This morning, we ventured outside the downtown area to a
neighborhood bordering the old city walls via city bus. Our destination was the Chora Museum,
formerly a church, then a mosque. Then,
as now, it was a standout showcase of Byzantine mosaics anywhere; it’s often
compared to the glorious mosaics in Ravenna, Italy. The church is small, but jam-packed with
treasures, and with tourists. Because
it’s not in the historic core of the city, many tourists don’t get there, but
buses of cruise trip passengers evidently do, as we discovered as we approached
the entrance. Those groups seem to sweep
in and out, and we outlasted them to enjoy part of our visit in relative
comfort. The mosaics, for the most part,
depict the lives of Jesus and Mary.
“Chora” has come to mean that which cannot be contained, and both Christ
and Mary are depicted here as vessels for the uncontainable. Not knowing any of that would not have
detracted a bit from the “wow factor” of this jewel of a place. The mosaics are, indeed, extraordinary and
the size of the church allows them to be much more up close and personal than
the spectacular ones that fill Ravenna’s many large churches. More advice for future Istanbul visitors:
this is well worth the short trip beyond downtown, and you get to pass under an
aqueduct en route!
Leaving the museum, we walked a short distance to climb atop
the old city’s fifth-century walls. Once
there, we were greeted by an enterprising shoeshine man. Somehow, in the midst of his showing us
pictures of his three young children and inquiring about our two very grown-up
sons, he got us to assent to having our shoes shined! After
resisting such come-ons in many venues, I’m still not sure how we succumbed,
but we’re not sorry we did.
After returning downtown, we walked through street markets
up to the mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent.
This is considered by many to be the greatest work of the Sinan, who is
considered Turkey’s greatest architect and whose hand is seen everywhere in
this city. From its hilltop perch, this
mosque dominates the view of the Old Town from the New District across the
Golden Horn, yet it’s another less-visited venue. There were no large tour buses there during
our visit and the mosque and its grounds were tranquil. The large space is light, airy, and conducive
to prayer which, after all, is the point.
En route back to sea level, we happened upon the small
Rustem Pasa Mosque just before the call to prayer. We were able to enter this
blue-tiled jewel set up a short flight of stairs from a busy street
market. It was a lovely and very
unexpected find.
We returned to the banks of the Golden Horn for a lunch of
Balik Ekmek, “Fish Bread”, a sandwich of grilled fish, lettuce and onions on a
half-loaf of bread, cooked on and served from boats bobbing along the
banks. A true Istanbul experience,
including watching the servers puffing on their cigarettes right in front of
the signs proclaiming the prohibition against smoking and the fine for doing
so!
We thought that lunch would fortify us for an assault on the
Spice Market, but the experience was overwhelming, nonetheless. All manner of spices, teas, caviar, nuts,
candy and more (but NO CARPETS!) line the very crowded lanes of this covered
market. Like much of this city, it’s no
place for the claustrophobic or for those who don’t “do” crowds.
The afternoon’s last stop was at the Archeological Museum on
the grounds of Topkapi Palace. We
enjoyed the fruits of excavations of Roman and Greek sites we’ll be visiting
later on this trip, as well as a small museum devoted to the tiles that
characterize so much of the architecture and decoration here.
After dinner, we walked along a busy commercial street admiring
but not buying the various treats
available and then back to have another look at the beautifully-lit Blue Mosque
and Hagia Sofia – irresistible!
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