Istanbul

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Istanbul

Istanbul is so full of history that it is difficult to begin to try to describe the depth and beauty found here. It is a true melting pot of the world where Muslims, Christians, and Jews co-exist in peace, with each respecting the others existence in the same city. The city is divided by a river, placing one side in Europe, the other in Asia, unlike any other large city in the world. The skyline is dotted with minarets and domes of over 135 mosques. From lectures we learned that Byzas established the port in 657 BC, Constantine selected it as capital of the eastern Roman Empire in 330AD, and Emperor Justinian brought it to its Byzantine peak in the 6th century. Then, much later, Florence Nightingale tended the wounded on the Asian side during the Crimean War. Twelve ruling civilizations left their mark on the city. What remains of these occupations is an incredibly fascinating city with too much to see in two days. We will just have to return one day.

Our tour began with a stop at what was once the Hippodrome, inspired by the Circus Maximus in Rome. The stone from the walls were used to build mosques, churches, and buildings. What remains of this most important part of the city is an oblong plaza with a Serpent Column and Egyptian obelisk. Close to this area is the famous Mosque of Sultan Ahmet or, more commonly known as the Blue Mosque because of the beautiful blue tiles lining the walls inside. When we were there, a group of young men and a few older ones formed a circle in the prayer area reserved for Muslims, and began to sing. We learned that they were about to enter the military service, and came here for a blessing before leaving. We had to remove our shoes before entering, and women covered their heads and everyone had to have their upper arms and knees covered as well. It has six minarets that caused quite a controversy because there are six minarets in Mecca, and no mosque was to have more. To solve the problem, they built a seventh minaret in Mecca.

We walked from there to the great Hagia Sofia church, now converted to a mosque. Emperor Justinian ordered construction of this church which he was determined to be the largest church in the world. It remained the largest for over 1,000 years. To convert it to a mosque, they covered the faces of the saints with wooden plaques, but left much of the paintings and mosaics. It is an immense building with an outer “lobby” decorated not quite as lavishly as the inner space, but still very impressive. There was much to absorb after seeing these two structures, and our guide said we needed a break, so, guess where we went next? To a rug shop just for a demonstration, of course.

After seeing all the beautiful rugs, we started to negotiate for a rug we really liked. We ended close to their price, but they wouldn’t budge, and neither would we, so we walked out. We were near the Grand Bazaar, and had about 30 minutes left, so we went inside and were overwhelmed by the immensity of the place, and the side streets going off every few feet. We walked around for awhile, and then we returned to our meeting place near the rug shop. As we sat down, two men rushed out of the shop to us and one said, “He did not make you happy in our shop. I am the son of the owner, and I will make you happy. We will take your offer and sell you that beautiful rug.” So, we bought it. Ah, well.
Our second day was Sunday, and the bazaar was closed and the weather cold and windy. We decided to stay on board until the big Holland America hosted party we were all invited to attend. We were to be bused to the Cisterns in the city for a gala event, and indeed it was a party to remember. We departed about 5PM for the Cistern, and were greeted by the HAL VIP’s and a red carpet. As we entered we saw this magnificent cistern with huge columns and arches of what remained of the aqueduct that held water for the city when it was under siege (quite often, as you know) and there would be water for survival. They restored the cisterns and now it is a tourist attraction, and it held all the passengers plus “honored guests”. Food stations and bars were set up all over, and tables for everyone were available. Entertainment included belly dancers, of course, plus fire eaters and native dancers as well. Waiters passed food and drinks around, we were well treated, and the speeches were brief. We went back to the ship very happy and very tired. It was a most successful party.

We sailed that evening down the Bosporus to the Black Sea on our way to Sochi, Russia after a most satisfying visit to Istanbul.

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