Istanbul

Blue Mosque Tiles

Fantastic, is a good description for Istanbul, there are many others; some say it is like a beautiful woman, you will want to return again and again.  We have been to see all the usual places in the guidebooks, The  Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, Tokapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern to mention a few.  We visited The Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya in the right order, the mosque first.  It was very good and the blue Iznik tiles are incredible, it was built in the early 17C supposedly to outdo the nearby Aya Sofya in grandeur and when we went in it took your breath away.

The Blue Mosque

The next day we went to the Aya Sofya.  It was built by Emperor Justinian and completed in 537AD, as the ’first’ church in Christendom, it had other names - Sancta Sophia in Latin and Hagia Sofia in Greek.  As you pass through the Outer Narthex, made from narrow Byzantine bricks, into the marble Inner Narthex you begin to get an idea of what is to follow, but no amount of preparation can prepare you, the sight of the massive dome rising above you is awesome and I do not use that word lightly.  We stood and stared, and then the realisation that this building was built 1,500 years ago, makes me, even now, almost speechless.  Entering the building after completion, Justinian exclaimed, ‘Glory to God that I have been judged worthy of such work. Oh Solomon! I have outdone you’. What more can I say?

Aya Sofya

Contemplation

Contemplation

The two bazaars, Spice and Grand, were great to see as well, Meg nearly married a carpet salesman and we had a lesson in the qualities of saffron from a guy in the Spice Bazaar.  The smells and sights in both places linger in the memory, fabrics, clothes, food, çay sellers rushing about with their trays, carpets, belly dancing costumes, all come to mind as I think about it.

Spice Bazaar

The Basilica Cistern was great as well, it is an underground water storage area built by the Byzantines, mostly from ‘found’ items.  You go down some steps into the cistern, 140m long by 70m wide, with 336 columns 9 m in circumference, supporting the arched roof bays.  When full it held 100,000 tonnes of water!  Now the water is only about 30cm deep, but here are some pretty big carp living in it. 

The Basilica Cistern

The Topkapi Palace reminded me of the forbidden Palace in Beijing, the same opulence against a large city peopled with mostly poor citizens. 

The list could go on and on but we have had limited time here.  We have been Couch Surfing with Alex and whilst we have been here he has had six other surfers, John from the USA, two Italians Roberto and Irene who are researching a book about the Armenian diaspora, and recently an addition from Argentina, Cecelia who has been travelling first in Africa now Europe.  The morning and evening discussions round the table have been enlightening.

Medusa Head Column Base Basilica Cistern