Istanbul, Turkey. Day 3. Part 2.

I had stated in the earlier post that I will only update my blog when I come back from Fiji. But since I have finished packing and the night is still young, I decided to finish the Day 3 post.


Basilica Cistern

So, continuing from where I left off, we went to visit the Basilica Cistern which is also around the same area. It is amazing to know that while we were walking above on the streets, an underground chamber exists below us and has been there since the 6th century during the reign of Emperor Justinian. This cistern was also immortalised in a James Bond film.


Sorry, slightly crooked. Too lazy to assemble the tripod so in the end, balanced the camera on the handrail

We missed the entrance at first and then realised we had walked around it. Paid the entrance fee and entered the chamber. It was cool and for about half an hour, we escaped the summer heat. Basilica Cistern or also known as Yerebatan Sarayi or Yerebatan Sarnýcý, was built during the Byzantine era and can hold up to 80 000 cubic meters of water.


Another view

Named Basilica Cistern because it once lay near the Illius Basilica. It is 65m wide and 143m long with 336 columns. Platforms were erected for visitors to walk around and water drips from the ceiling above. The place is nicely lit with soft orange lights and you can see fishes swimming about in the water. I didn't though.


Teardrop design column

There are two interesting columns in this cistern. One is the curious teardrop design column. According to legend, the teardrop design is in memory of the slaves who died while building the cistern.


The Medusa head column

Another column or rather two columns of interest are the Medusa head columns. The Medusa head sculptures were placed at the base of the two columns : one is upside down and the other is tilted to the side. It is believed that these positions are deliberate. For more fascinating info on the Medusa heads and the cistern please visit the Yerebatan Sarnici site.


Turkish Backgammon

After the cistern, we headed back out to the sunlight and for lunch. At first we wanted to just buy fruits and simits to eat in a park but then we decided on a kebab restaurant, Konak restaurant which incidently has a branch in Osaka. Basak met one of the owners there in Osaka and as a result we had a pretty nice lunch! As we were waiting for our kebabs to arrive, we saw many turkish men playing backgammon which is sort of like their national board game, while sipping cay.


Konak restaurant


Bread and appetizers


Really long bread!

As usual, while waiting for the main dishes, we had bread and appetizers which were delicious! I think we had brinjals, beans, tomato based dishes as our appetizers.


Adana Kebab


Beyti Kebab

I ordered the Adana kebab which is lamb meat with spices served with lavaş (bread) and pilaf. The Beyti kebab is made out of beef and wrapped with lavaş, topped with youghurt and tomato sauce. Delicious!


Cay

Then after lunch, we had cay. We had so many cay during our trip to Turkey. I love the cay glasses. They are so curvy! Wanted to buy but was thinking it will be a bit hard to bring it back home since it is glass.


Topkapi Palace, Main entrance

After filling our stomachs, we headed towards the Topkapi Palace, also around the same area. So, if you are in Sultanahmet area, you would have already covered so many of the the historical places in Istanbul. The whole place is a designated World Heritage site. As usual, there was a crowd. And since we came there quite late, we missed the Harem. The tickets were sold out. So, bear this in mind, you may want to visit Topkapi first in order to get into the Harem. First built by Mehmet the Conqueror, subsequent sultans lived here until 1853, when they moved to the European style Dolmabahçe Palace.


Silverware Exhibits

We could only go to two places, the courts and the Treasury display room. The Byzantine Haghia Eirene (church) is situated in the grounds of Topkapi. However, to my disappointment, it is not open to the public and nowadays is used as a site for music recitals. We walked around the first court. I can't remember now, where exactly the exhibits in the picture above were displayed. Too busy gawking at the whole place, I didn't take notes. Then we entered the second court where the palace kitchens and harems were situated. In the palace kitches is the porcelian gallery. The glassware and silverware galleries are also nearby. The Harem should not be missed. Guess I should use this as an excuse to visit Istanbul again!


Gate of Felicity (Babüssaade)


A richly decorated door


Exhibits : Kaftan with religious writings

Gate of Felicity, also known as the White Gate of the Eunuchs is the entrance to the sultan's private domains or the Third court which houses the costume gallery, the Treasury Gallery and the Holy Relics Rooms. The costume gallery was interesting but the Treasury Gallery and the Holy Relics room is a must to see. No photographs were allowed in both rooms.


Can't remember the name of this place but look at the decoration!

One of the interesting exhibits on display in the Treasury Gallery is the Spoonmaker's Diamond, the world's fifth largest diamond and the arm and skull of St John the Baptist. Many other various objects are on display and everyone of them is richly decorated with precious gems and gold.


