the room was set up so half of the audience (on Valerie’s and my side of the table) had their backs to the tiny stage. The waiters trying to serve food in the dark were problematic also. Valerie had difficulty trying to find a clear shot of the stage from her seat. We much prefer the Vegas theatre set up, where you are seated only on one side of the tables so all face the stage and the main course or dessert is served just as the show starts. I don't know what the safe seating capacity of the room was, but I believe, whatever the number, it was exceeded with the number of tourists they crammed in.

Tomorrow is an optional tour day, so several of our travel companions were leaving the next day for their flights back to the States, UK, and other places. The evening’s outing was a nice way to say goodbye to those leaving.

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