Day Sixty-Five: Topkapi Palace and the Bus Tour

Finally, today was the day we would see Topkapi Palace! Rob and I had been reading about it, and were jazzed to get the day started. We took the tram over to Sultanahmet nice and early and arrived at the Palace. We were very surprised at how many people were in line already! We realised shortly afterward that today Aya Sofya was closed so there was probably overflow from disappointed tourists who now needed something else to occupy their time. It's the kind of tourist busy that puts a bit of a damper on my excitement to see and explore. When there are so many people milling around and posing for pictures and making queues, I get distracted from the beauty of the place we're visiting. I think I had set my expectations a little too high, however, before entering the palace grounds. It was cool, don't get me wrong, but it seemed like it didn't hold as much old, antiquated wonder as some of the other places we'd been to. It seemed, well, too well kept up.



When we arrived, Rob and I spent the first half hour trying to avoid the crowds. When we realized that we weren't seeing anything at all that way, we braved the tempest and tried to keep an open mind. Topkapi Palace was the official and primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans within the city for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign. The palace is a complex made up of four main courtyards and a bunch of smaller buildings. At one time, the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people and covered a larger area with a long shoreline. It held mosques, a hospital, bakeries, and a mint. The complex is guarded by armed guards of the Turkish military, which was pretty crazy. The palace is full of examples of Ottoman architecture and also contains large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasure and jewelry.

I think my favourite part was the Ottoman treasure and jewelry. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures, so I had gather a few examples from the internet. It was really difficult to take the time to see the pieces well, however, while in the treasury rooms. There were so many tourists (it took us a good 15-20 minutes just to get in to see) and the crowd was so thick that you literally had seconds to glimpse the treasures, kind of like trying to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. However, it was still really cool. They have some pretty amazing pieces there, including the Spoonmakers Diamond, an 86 carat (17 g) pear-shaped diamond surrounded by a double row of 49 old mine-cut diamonds and it absolutely glows. Believe me, it's well spotlighted, and it hangs in a glass case on the wall of one of the rooms of the treasury with tourists absolutely flocked around it. Another cool piece (and Rob's favourite) was the Emerald Dagger. One side of the handle of the dagger is set with three large Colombian emeralds whose size gave the dagger its popular name. The beautifully crafted jewel-studded dagger was actually one of several other valuable gifts that was carried by an embassy of Sultan Mahmud I (1730-54) to Iran, to be gifted to the mighty Iranian conqueror Nadir Shah. Unfortunately, the gifts were not delivered as Nadir Shah was assassinated, and the gifts, including the jewel-studded dagger, were then returned to the treasury at Istanbul. It eventually became one of the most celebrated treasures in the treasury of the Topkapi Palace Museum. Apparently it's so popular that they made a heist movie about it in the 60's called "Topkapi". Check it out:



There are also two large golden candleholders, each weighing 48 kg and mounted with 6,666 cut diamonds, a present of Sultan Abdülmecid I to the Kaaba in the holy city of Mecca, and a bunch of other really cool pieces of jewelry, ceramics and bejewelled armor.

We also saw the Privy Chamber. It houses the Chamber of the Sacred Relics, which includes the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle. It holds what are considered to be "the most sacred relics of the Muslim world", including the cloak of the prophet Muhammad, two swords, a bow, one tooth, a hair of his beard, his battle sabres, an autographed letter and other relics which are known as the Sacred Trusts: The Staff of Moses, the sword of King David, the turban of Joseph and Fatima al-Zahra's mantle. This gallery of relics is a hot spot for many Muslims who make a pilgrimage to just see these antiquated specimen. The hair and tooth and stuff seemed a little weird to me, but historically, if all of these pieces are actually what they claim to be, then there's a pretty cool little chunk of the past hanging out in that Privy Chamber.



There were also some really great places to stop and look out over the Bosphorus (including one of the gigantic cruise ships that stop here), and some very nice rooms in some very nice buildings, including the Imperial Council room and the Tower of Justice, but the Palace kitchen and the stables were closed, and you had to pay extra to see the Harem. Rob and I had pretty much had enough of the crowds by now and decided to head out into the open again.

