Thursday, October 6, 2011

After traveling out of town to Sabiha Gokcen Airport to pick up our rental car (which we did after some delay in connecting with the rental agency’s agent), we headed toward Ankara, Turkey’s capital.  Our first order of business was to fill the gas (diesel) tank of our Ford Focus – to the tune of $106; we’re glad we’re not driving an SUV!  The toll road we traveled on was in great shape: wide, with frequent service areas, and very little traffic.  We could have been anywhere in the United States, -- given the right amount of stimulus money!

Our hotel in Ankara is in the old part of the city on a street so tiny that, despite our spiffy Turkish road map software, our GPS had never heard of it.  By aiming for a nearby museum, we got close enough to be thronged by young boys eager to earn some Turkish lira by helping us park and directing us to the hotel, which they advised was unreachable by car.  With access streets under construction, we parked the car at the base of the Old Town and walked uphill, wandering among the narrow streets within the original city walls until we found the hotel, which had once been an Ottoman home.  At check-in, our host asked what kind of car we were driving and said that we could, indeed, drive up.  We should have listened to the kids.  As Tom was navigating the steep, narrow “streets”, gaining traction and making turns was a nightmare; the manual transmission was an added challenge.  The tires were spinning, the rubber was burning, and we were going nowhere – at least not forward!  We kept sliding back and were lucky that, when we finally made contact with a building behind us, a broken tail light was the only damage.  Except to our nerves and, eventually, to our wallet.

 

We explored the winding streets within the Citadel’s outer walls and then climbed up into the inner fortification to take in the views of the sprawling city below.  Young children were playing atop the walls, making paper airplanes and flying them from the walls, while we watched, terrified that one of them would fall from the great height.  I don’t think I’d ever let a child go out to play here.  They were all over the narrow streets, playing behind downhill-sliding cars, climbing onto trucks that were backing out of tight turns, riding tricycles and playing hopscotch in the middle of the cobbled roads, stopping only to chat us up so they could practice their English and “earn” another lira.

We wandered some more through the old town, visited a market in the square just outside the city walls, and had dinner under leafy cover in the courtyard restaurant of another old Ottoman home.  Lovely…

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

First up today was a visit to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, which is housed in a former palace on the Hippodrome opposite the Blue Mosque.  The displays of carpets, metal work, tiles, stone carving, calligraphy, Koran boxes, and more provided a wonderful view of the richness of the artistic heritage of this land.  Especially impressive were the beautifully illuminated and decorated Korans, prime examples of why calligraphy is considered the highest art form here.  Many of the carefully displayed carpets were originally prayer rugs and, in certain spots, they bore evidence of the wear and tear that great devotion exacted.  The museum also contained a section devoted to displays of human life and activity in Turkey from nomadic to modern cultures.

Then it was on to the pinnacle of Byzantine culture: the Hagia Sofia.  Built in the sixth century, in less than six years, this astonishing building was a church for a thousand years, then a mosque and, with the birth of the Turkish Republic in the early 20^th century, a museum.  The enormity of the interior space is difficult to reconcile with the early date of its construction; the huge dome seems to float impossibly far above the nave. 

 

The Emperor Justinian, who commissioned the basilica, entrusted the work to two geometricians, rather than architects, and they needed all their skills to make this monumental project “work.”  The interior decorations reflected the times and functions of the building.  During the Iconoclastic period and the centuries the Hagia Sofia served as a mosque, human representation was out of favor, and the existing depictions of Christ, Mary, angels and human forms were covered over and floral, geometric and calligraphic decorations took their place.  Now, many of the original mosaics have been uncovered and restored and they are wonderful to behold.  They decorate the dome, entrances and many other areas of the museum, but they are especially impressive in the upper gallery, where they can be observed at close range.  Though there were many people taking in the scene while we were there, the building is so enormous that their presence barely registered on our radar.  Guess we also owe that to those geometricians!

After lunch, we visited a museum of palace floor mosaics, displayed in situ, just off the Hippodrome.  Another short walk brought us to the small Sokollu Mosque, tiled in brilliant blue and displaying important Islamic relics, three fragments of the Kabba, the black stone that fell from heaven to tell Abraham where to build the temple in Jerusalem. 

We made another brief foray into the Grand Bazaar before repairing to the leafy quiet of Gulhane Park, once part of the Topkapi Palace grounds, where we walked to take in the views of the junction of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn from Seraglio Point.

Some random observations after three and a half days in Istanbul:

•  A remarkable number of stray dogs, along with the usual complement of stray cats.  The dogs are often sleeping right in the middle of crowds of people and neither takes much note of the other.

•   Popular street food fare includes roasted chestnuts, corn on the cob (boiled or roasted), pickled vegetables (with extra juice to drink!), pomegranate juice squeezed on the spot, and simit, the ring-shaped sesame-coated bread.

• The ubiquitous presence of men approaching tourists (How do they spot us?!?) offering everything from guidebooks to restaurant meals, to – surprise! – carpets!  The latter often start off by inquiring as to our health or nationality, or providing helpful information about the upcoming prayer times at a nearby mosque before getting to the heart of their interest in us.

