ISTANBUL, TURKEY

April 3-6

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and has a population of over 12 million people. It also spans between Europe and Asia and is full of monuments and artifacts dating from the Byzantine and Ottoman era. It is made up of friendly people who are hospitable and love to have conversations with just about anyone walking by. It is also full of bustling streets and squares. 

After being ransacked many times throughout history, it was the Byzantines and the Ottomans who added frescoes and mosaics, as well as launched building programs. The mosques create a skyline like no other, while the city's galleries, museums and festivals make it a great spot to visit.

The city is broken down into many districts, too many to list, but below are a few. If we were to go back I would probably check out the Princes' Islands.

     Sultanahmet + Eminönü: The Old City area. This is where most of the tourist attractions are, such as the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sopia,Topaki Palace, Basilica Cistern, etc. This is also the area where PJ and I stayed. We stayed at the Burckin Hotel in Fatih and it was fantastic. The view from the roof was amazing!

     Karakoy/Galata: This area is part of Beyoglu which includes Taksim Square. It is a mix of tourists and locals and is nice for shopping. This area is also home to the Istanbul Modern Museum and the Galata Tower. It is known for having more of the nightlife. 
     Kumkapi: A smaller neighborhood known for its Turkish taverns [meyhane]. 
     Üsküdar: Located on the Asian side. A Greek colony in the 7th century BC and is now full of mosques, fountains, mansions and palaces. There is also a great view of Kiz Kulesi [The Maidens Tower] NOTE: Turn off your phone before taking the ferry there if you have a European cell phone plan. It switches to Asia somewhere in the water and will drain all of your minutes and money!

Tourist map!

We had a fantastic time wandering through the streets and seeing what we could find. The tram is extremely easy to use and pretty cheap. There are many stores selling vibrant lamps, dishes and carpets while shop owners try and get you into their stores. April was a perfect time to go; it was crowded, but not too crowded. I have heard that the summers get very hot and that there are too many visitors. You can hear the Adhan [Islamic call to prayer] echo from all corners of the city, perfectly timed to one another. It was a great trip/experience and I hope to someday return!

Beautiful lamps are everywhere! 
We found that some stores had 
better deals than the markets.

Our hotel roof terrace

Hagia Sophia

Blue Mosque

Moonrise - the day after a full moon

Sultanahmet Square/The Hippodrome [below]

Sultanahmet Square is located where the Hippodrome was once located. The Hippodrome was the social and sporting center of Constantinople, which was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. A few remnants still remain, such as the Obelisks, but most has been lost. Some of the original track has been indicated with paving, and some guess that remains might be found under the square and surrounding areas. 

Sultanahmet Square

Walled Obelisk aka Constantine 
Obelisk 32 meters [4th century]

The Serpent Column. 
[497 B.C.]

Obelisk of Theodosius 
[the Egyptian obelisk]
25 meters[1504-1450 B.C./390 A.D.]

Obelisk of Theodosius 
[the Egyptian obelisk]
25 meters[1504-1450 B.C./390 A.D.]

The German Fountain
[The Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain"]

The German Fountain 
[The Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain"]

The Blue Mosque [below]

Sultanahmet mosque [The Blue Mosque] was built by Mimar Sedefkar Mehmet Aga for Ahmet I between 1609 and 1616. It is composed of six minarets and is surrounded on 3 sides by courtyards. The portico has 30 cupolas which are supported by marble columns. The main dome is flanked on all sides by a semi-dome. The main dome is 23 meters high and has 260 windows. The mosque has a total of 21,043 faience tiles and the name 'Blue Mosque' comes from the faience revetments.

We were sure to look up what was considered appropriate clothing and restrictions before visiting. The line seemed long but it moved very quickly. We did have to be very conscious of  when prayer was going to be called because they close the mosque during those times.

The main courtyard

The main courtyard

Hagia Sophia [below]

'The most renowned Byzantine Cathedral and the best known Christian church in Istanbul'. The first church was built between 325-360 A.D. It was originally known as Megalo Ekklesia and later changed to Hagia Sophia [sacred wisdom] in the fifth century. Throughout time, multiple churches and basilicas were burnt down during protests and then rebuilt. 

After many fires, a church was built in marble and brick instead of timber. It was opened in 537 A.D. and took 1000 master craftsmen and 10,000 workers. Hagia Sophia has been altered throughout history due to restorations, additions, earthquakes, etc. 

1453 was the Turkish conquest of Istanbul. The church was in ruin and so it was converted into a mosque. The Ottoman sultans maintained the building and added Islamic works of art. As a mosque, Hagia Sophia has undergone many restorations by many different architects and it was turned into a museum and national monument in 1934. 

Mosaic of the Pantocrator Christ, Ayasofya

Basilica Cistern [below]

The underground cistern [Yerebatan Sarnici] was originally built as a response to the question of how to ensure a water supply during siege.

The cistern is 140 m long, and 70 m wide, and has 336 columns which sit at 4.8 m intervals from one another. There are 12 rows with 28 columns each.  Some of the columns reflect the Corinthian style and some of them reflect the Dorian style. It is estimated that the cistern can store 100,000 tons of water.

Medusa head

Weeping Column

Topkapi Palace and Gardens [below]

The palace was built between 1460 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. It was the home of the Ottoman sultans until the middle of the 19th century.

We chose to walk around the courtyard area and through the gardens instead of entering the museum, Harem, or Hagia Irene. The gardens were beautiful and already filled with colorful flowers!

