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Published: November 26th 2007
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Istanbul was one of the trips we were most looking forward to and we were not let down. The capital of Turkey is a juxtaposition of elements which makes it all the most interesting. It is a country which now belongs to Europe which however was always seen as the link between Europe and Asia and therefore considered different, it is an Islamic country yet ‘liberalised’ by rejecting the Sultan and Kaifate ordering system back in the early 1900’s, it is a city which came under rule by many cultures yet it is distinctly and proudly Turkish and finally it seems so modern and contemporary and yet it is so traditional.!!!
The Islamic aspect of the city is its most interesting aspect as all the major mosques seem to call the community to prayer at virtually the same time meaning that you are invaded by chants and singing distinctly Islamic in nature at 6am, midday, at the setting of the sun and two hours later!!!! This definitely gives the place a unique character as do the masses of people running to their mosque!
As usual we decided to take a tour of the city to get our bearings. Our
first stop was to go on a tour to get our bearings and a feel for the place! Istanbul is massive, in fact it has a population of 12 million and is very dense. We commence by visiting the Aya Sofia (or Hagia Sofia)- a magical place for its sheer size and history. The current building was originally constructed between 532 and 537 AD it was a Christian Orthodox church built as the main cathedral of Constantinople. The cathedral consisted of many beautiful tile mosaics primarily of the Virgin Mary and a young Jesus.
In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. Sultan Mehmed II ordered the building to be converted into a mosque. The bells, altar and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over. Many of the mosaics were plastered over because of the Islamic ban on representational imagery. The Islamic features - such as the mihrab (niche in the wall pointing to Mecca), the minbar, and the four minarets outside - were added over the course of its history under the Ottomans. It remained as a mosque until 1935, when it was converted into a museum by Ataturk!
The
magical qualities of the Aya Sofia is in the quality of light within which is very dull and subdued which means that there are always beams of natural light piercing the interior adding to the drama! The other aspect which is interesting is how the Ottomans retro fitted the existing building to suit their religious requirements. The mihrab, for example, is built at an odd angle off the rear wall pointing to Mecca.
After gawking at the Aya Sofia for a while we went to Sultan Ahmed (the Blue Mosque) located opposite the Aya Sofia and separated by a beautiful garden plaza. The Blue Mosque, so named for the blue glow created by the tiles inside the mosque, is spectatcular. This mosque, orginally designed as a mosque, does not contain any of the anomalies of the retro-fitted Hagia Sofia .It consists of six minarets, which is rare, and the interior is impressive with the delicate decoration and patterns created by the tiles- the combination is mesmerising!
My favourite mosque however was Suleymaniye. It was the least decorative allowing your eye to focus on all the detail- it also seemed to be the most popular- located near the aquaduct
running through Istanbul which gave it an extra form of ‘tourist’ significance.
The basilica cistern near the Aya Sofia is also very impressive and received a few ‘wows’ from us. This cathedral-sized cistern is an underground chamber of 143 by 65 metres, capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres of water. The large space is broken up by a forest of 336 marble columns each 9 metres high. The columns are arranged in 12 rows each consisting of 28 columns. The capitals of the columns are mainly Ionic and Corinthian styles, with the exception of a few Doric style with no engravings- the mood lighting, sounds of drops hitting the water echo in the space and the quiet atmosphere makes or a very dramatic space!!!
It just so happened that Novemebr 10th was the day that Ataturk the founder of the Turkish republic passed away in Dolmabache Palace in 1938. He led the Turks through many wars and won- including Gallipoli!!! This man was very important to the Turkish people. We were fortunate enough to see the city come to an absolute stand still at 9.05am to observe a minutes silence. People walking in the streets came to an
absolute halt, taxi drivers got out of their vehicles at traffic lights and stood beside their car and people in buses all stood up in the aisle it was moving.
Dolmabache Palace was our next stop which is an impressive palace made of timber- and is filled with reliques, paintings and gifts from all over the world of which one is the world's largest Bohemian crystal chandelier, a gift from Queen Victoria. The interesting thing is that Dolmabahce palace was built Sultan Abdülmecid between 1842 and 1853 and is composed of three parts Selamlık; the quarters reserved for the men, the ceremonial halls and the Harem; i.e. the apartments of the family of the Sultan. The Harem interestingly enough was kept under control by the mother of the Sultan.
The other palace ,Topkapi Palace, was built by Sultan Mehmet the Ottoman Conqueror in Istanbul shortly after he conquered the city in the 15th century. The palace was expanded by successive sultans, and remained the sultan's residence for the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years. It has opulent rooms, fine art collections, and peaceful courtyards, and is one of the highlights of the city. When looking at a map
of Topkapi, the palace complex looks immense. The palace has been a museum since 1924.
The palace contained large collection of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasure and jewelry.
A quick trip through on the Bosphorous river, the artery of Istanbul, a walk through on the bridge that link Europe and Asia ,a trip to Galatta tower a medieval tower and the markets and bazaar were also a highlight.
The food was absolutely delicious and the pople incredibly friendly…..
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crisadrian
crisadrian
Istanbul
It is very impressive and the mosaics look superb, the buildings looks very rich. Both of you look very nice with those hats. A hug and a kiss from Mum.