We had decided the day before that we were going to take a tour on the City Sightseeing bus that stops just outside of the Palace. Rob and I bought our tickets and some Simit bread to share, and hopped on the double decker bus. They gave us ear buds so we could plug in to the automated tour guide. I'd never taken a sightseeing bus before, so it was cool to be able to drive around the city while being provided with some super interesting information. Of course, in between bouts of information, they played some Turkish music ranging from pop to reggae to traditional... I think there were about eight songs in all, and between each tidbit of info, they'd restart a song. So, we got to hear the first minute or so of eight songs... over and over... and over again!

However, the sights were really amazing! The whole area is so full of hills that there's absolutely no chance for any kind of grid system at all. We wound up and down and around, on ramps and off ramps and over and under bridges... but we really got a good feel for the city, including views of the streets and trams, ships in the Bosphorus, and a rooftop full of seagulls across from the Fish Market (pee-yew).










The coolest thing, in my opinion, was the crumbling ramparts that circle the old city. We drove along the outside of old city wall, called the Walls of Constantinople, listening to the commentary about the history behind it all. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of ancient times, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built.

It was first built by Constantine the Great, and the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the Theodosian Walls were built in the 5th century and although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, when well manned, they were almost impossible to breech for any medieval siege. They saved the city (and the Byzantine Empire) during sieges from the Avars, Arabs, Rus', and Bulgars, among others. However, gunpowder siege cannons were a little more of a match and led to the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 after a large and lengthy siege.



The walls remained mostly intact during the Ottoman period, until sections began to be destroyed in the 19th century, as the city outgrew its medieval boundaries. Despite the subsequent lack of maintenance, many parts of the walls survived and are what we got to check out during our tour. A huge restoration program has apparently been under way since the '80s, which I think is essential because it would be a huge shame to lose these incredible old fortifications. Super cool.

While on the tram home, we decided to take the Tünel back to Taksim Square, since getting off at the tram stop meant that we'd have to walk up what we've affectionately named the Death Hill. It's not so bad going down (you just have to watch out for the run-off... it's a soapy film running down the street which acts just like ice.) But walking up, after a long day... sometimes you've just gotta bite the bullet and take the Tünel, even if it costs an extra few Lira. It's a kind of lift, like an up-hill subway car with a track that's just over half a kilometer and drops you off at the top of a 60 meter hike. What's even cooler? The Tünel is the second-oldest subway line in the world, after the London Underground. It was opened in 1875 to provide an easy ride between the two neighborhoods of Pera (the area we were in) and Galata, both in the new district of Istanbul on the hill north of the Golden Horn. Many people used to work in the low Galata, and live uphill in Pera, and the Tünel spared them from the Death Hill Hike.

On our way back to our apartment, we bought groceries for dinner, as well as a bottle of Turkish Raki to celebrate our last night in Turkey. If you like Ouzo or Sambuca, (or black licorice), then you'll love Raki. Traditionally, you can drink it straight or diluted with some water (for the weak of stomach/heart), but apparently you can mix it in a cocktail with Orange liqueur, lemon juice and pomegranate juice... We just drank it straight, and raised many toasts. Serefinize! (sheh-REHF-ee-nee-ZEH, "In your honor!")

Day Sixty-Four: The Archeology Museum and the Bosphorus River

Again, sorry for the delay in posting... Of course, Rob and I are no longer in Turkey, but currently back in the Netherlands where I've been extremely preoccupied finishing my pieces for the Art Show. However, I feel guilty that I have taken so many pictures and have had so many stories to tell that I need to take a moment to do the next post in the blog. We left off at day 64 in Istanbul, Turkey:

Today we got up at a good time, all excited to see the Archeology Museum and the Topkapi Palace. We did some reading on both places and they sounded like they'd be GREATLY interesting. Rob and I took the tram there and headed first to the Archeology museum, where we were very surprised to see how huge the complex was.

The museum complex is comprised of three buildings: the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Ancient Orient, and the Museum of Islamic Art. In the courtyard outside of the museums there are many old statues, floral sculptures, and artifacts lining the outer walls, creating a sort of garden to whet the appetite and welcome you into the museums. At the entrance to the Museum of the Ancient Orient, we stopped to appreciate two large, portal lion statues from 8th century B.C. That's old!