Another decorated door

The Holy Relics room or the Sacred Safekeeping Rooms holds the holy relics of Prophet Mohammed. His footprint, a hair from his beard, his sword and tooth and many more are housed in these richly decorated İznik tiled rooms. Because these are holy relics of the revered Prophet Mohammed, an imam is always present in this room, reciting passages from the Quran.


The terrace and the Circumcision room at the far end of the picture


At the far end is the Circumcision Room

Then we entered the fourth court. The beautifully İznik decorated kiosks and the Circumcision room is housed here. However, we cannot enter the Circumcision room as it is closed off to the public. There is a lovely marble terrace and pool where everybody hung around and took pictures, including me.


Inside the Revan kiosk

The Revan kiosk was built to celebrate the victory of Sultan Murat IV capturing Yerevan (Armenia) from Persia. It is wonderfully decorated from top to bottom with İznik tiles, mother of pearls and intricate woodwork.


The marble pool at the terrace


Marble terrace, wide view


Baghdad kiosk through the terrace

The terrace is a nice place to linger around with wonderful views of the city. The circumcision room, which we cannot enter, is beautifully tiled on the outer walls.


Turkish boy, Topkapi Palace


His sister

Speaking of circumcision, on our way out, we saw this cute boy all dressed up and I was wondering why. Turns out that he would be circumcised the next day and this day was his day of fun.


Grand Bazaar

Then off we went to the Grand Bazaar for a spot of shopping. But the Bazaar closes at 7pm and we were there at around 6pm. One hour of shopping...not enough! But it is huge and you can easily get lost with all the turns and corners.


Inside the Grand Bazaar


Another view

It was built during Mehmet the Conqueror's reign and houses over 400 shops selling everything from carpets to jewelry to restaurants. There are so many things to see and so many things you wished you can buy. Because it is famous with tourists, be very careful with the prices as they are high. Bargaining is a must. I bought small kilim rugs here.


Shop selling glass lamps, Grand Bazaar


Glass lamps

I love these stained glass lamps. They are so beautiful. During the Seljuk period, these stained glass techniques were developed and during the Ottoman empire, Constantinople became the center of glasswork. Was so tempted to buy one back but the fragile state of the glass and the fact that I have no place for a hanging lamp, I didn't buy them. So the pictures are my only memories of the lamps.


Nargile cafe

For dinner, we bought fruits and sat in the Hippodrome park to eat. After that we went to a nargile cafe which was nearby our hotel. Nargile is the Turkish water pipe which was popular during the Ottoman period.


Nargile

My friend wanted to try one. She ended choosing the strawberry flavour (yes, it comes in flavours!). I tried once and all I could smell was just the strawberry flavour. As you can see, it consists of a glass bottle which is half filled with water and a metal pipe with a hose is placed in it. At the top of the pipe is a small tray for cinders and atop of that is a bowl for the tobacco.


Smoking away

A special type of tobacco is placed in the bowl and a special type of coal is placed on top of it to ignite it. Through the mouthpiece, you suck in the smoke through pipe , through the water, through the hose and into your mouth. There are small nargiles for sale though they are just for decoration. You can buy bigger ones for use but transporting it back may be a bit difficult in addition to all the carpets, textiles, presents that you might be tempted to buy.

So next up, Day 4 in Istanbul.

Fiji

I will be off for a period of one week to Fiji. Not for play but for work. Will be back next week and I will update my blog then.

Cheers!

Istanbul, Turkey. Day 3. Part 1.

Enjoying the beautiful day, Hippodrome

This was a packed day. As a result, there are too many photos - to better show you the places - and so, I had to split the post into half. This first part will cover the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya. The second half will consist of the Basilica Cistern, Lunch, Topkapi Palace and the Nargileh cafe.


Simit seller, Hippodrome

Don't expect to see the ruins of a Hippodrome here. The space had been converted into a nice park and is just next to the Blue Mosque which in turn is just opposite of the Aya Sofya. The Hippodrome was the center of life during the Byzantine and Ottoman times with chariot races and political riots decorating its history.


The Obelisk of Theodosius

The Obelisk of Theodosius is situated here and was brought here by Emperor Theodosius I from Egypt. The original height was 27 meters but now it stands at a mere 17 meters. Whatever happened to the missing lower part is a mystery. It was built to celebrate the victories of Pharaoh Thutmose III.


The Constantine Column and the Spiral Column

Another column is the Constantine Column, the first column we saw when we approach the Hippodrome from our hotel. It stands at 32 meters and was erected by its namesake, Constantine the Great. It was covered in bronze plates which were ripped off later during the Fourth crusade. There is another strange column, the Spiral or Serpentine Column. It once had three serpents' heads at the top and was built to commmemorate the victory of the Greek cities over Persia. Two of the serpents head were found, one housed in Istanbul Archeological Museum and the other in the British Museum.


