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Published: January 14th 2016
Hello my fellow travellers!
After a good nights sleep, or rather a dead man's sleep, I headed back out into the jewel of the middle east, Istanbul! I began by taking the train to the Galata area to check out the Galata Tower and then work my way back towards the centre to end with Topkapi Palace before meeting up with Abdullah.
Galata Tower is a beautiful 6th century tower built by the Byzantine and from the observation deck you get a breathtaking panoramic view of Istanbul. It is one of the oldest towers in the world and it has filled many different purposes over the years. It stand 67 metres tall and is a real landmark in the city scape.
As I looked at a map I saw that there was a Mevlevi Whirling Dervishes Hall not far from the tower and I decided to make my way over there and take a look at it as well. It was a nice little museum with good information about the Dervishes, unfortunately there where no performances during my stay which is to bad as it would have been very interesting to watch. It has a long history though
as the only original Whirling Dervish Hall in the city, founded in 1491.
When I felt satisfied with the Galata area I made my way across the Galata Bridge to the New Mosque (the name is somewhat misleading considering that it was built in the 18th century) and it is quite astonishing. It strikes an imposing figure already on the outside but once you enter it you will find an interior that is breathtakingly beautiful.
From here I made my way through the winding streets that of the Spice Market near the New Mosque. I also passed by the small Ahi Ahmet Celebi Mosque but I didn't go inside as my next target was something far grander, the massive Süleymaniye Mosque which stands a crowning jewel above the rest of Istanbul. It is the largest mosque in Istanbul and it stands proudly on top of a hill, well visible from the rest of the city. Even so, it actually took me a while to find it, getting lost amongst the narrow streets. I was all good though since my wanderings led me to accidentally come upon the Tomb of it's architect Mimar Sinan.
Finally I found the
mosque though and wow, just wow! It is an amazing feat of engineering. It's not as decorated on the inside as some of the other mosques in Istanbul but it's sheer volume make you feel quite insignificant. Fortunately it's also far less crowded than the Sultan Ahmed Mosque which, as you know if you follow my blog, is a big plus! Unfortunately the mausoleum of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent himself was closed due to security reasons. It's a shame, I would have liked to pay my respects to the greatest Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
Having saved the best for last I finally made my way to the greatest of all the treasures that Istanbul has to offer, the humongous Topkapi Palace. Trying to describe this place is next to impossible as I really found it to be beyond words. It kind of feels like it never ends, no matter how far you venture into it more and more keeps unfolding before you. Just as you think you've reached the ena another whole section opens up before you so it goes on and on.
After a while I even had to call Abdullah and tell him that I
needed more time, and by then I had already spent more than four hours inside it and it felt like I had barely even scratched the surface! Inside the treasury housed in the palace are a plethora of unique items such as Muhammed's sword and cloak as well as Moses's staff! However, if I felt that the Hagia Sofia and Sultan Ahmed Mosque was crowded I was mistaken, neither of them even come close to how popular this place is. Just the line to buy a ticket stretched for as far as the eye could see. I will definitely recommend you all to buy the combined ticket for all the major attractions of Istanbul, if for nothing else so just to save some valuable time here!
This place is however not only massive but also incredibly beautiful, neither my words nor my pictures could ever do this place justice. It feels like walking around in a fairy tale (or well, it would have it it wasn't for all the other tourists). Another little nice thing is that I actually met one of the guards from yesterday so we ended up talking some more and he was kind enough to
let me take a picture of him.
When I left the palace, filled to the brim with impressions of wonder, Abdullah met me and he brought a delicious meal with him and we ate together at the Sultan Ahmed Square, a few curious cats made us company and I gave them some small treats as well. Abdullah suggested some sights to see but I had already visited them all so I convinced him to cross to the Asian side with me since it was pretty much the only thing left on my itinerary. It's not that there is anything special on that side, because there really isn't, but rather because it feels like something you should do.
During our time on the other side of the Bosporus the prayer call went out so we found a small local mosque and Abdullah partook in the prayer while I watched. The other locals seemed a bit surprised to find a white guy sitting in such a small mosque and looking but none of them said anything about it.
After a short stroll along the waterfront we returned to the European side and made our way to the Taksim Square.
This is where the riots broke out not long ago and I got to visit the park that sparked the turmoil. I didn't find it all that spectacular but I know that there was lot of underlying issues behind the whole event and this was just the final spark that ignited the fuse. Regardless it was a strong feeling to visit this place that created such a movement of the people of Turkey.
Tomorrow I will continue on to Canakkale which will be amazing as it is the location of both ancient Troy and the Gallipoli peninsula where one of the most defining battles of World War I was fought. That place holds a lot of interest to a history buff such as myself!
Until tomorrow I wish you all peace and happy travels!
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
Istanbul
Turkey has been at the top of our wish list for many years. Think I'd better press the buttons harder so we get there.