Inside, we were bombarded with so much cool stuff! There were ancient Egyptian mummies and sarcophagi and little idol statues of the Egyptian gods, and ancient Babylonian statues and tomb stones and wall decorations and gateways... and almost the entire Ancient Orient museum is open, which means most of the large pieces aren't behind glass. I have found that pieces are much more interesting when you can have an unobstructed, 360 degree view of them. It really gives a greater impact.





There were two things that really stood out to us in this building. The first was the ceramic tile mosaics of aurochs and dragons and lions. At first I thought they were modern reproductions in the style of some ancient art of some kind. However, we soon discovered that these images came from the Ishtar Gate, the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. It was constructed in about 575 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II and was dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. Below is a rendering of what the gate used to look like.

The gate was constructed of blue glazed tiles with alternating rows of bas-relief sirrush (dragons) and aurochs. Through the gate ran the Processional Way, which was lined with walls covered in lions on glazed bricks (about 120 of them).Originally the gate, being part of the Walls of Babylon, was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the world until, in the 6th century AD, it was replaced by the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The Archeological Museum only got some of the tiles from the gate, and they are in surprisingly good condition. There are more of these lions and dragons all over the world in different museums, so who knows, maybe some day we'll see them again in a new, exciting city!


The second thing that we found really cool was a collection of old clay tablets with various writings on them, including the Book of Proverbs, a tablet containing the Oldest Love Poem, and The Code of Hammurabi, the first written code of laws in human history. The most interesting piece, however, was The Kadesh Peace Treaty, written in 1258 BC. It's a treaty that was signed between Ramesses II of Egypt and Hattusili III of the Hittite Empire. It is the oldest known peace treaty in the world, and a giant poster of this tablets containing the treaty is on the wall of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The size is what astounds me most, though. It's small scale makes it seem so insignificant; so easily overlooked. Rob and I saw many other peace treaties in other museums (not nearly as old) and they were written on huge slabs of stone that were placed in city squares for all to see. This small piece of clay could fit in my hand... I don't know why I was struck so much by the size; maybe it was just surprising.

So on we went to the main building, the Archaeological Museum. This one was even cooler than the first one! As we walked inside, we were greeted by this huge stone sculpture of a nymph-like god... he made me smile! Near the front on the museum was a room dedicated to Osman Hamdi Bey (the same guy who painted 'The Tortoise Trainer', the painting from the gallery we visited that had sold for 3.5 million dollars). Apparently, Bey wasn't just a painter. He was also an accomplished archeologist and is considered as the pioneer of the museum curator's profession in Turkey. He was the founder of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums and of the İstanbul Academy of Fine Arts, known today as the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts. That's quite the resume! We read about his history and what he did to Turkish cultural preservation. In 1884, he oversaw the passing of a Regulation prohibiting historical artifacts from being smuggled abroad, which was a giant step in building a legal framework of preservation of the antiquities. Apparently, representatives or middlemen of 19th century European Powers often smuggled artifacts with historical value from the Ottoman Empire (which then comprised the geographies of ancient Greek and Mesopotamian civilizations, among others), to enrich museums in European capitals. I never really thought about this issue before... but I can see how frustrating it would be for country to helplessly watch as their history and antiquities were being paraded out of their borders and into foreign museums...

In the next room, we found some incredible pieces that Bay's archeological teams had unearthed during their expeditions. There was a collection of huge, elaborate sarcophagi. Most interesting was the ornate Alexander Sarcophagus, once believed to be prepared for Alexander the Great and made in 4th century BC. It's a stone sarcophagus adorned with bass-relief carvings of Alexander the Great and it's among the most famous pieces of ancient art in the museum. The figures that surround the outside of the sarcophagus used to be brightly coloured in yellows and reds and oranges and blues... today you can only see small traces and tinges of colour. It must have been absolutely splendid when it was originally completed, but even now it's probably one of the coolest examples of bass-relief carving that I've ever seen!

Below is another one of the sarcophagi that Bey's teams discovered. I spent a lot of time in this room as this type of craving absolutely blows my mind.



The rest of the museum was really incredible. We tried to rush through as much as we could, since we had been there for hours and we still wanted to get some time at the Palace before it closed. There were rooms filled with parts of statues from the Temple of Zeus found at Bergama, busts of Alexander the Great and Zeus, fragments from the temple of Athena at Assos, 800,000 Ottoman coins, seals, decorations and medals... and the list goes on. Unfortunately we didn't get the chance to see everything, and I could have spent at least 3 more hours there, but we had to move if we wanted to get into the Topkapi Palace. We quickly ran through the Museum of Islamic Art, which mostly consisted of pottery and ceramics... On to the Topkapi Palace!