• The prevalence of cigarette smoking, regardless of signs prohibiting it.  We were also struck, when watching an American film on TV, that smoking is not shown; cigarettes are blurred out with a funny cartoon-like squiggle!

•   Many women manage to look quite stylish, even when wearing long trench coats.  They take care that headscarves, slacks, shoes, and handbags are put together into pleasing ensembles.  Lots of young women dress in fashionable western dress, but still cover their heads and necks with scarves.

•   Men sitting at “nursery school size” tables and chairs at sidewalk cafes, playing backgammon and sipping strong Turkish tea in tulip-shaped glasses.

•  Mosques that have replaced individual prayer rugs with full carpeting.  The carpets are designed as a single pattern, repeated in perfect rows and columns, simulating individual rugs, and ensuring that all the faithful are facing in exactly the same direction.

This is a fascinating city – and we’ve barely gotten out of the Old Town.  We’ll venture elsewhere on our return in a couple of weeks, but now we’re preparing to head out on the road to see more of this large country.

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

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!

Monday, October 3

Fortified by a Turkish breakfast (olives, cheese, fresh and dried fruit, eggs and delicious simit, a bagel-shaped bread baked with sesame seeds and grape molasses), we headed out to tackle Istanbul.  We were at Topkapi Palace when the gates opened and spent the morning wandering around this home of the sultans, their wives, mothers, harem, viziers and eunuchs.  It seemed as if every surface was covered with beautiful tiles, mother-of-pearl, tortoise shell, golden calligraphy, carved niches, and stained glass.  The Harem was particularly interesting, especially so because of the insight it gave us into its place as an institution of the state’s stability.  Who knew?!?  We also had a chance to see the riches of the treasury and the armory, complete with swords bearing verses of the Koran!  The palace occupies a beautiful hilltop location with commanding views of the city, the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus, and the Sea of Marmara.  Note to future visitors: don’t miss the harem.  It’s on a separate ticket, and some skip it; for us, it was the highlight of the palace compound.   Another note: don’t go when cruise ships are docked across the Golden Horn, but I guess that’s just about impossible, so just be prepared for crowds!

After lunch, we descended to the underground Basilica Cistern, built in the sixth century as part of the city’s water storage system.  Over 300 stone pillars support a brick ceiling of hundreds of arches.  Water once filled the space halfway to the ceiling, but now just the “feet” of the dramatically-lit pillars stand in shallow waters in a vast dark cavern.

Then, it was on to the nearby Blue Mosque, ethereal and beautiful.  The enormous space is lit by over 200 stained glass windows and the thousands of tiles that line the walls and domes are glorious.  As visitors enter, anyone (male or female) whose knees or shoulders are visible is given a length of cloth so they can cover the offending body parts.  Much to our surprise, many women inside did not wear head coverings and no one called them on that.

We capped off the afternoon with a stroll through the Grand Bazaar.  Dating from the 14^th century, it’s the world’s oldest shopping mall:  a small city of 4,000 shops, connected by a web of “streets” and covered by arched ceilings.  Carpet salesmen here, as elsewhere in the city, stand in front of their shops, begin their sales pitches as you walk by, and truly cannot comprehend that you might not want to buy one of their beauties!  Along with them, the lanes overflow with shops selling scarves (more of them than we knew were in existence!), carpets, jewelry, carpets, leather goods, carpets, spices, carpets, silver, carpets, lighting, carpets, textiles, carpets, designer knock-offs, carpets, belly dancing costumes, carpets, Turkish Delight candy, candy, tea, antiques, and pretty much everything you might imagine, including – CARPETS!!  Scurrying up and down the streets, men carry trays of Turkish tea in its distinctive curved glasses to deliver to shopkeepers; here, even salesmen are customers!

After dinner, we strolled through the park between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia.  They were beautifully lit and the half-moon was shining.  Enough said; pictures will follow!

Saturday, October 1 – Sunday, October 2

 

After a long (4:00 am Saturday to 11:00 am Sunday, with a ten-hour time change) but uneventful trip, we arrived at our hotel in the Old Town area of Istanbul.  While waiting for our room to be readied, we walked around the immediate vicinity and were delighted to find how close our digs are to many of the major sights on our itinerary.  A very few minutes’ walk brought us to the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque and Hippodrome. 

After a quick lunch in a tiny mom and pop (OK, sister and brother) restaurant, we finished checking in and headed off to cross the Golden Horn (a finger-like bay off the Bosphorus  Strait) to the New District.  We walked along the fish restaurants on the lower level of the Galata Bridge and the line of fishermen on the upper deck, watched a lone (crazy) swimmer amid busy the boat and ferry traffic, took a tram along the Bosphorus and a funicular up to Taksim Square.  This is the bustling heart of the New District and the starting point for our walk down the pedestrian Istiklal Street.  On this warm Sunday afternoon, it seemed as if a third of Istanbul’s 15 million people filled this promenade; the word “throng” must have originated here!  Once down the hill, we decided we’d traveled enough miles for this weekend, and caught the tram to cross the Golden Horn back to our hotel.