In the gardens

The Grand Bazaar [Kapaliçarşi] [below]

It is one of the largest covered markets in the world and has 60 streets with 5,000 shops filled with jewelry, hand painted ceramics, carpets, spices and antiques. The whole complex holds two mosques, fountains, hamams, cafes and restaurants.

It seems to be best to try and barter with the shops, as we were given prices that were much more inflated than they should have been. The atmosphere while walking through is great. The locals carry Turkish tea to the shop owners on silver trays as people meander through the stalls. The building is full of decorations along the walls and ceiling, which are full of skylights.

Arasta Bazaar [below]

An arasta is a series of shops that are located beneath or near a mosque. The rent money for these shops go towards the maintenance of the mosque that it is attached to. The Arasta Bazaar near the Blue Mosque was empty for years until the 1980's and 1990's when tourism grew in Istanbul. 

It is a small bazaar but I think it was one of the nicest. The shops were nice and the crowds were a more manageable size compared to the Spice Bazaar. PJ got a 1/2 kilo of spicy crushed pepper for only a few euro!

Egyptian Spice Bazaar [below]

The Spice Bazaar is located in the Eminönü district and is part of the Külliye of the New Mosque. It is considered a 'double bazaar' which means that it is constructed in the traditional Ottoman pattern as a combination of two separate bazaars. It is an 'L' shaped design with 6 gates and rooms above accessible through ladders within the bazaar. It was built in the 1660s and, similar to the Arasta bazaar, the rent supports the New Mosque.

The Spice Bazaar would have probably been more enjoyable if we had gone early in the morning. We went in the afternoon and the crowds were at full force. The stores were full of candies, bright colored spices, caviar, herbs, nuts and other local favorites. The crowd moved pretty well inside, but once we tried to exit we started to be herded and just moved with the flow of the people. Luckily I did not bring my purse anywhere with me, as I would not recommend bringing it here.

The crowd when we tried to leave!

Galata Tower [below]

The tower was constructed in 1348 and stands at 66.9 meters [220 feet] high. It was once the tallest structure in the city and it still dominates the skyline of Galata. During the 1960s it was a fire lookout tower but now there is a 360-degree viewing terrace where one can look out over both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.

The line took some time to get through and I was a little disappointed because I wanted to climb some stairs to get to the top, but the view was beautiful. Turkish food can be pretty heavy and a good uphill climb would have made me feel better, but instead there is an elevator that brings you to the top. There is still one flight of stairs, but nothing strenuous. There is a cafe at the top as well but we did not stop to try anything. I imagine it is probably on the pricier side.

Galata Tower in the distance

Taksim Square [below]

We didn't stay in this area too long because it was our last afternoon and we had seen a lot in a short period of time. It is known to have many restaurants, shops and hotels. It is also along the metro line which runs to the main sights as well.

The square is where the original main water lines from the north of Istanbul would collect and then branch off to other parts of the city.

The Monument of the Republic
 [1928] designed by Italian sculptor
Pietro Canonica.

Independence Avenue
.
.

Ferry to Asia

The ferry terminal was easy enough to navigate once we figured out what ferries went where. The ferry ticket is cheap and it is a quick ride to the Asia side. PJ and I chose to go to Üsküdar and walk along the water towards the Kiz Kulesi. We found a cafe and had some tea and Turkish baklava before heading back to the Golden Horn. We did not explore too much, although I am sure there are lots of things to see and do. 

Bosphorus Bridge - Bridge connecting Europe and Asia

Kiz Kulesi

Kiz Kulesi

Galata Tower from the ferry

Galata bridge with restaurants underneath

Rüstem Pasha Mosque with Süleymaniye
Mosque in the distance

Yeni Cami [New Mosque], Rüstem Pasha Mosque,
and Süleymaniye Mosque in the distance

Food!

Istanbul has a lot of great food to try. Below is a list of the best Turkish street foods according to TimeOut Istanbul
Simit: freshly baked, molasses-dipped, sesame-crusted dough.
Balik-ekmek: Fish sandwich
Lahmacun: Turkish pizza
Dürüm: A wrap filled with Kabab ingredients
Tantuni: similar to the dürüm
Midye Dolma: Mussels on the half shell. They were selling them on the street corners.
Kokoreç: Spiced and skewered sheep's intestines
Kumpir: The ultimate baked potato
Tavuk pilav: Chicken and rice
Börek: Cheese between layers of dough

Restaurants also have a large variety of lamb and fish dishes and, of course, Turkish meatballs. I particularly enjoyed the mezze platters. Roasted nuts and grilled corn stands can be found on almost every corner. Breakfast is a big thing in Istanbul [aka Americans will love it!] We also had a great dinner at Tarihi Cesme Restaurant.

Mezze

Turkish baklava

Turkish meatballs

Turkish coffee

Turkish tea

mussels

grilled corn and nuts

fresh pomegranate juice

Hamam

A fun highlight of the trip was visiting a Turkish bath. Traditionally these baths separate men from women and each go their own separate way, but I found the only one in Istanbul that would do a couples bath. We visited Süleymaniye Hamam Sunday morning to get a little relaxation in before a full day of sightseeing. It was a little odd at first, as neither of us had been to one, but the experience was great! The foam massage was amazing, like little puffy clouds over your body. The Hamam was also really interesting due to its history. The building was built between 1550-57 and was designed by the famous architect Sinan, who was also the architect of the Suleymaniye Mosque. The Hamam was also visited by the Suleyman Sultan.