Upon our arrival at the Palace, however, we realised that we had been misinformed by our guide book on closing time. The book had stated that the Palace would be open until 7:00PM, but it was closing at 5... and it was about 4:00 when we arrived at the ticket booth lines... So, slightly disappointed, we decided we would come back tomorrow and give the Palace the attention it deserved. Instead of going directly home, however, we walked along the waterfront, through the bustling fish markets and the men roasting corn on the cob and chestnuts, and the street vendors selling anything they could get their hands on... and the hundreds of fishermen hanging over the bridge with their rods lining the entire railing of the bridge. It's unbelievable that these guys actually catch anything in the Bosphorus, especially considering how much water traffic is constantly traveling through the area. Apparently the Bosphorus is one of the busiest rivers in the world...

...But I did get to finally try some of the roasted chestnuts that had been tempting me from every street corner since arriving in Turkey. They weren't quite what I expected, but I did quite like them! Thanks for the snack, Rob! It lifted my spirits after the Palace let-down. Rob watched the ships passing in the river while I munched on chestnuts, and we decided it would be great fun to take a Bosphorus tour! We bought tickets for a ferry ride up and down the river and hopped on the boat. It was getting later, so even though it was really cold, it was incredibly interesting and beautiful touring along as the sun slid downward in the sky toward the sprawling Istanbul skyline. We drank hot apple tea to keep us warm (I have to find out where to buy the powdered mix that they use.... so tasty!) and snuggled close, watching the city pass us by. It was really nice.











As we came back in to dock, we noticed this tower on the skyline (see picture above) that we had seen a few times in our travels, but didn't quite know what it was. On our walk home, after our wonderful boat cruise, we happened to take the scenic route (read: got lost), and stumbled upon the tower.
It's called the Galata Tower, a medieval stone tower in the Galata district of Istanbul, Turkey, just to the north of the Golden Horn. One of the city's most striking landmarks, it is a high, cone-capped cylinder built in 1348 that dominates the skyline and affords a panoramic vista of Old Istanbul and the surrounding area. Apparently there's a night club and a cafe on the top, but the line was so long when we arrived there that we just took a few night pictures and went on our way.

Overall, it was a wonderful day, and I look forward to going to the Palace tomorrow!

Day Sixty-Three: The Grand Bazaar

Well, we had torrential rain here on days 61 and 62… so we stuck close to home on those days. We tried to go out once to a nearby Art Gallery, but as we stepped outside, the rain and wind were so strong that we were almost immediately soaked (and an umbrella was doing nothing!)

However, by day 63, we were determined to get out, rain or shine. Thankfully, it was more on the shining side, and that suited us just fine because today we were heading to the Grand Bazaar!

We took the tram out to the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops which attract hundreds of thousands of visitors daily. It was absolutely packed, and nothing could really have prepared me for cultural experience there. As a Canadian, I'm not really accustomed to the idea of Haggling. Here at the Bazaar, however, nothing has price tags on it. You are required to ask the shop owner what the price is, and then expected to talk him down to an acceptable price.

I'm glad Rob took me, because I'm totally not comfortable with this idea. I'm really bad at guessing what something is worth!

We saw so many different things there. The Bazaar has pretty much everything you could ever want (and everything you WOULDN'T want as well). You can find leather jackets, gold and silver jewelry, pottery and ceramics, clothing, spices, teas, lamps, and nick-knacks of all shapes and sizes. It was pretty overwhelming; shop keepers are trying their best to lure you into their stalls with promises of great deals and a friendly demeanor.

We did purchase a few things, and I think Rob managed to squeeze some reasonable prices out of them.



My favourite part, though, was this one ceramics shop called Pırlanta that happened to catch our eye. The salesman's name was Osman, and he invited us into his store to check out his wares. We were looking for a birthday present for Anne, we explained, and we wanted to find something special. Osman was absolutely thrilled and he promised to explain to us the differences in the quality of Turkish ceramics, which we found very helpful. Apparently there are three different qualities of ceramics, which include the intricacies of the hand-painted patterns, the weight and thickness of the ceramics itself, and the quality of the glaze used. According to Osman, the paint used contains lead, and there are different glazes used to seal this paint. Some of the glazes are too thin to protect from lead poisoning and therefore means that the ceramics cannot be used practically; they are only for decoration. The highest quality is a triple quartz glaze, which allows the ceramics to be used in everyday ways.