The Kaiser Wilhelm's Fountain

Towards the northend of the Hippodrome, there is a beautiful fountain which was a present from the German emperor to Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II.


Cay sellers in front of the Aya Sofya

We walked towards the main entrance of the Blue Mosque or also known as the Sultan Ahmet Camii. Bear in mind though that the entrance fee to any touristical place in Turkey is not cheap. The Blue Mosque faces the Aya Sofya. Two excellent buildings within sight.


Blue Mosque

Sultan Ahmet wanted to build a monument that would outrival the grand Aya Sofya and commisioned Mehmet Ağa to build the Blue Mosque. It is certainly impressive at first sight and more so when lighted up at night. It has six minarets and is beautiful in its proportions.


Dondurma sellers outside the Blue Mosque

It is an active mosque where worshippers will enter through the main door whereas the tourists can enter through the north door. Shoes must be taken off and proper attire is a must. However, if your clothes are deemed improper, you will be given a cloth to cover yourself.


In the courtyard


The decorative fountain in the middle of the marble courtyard

The courtyard was beautiful. Remember Yeni Cami? This was much grander and the symmetry was just perfect. The courtyard is made of marble (from the Isle of Marmara) and has the same size as the interior of the mosque.


The interior of the Blue Mosque


Interior, wide view

And then you enter the interior of the mosque. Gorgeous. The İZNİK tiles are the ones that give the Blue Mosque its name and they fill the interior of the mosque. The floor is carpeted for prayers and a section is closed off for the worshippers.


The dome

You hardly know where to look as every side of the hall shouts for your attention. And then you look up and see the beautifully decorated dome with the sunlight shining through.


The chandeliers and glass stained windows


Chandelier close-up

Another impressive sight are the chandeliers and the glass stained windows. The mosque has 260 windows which were originally from Venice but was then later replaced.


The column

The mosque is held by four huge columns, each 5m in diameter. The tomb of Sultan Ahmet is situated in a separate building on the north side. He died a year after the mosque was completed at age 27.


The Aya Sofya

We left the Blue Mosque and headed opposite to the Aya Sofya. For me, the Aya Sofya was simply majestic. Blue Mosque may have the exterior advantage but the interior of Aya Sofya was simply breath taking. A tip to remember : No tripods are allowed inside the grounds. I had to leave mine with the officers.


Doors inside the Aya Sofya

Aya Sofya is also known as Haghia Sophia in Greek, Sancta Sophia (St Sophia) in Latin and the Church of the Divine Wisdom. Aya Sofya was built first during Emperor Theodosius time but then it was burnt down during the Nika Revolt. Emperor Justinian later ordered a new basilica to be built (architects were Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus) and it became the greatest church of its time until Mehmet the Conqueror overtook it and converted it into a mosque in 1453.


The Inner Narthex hallway and the Imperial Door

Atatürk proclaimed it a museum in 1935 and currently, restoration work is going on. During the Turkish period, several reconstruction work had been carried out and as a result, this World Heritage building is a stunning legacy from both religions. A bit distracting to see the scaffoldings in the middle of the great dome hall but still...superb!


The side pillars in the great dome hall

The dome was partially obstructed by the scaffoldings and so I could not take any good pictures of it. It was slightly darker inside when compared to the Blue Mosque and without the tripod, taking pictures of the interior proved to be a little bit difficult.


The side pillars

The current dome is not the original dome, the previous two domes had collasped. It is supported by 40 frame timbers and 107 pillars.


West wall where the library of Mahmut I is situated


First floor. View of one of the medallions


Another medallion

Looking around, you will see four large medallions written in Arabic by calligrapher Mustafa İzzet Efendi representing the names of Allah, Mohammed and caliphs Ali and Abu Bakr.


First floor gallery


The decoration on the ceiling


View from the upper floor


Upper floor

The upper floor houses the gallery of the excellent mosaics that are found throughout the interior of Aya Sofya. While we were there, there was also an exhibition on İZNİK tiles.


Mosaic of Mary with Chirst the child, Emperor John Comnenus II and Empress Eirene


Another mosaic of Empress Zoë with her third husband, Constantine IX Monomachus and Christ in the middle


Mosaic of Mary with Christ Child, Constantine the Great offering her the city of Constantinople and Emperor Justinian offering the Aya Sofya


The magnificent Deesis Mosaic (The Last Judgement). Christ with Mary and St John the Baptist. Early 14th century

The mosaics were/are beautiful. Remember to look up or you might miss some of the mosaics. The mosaics were plastered over by Süleyman I, who deemed them inappopriate for a mosque but which were later restored by archaeologists.


The view of the Blue Mosque from Aya Sofya

After gawking at Aya Sofya, we left the building and headed towards the Basilica Cistern which is also situated nearby. And that will be in Part 2.