We ended up buying a beautiful vase for Anne, and another one for us. Osman was a wonderful salesman. He took the time to make us feel comfortable with our purchases, brought us hot apple cider, and talked with us about different traditional ceramics and their original uses. Thanks Osman!

Day Sixty: A taste of Ancient Constantinople (Part 2)

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a few days since I've posted, and I apologise for keeping everyone in suspense. We've been in Paris and I've had no internet access, so without further ado, here's more of Turkey! You last were with us in the streets of Istanbul, surrounded by fellow tourists viewing some of the most wonderful historical architecture that this city has to offer. We were on our way to a bank machine when we had stumbled upon the Basilica Cistern.

The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city. It was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, who was the same man who built Aya Sofya. The name of this underground structure comes from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed.
The ceiling of the Cistern is supported by a forest of 336 marble columns, each 30 feet high. They are very interesting to look at because many of them are different from each other. Apparently, columns and bases foraged from all over the empire (nations that were overtaken by the Emperor) were used in this underground structure. The most notable of these columns include a single column that is engraved with raised pictures of a Hen's Eye, slanted branches, and tears. Apparently, the tears on the column pay tribute to the hundreds of slaves who died during the construction of the Cistern.

Some other interesting columns are located in the back of the cistern. The bases of these two columns reuse blocks carved as the head of Medusa. No one knows where the blocks came from, but people think that the heads were brought to the cistern after being removed from Roman-period building. The story goes that the blocks are oriented sideways and upside down in order to neutralize the power of the Gorgons' gaze, but it could very well just be because they fit better that way! I like to think the former rather than the latter, but that’s just because I have a thing for ancient mythology.

The cistern has a pretty cool history. It was eventually closed, and evidently forgotten, until 1545 when scholar Petrus Gyllius entered the scene. He was doing research on Byzantine antiquities in the city when locals told him that they were able to procure water, and sometimes even fish, by lowering buckets through holes in their basement floors. Eventually, Gyllius found a house that gained him access to the cistern. No one had even known it was there! However, the Ottomans started using the cistern as a dumping ground for garbage and even dead bodies. Fortunately, the 20th century saw it cleaned up and restored and opened for public viewing in the 80’s. Oh, and it was also featured in the James Bond movie, “From Russia With Love”.

Rob and I both enjoyed the cistern very much, it has a completely different feel down there than the hustle-bustle on street level. We were, however, still in need of some cash for admittance to the Aya Sofya. We found an ATM, grabbed some money, bought some Simit bread to share on our walk, and finally found ourselves inside the famous cathedral.

Actually, I’m not quite sure what to call the building. It was built as a cathedral originally, of course, as Justinian I wanted to build a structure that would put Constantinople on the map as “the second Rome”. Islamic culture has now seeped into it, however, as many of the original mosaics of Christian iconography had been plastered over, and huge, round shield-like banners have been installed with Islamic creeds on them. All crosses have been removed, as well.



The Aya Sofya has had a long and tumultuous history. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was the cathedral of the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1934, when it was secularized. It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935. I choose to look at it as a building to glorify God, even if the politics have muddled the appearance and the message a little. Because Aya Sofya is now considered a secular building, (which means it is not used in any capacity for organized worship) the upkeep bill can now be passed on to the Turkish government instead of restoration being dependent on the pocket books of the patrons of a congregation (Christian, Muslim or otherwise)

And restoration is definitely needed. It’s an absolutely massive building, truly a spectacular thing to see. To me, it inspired many of the same emotions as the Dom in Cologne, Germany. It is absolutely majestic inside. Every corner has a story and a piece of history has taken place all through its halls. Richard the Lionheart visited here during the Crusades. It was sacked by the Latin Crusaders in 1204 and again in 1453 when Sultan Mehmed laid siege to Constantinople, driven in part by a desire to convert the city to Islam. However, the building still remains a testament to its original purpose.



The restoration program that is taking place here is truly a project of staggering magnitude. The cathedral has gone through so many sackings and refurbishments in the past (both of which have changed the interior dramatically), that it’s hard to know WHAT to restore the building TO. One very interesting feature to look at are the mosaics that are very meticulously being revealed through layers of plaster in the upper galleries of the building. These include images of Jesus, John the Baptist, Mary, the angel Gabriel, and also political figures like the emperors of the time (Costantine, Justinian I, etc)

May favourite part was the upper gallery, where we could prop ourselves up against the railing and bask in the awe-inspiring magnitude of the space. The arches and domes create a wonderful, organic environment with beautifully painted patterns all over the walls. Your eyes were truly drawn around the huge building, stopping occasionally on interesting details that popped out at you.

On our way out, we found what looked like a deep hole in the wall. We saw people turning their thumbs in it, which we thought was odd. Apparently, this is the Weeping Hole, and it’s believed that turning your thumb in the Weeping Hole will grant you healing. If the thumb comes out damp, the healing will be bestowed on you. Of course, I don’t believe in things like that, but it was fun to be a part of it anyway. Too bad my finger came out dry, I could really have done with a full stomach right then! Hunger is an ailment that requires healing, isn’t it?

Day Sixty: A taste of Ancient Constantinople

Welcome to day sixty of my blog! That means that we’ve been out of Canada for two months… it feels like it’s been so much longer than that because we’ve seen and done so much in that amount of time. I hope everyone is enjoying reading the blog as much as I’ve been enjoying writing it.

Well, today was an ambitious day. We got up at a decent time and headed down towards the bridge to take us across the Bosphorus over to Sultanahmet District, home to some of the most splendid mosques/cathedrals in Turkey. We had intended to walk there (it would have taken only ½ an hour or so), and we walked down the main hill toward the river (stopping to admire the view). Once we arrived at the bottom of the street, we happened upon the streetcar line and a conveniently located stop awaited us. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity and ventured onto the streetcar (after a momentary fumble with trying to figure out the token system).

The streetcar delivered us with no difficulty to Sultanahmet, and as we walked into the street two things struck me at once. 1) the extreme number of tourists crowding the street and 2) the magnificent, looming spires of two fantastically beautiful buildings: the Blue Mosque, and the Aya Sofya. The exotic appeal of the buildings matched with the tourists immediately impressed on me the notion of what Disneyland must feel like, if you were to walk into the Aladdin zone, into the streets of Agrabah. It seemed a little surreal at first and I was excited to see everything.




We stumbled on this wonderful fountain covered in pigeons. I’ve never seen a fountain quite like this, but after spending a few days in Turkey I’ve noticed that there are a lot of water fountains with spigots for water placed all around the city. I assume that they provide water for people, especially on the days in the summer months when air temperature can go up to 30 degrees Celsius. This particular fountain, however, was a gift from the German Emperor Wilhelm II to the Sultan Abdülhamid II in 1901. Pretty cool. There are eight monograms in the stonework on the underside of the dome, and they represent the political union of Abdülhamid II and Wilhelm. It was constructed to commemorate the second anniversary of Wilhelm’s visit to Istanbul in 1898. It was built in Germany, then transported piece by piece and assembled in its current site in 1900.

Across from the German Fountain was the Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed I. We hadn’t read about this site in our research, but there was a big sign out front that said “free admission”. Of course, it would be a waste to pass up something that was free, so we took a look. We were required to take our shoes off outside before entering the Mausoleum, and oddly we were allowed to take pictures inside (as long as you didn’t use a flash…). Sultan Ahmed I, known best for having built the Blue Mosque (we’ll get to that shortly) was buried here in 1617, and the Mausoleum also houses members of his family as well. There was kind of a weird vibe here; the building itself was quite beautiful, covered in Turkish Ceramic tiles, but the casks themselves sort of seemed odd to me. There was also a viewing window for various religious artifacts, including a vile with” a hair from the beard of the prophet”. I guess Medieval Christians weren’t the only one’s into body parts of saints and martyrs…


Once we got back outside and into our shoes, we headed over to the Blue Mosque. We had visited it’s creator and visionary, and now we would see it for ourselves… or not. When we got there, afternoon prayers were in session and tourists were not allowed inside. The Blue Mosque is still a working religious building and Muslims still congregate here five times a day for prayers. Rob and I took a tour around the courtyard, which was quite interesting in itself. Prayers would be over shortly, so we decided to take a quick look around the streets.

We took a look at these really interesting obelisks in the street, which we later found out wasn’t always a street, but was actually the ancient Hippodrome, the place where they used to have chariot races… exciting! There are three monuments in the Hippodrome (also now know as Sultanahmet Square)

The first is the Obelisk of Thutmose III. It was erected by Theodosius the Great, who, in 390, brought the obelisk from Egypt and erected it in the spina, the center of the racing track (which is now, of course, just a sidewalk promenade). Carved from pink granite, it was originally erected at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor during the reign of Tuthmosis III in about 1490 BC. Theodosius had the obelisk cut into three pieces and brought to Constantinople. Only the top section survives, and it stands today where Theodosius placed it, on a marble pedestal. The obelisk has survived nearly 3,500 years in astonishingly good condition. Let me say, on close inspection, you would never believe that this obelisk was really that old!


The second is the Serpent Column, which is now only a part of what it used to be – a Tripod of serpents holding up a golden bowl. The bowl was destroyed or stolen during the Fourth Crusade. The serpent heads were destroyed as late as the end of the 17th Century, so now all that remains is this spiraling column.

The last is the Walled Obelisk. In the 10th century Constantine built another obelisk at the other end of the Hippodrome. It was originally covered with gilded bronze plaques, but they were sacked by Latin troops in the Fourth Crusade. The stone core of this monument is all that survived, and it looks a little worse for wear.

On our exploratory walk, we also noticed the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, which runs beside the Hippodrome. According to signs outside, it’s the 1400th anniversary of the Koran, and the museum had a special exhibition honouring the book. We decided to check it out and although it wasn’t worth the 20 Lira it cost for both of us to get in, it would have probably been worth it to someone who knew more about Islam or was Muslim. The Museum had a lot of very old and beautiful pieces of pottery, carved doors and incense holders, plates, tapestries and rugs, but the main event was book after book of perfectly and gorgeously illuminated Korans filling many viewing cases. They were wonderful pieces of work, to be sure, but after the third room full, Rob and I had had our fill.

We headed back outside to the Hippodrome, and by the sounds of things, prayers were over (prayers are broadcast over loud speakers from every mosque in the city. We can hear them at 5:30 in the morning at our apartment, because there’s less traffic noise in the streets). We headed back to the Blue Mosque and worked our way through the line of tourists removing their shoes and putting them in plastic bags provided by people outside the doors of the Mosque. I tell you, it was pretty funny seeing all these tourists walking around with their shoes in flimsy, clear plastic bags, craning their necks, looking around each other at the beautiful building inside. I had read about the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya. I read that one should see the Blue Mosque first because, although beautiful on the outside (and it is incredibly stunning), the inside is a bit of a let down, especially compared to the inside of the Aya Sofya. Therefore, it was recommended that you see the Blue Mosque first so as not to be let down after viewing the Aya Sofya.


I have to honestly say that I agree. It was very beautiful inside, don’t get me wrong. It is the largest Mosque in Turkey and was built between 1609 and 1616 by Ahmed I (as previously mentioned). It was built to rival Aya Sofya, to be bigger and have more minarets (the spires that tower over the dome) and therefore be better than the ancient, domed splendor of Aya Sofya. On the outside, I think t succeeded, but on the inside, the wonder stops. It’s been fitted inside with a lot of lighting and wiring and I think it distracts from the interior. Also, rather than the huge, open space achievable in dome architecture, the large scale had to be supported by four huge columns inside the Mosque, which I think detracts from the grand size of it. However, it was still very interesting to see, and also to observe the Muslim culture and religion in practice (I’ve never been in a mosque before).

We got back outside and decided to ‘cross the street’ to the Aya Sofya. When we arrived, we saw that there was an admission cost and that we didn’t have enough cash on us for both, so we had to go find a bank machine. On the way, we stumbled upon the Basilica Cistern, or, at least, a sign announcing the Basilica Cistern. It was nothing but an unassuming door in a small building. I, however, having done my research before hand, knew exactly what this was and insisted that we go inside…

However, I think that’s enough excitement for one day, and I’ll post the rest tomorrow. Make sure to keep on reading!