Istanbul is a beautiful city. The only city in the world that spans two continents, Europe and Asia. It is rich with history, having been influenced by the culture of the Roman Empire, early Christianity and the rule of Consantinople (Istanbul was Constantinople remember?), the Byzantine Empire and of course the Islamic influence of the Ottoman Empire. There is presence of these cultures is felt through the city's rich architecture, art, and history.
The first thing I noticed about Istanbul is how densely crowded the city is, in terms of people and architecture. It is quite hilly which I did not expect, and the houses, apartments, and shops are packed together along the old and new streets. The most impressive thing is the number of mosques that you see. Perhaps every few bocks you will see a dome with one or two minarets soaring into the sky, and the grander mosques every so often.
We stayed in Uskudar near the Taksim district -- which is the "new" area of istanbul, with lots of restaurants, bars, and close to the trendy neighborhoods to the north such as Nisasanti that cater to the posh and cosmopolitan crowd of Istanbul. Across the "Golden Horn" (I guess it is a strait?), lies the "Old City", which is where all the sites and historical buildings are, and also the poorer areas of istanbul. There are plenty of things to do and see in Istanbul. We had only 2.5 days, but we managed to do a lot. The evening we got there we just chilled and took a ferry across the bosophorus (the strait that runs northwards between the European and Asian coasts), which gave us a nice view of the old city by night, with the mosques and buildings vibrantly lit in the summer's dawn. We went to eat along Istiklal Caddessi (the "happening" street in the Taksim area of Istanbul), and grabbed an Effes or two (the local brew), while we mingled with the locals....
Our first full day the following morning we managed to see a lot. We started off with the Blue Mosque (1600 AD), one of the world's famous mosques, built by Sultan Ahmet, standing with its six minarets and huge courtyard and vibrant interior, it truly is a work of art. The interior is laden with Iznik tiles of blue and white, and lit up by the glowing light form the stained glass windows, and the huge dome supported by four giant pillers of marble. I even managed to get in an afternoon prayer as well before the afternoon session for tourists reopened.
Across the way a few hundred meters from the Blue Mosque is the Aya Sofia (a.k.a Hagia Sophia). It's Istanbul's most famous monument. Built as a church by Justinian in the 6th century, it was to restore the greatness of the Roman Empire. It was later converted into a mosque by Mehmet in 1453 during the Ottoman reign, and remained until it became a museum in the 1930s. The evidence of this is seen in its design and art on the interior, where mosaics of the Christ and the virgin mary and child amidst large medallians of arabic writing and windows and panels with Islamic prayers. A truly impressive structure.
We also saw the bascilica cistern, an impressive underground cistern that used to hold the water supply during the Byzantine days. constructed with large columns, the lighting in the darkness is done elegantly, almost makes it look spooky as you walk along the cool and murky depths of the Istanbul underground. After that, a few hundred meters walk brought us to the Grand Bazaar. You could spend a whole day here, browsing, haggling, shopping. It is a huge covered market with everything from gold, to leather, to carpets, jewelry, housewares, souvenirs, clothes, you name it. Nothing has a set price, you will be tested on your resilience and ability to haggle with the local shoppkeepers, but it is a lot of fun. I fully uitlized my Turkish name to gain an edge. I ended up buying a leather jacket, a wallet, and some gifts.... I think I got a good deal... Hmmm.. The Grand Bazaar also had a nice restaurant: Havuzlu, where we chowed down on some Iskender Kebabs, Cacik, and eggplant salad... Mmmm..
At the end of the day we indulged in a Turkish Bath. Now it wasn't something I was super excited about, but we figured we are here, we have to experience it. It was definitely an interesting experience. You basicaly strip down to a little towelette they give you, and you enter this large room which is basically a sauna. It is a huge tiled bathroom-like thing, with these large sinks around the walls, and a raised platrform in the middle. We were not really sure what to do, neither was this other random American looking guy in front of us, so we just kind of did what we saw people doing. We had a seat along the walls, and just took in some of the heat. The water in the faucets was very hot, which we doused our heads with. After a while, these large burly half-naked Turkish men came into the room and pointed at you, then you went to the platform in the middle. They lay you down, and started to go to work with their hands. Now this is no upper-east side little Japanese girl kneading your knots out, this was large man-handling of your body with rough squeezes and pulling your arms nearly out of your sockets. Ten minutes of a a massage-beatdown, and then they took you to one of the sinks on the side.. Then they filled it up with water, and basically bathed you.. Doused you wet, and got some soap with a loofa, and scrubbed you down like there was no tomorrow. Yes it was weird. A large burly, hairy Turk with a huge moustache lathering me up wasn't exactly my idea of... fun.. But alas, when in Rome. Anyway, in the end, they even towel you down to dry you. The whole thing takes 30 min to an hour, and set us back about 30 or 40$. I was just happy those guys respected the "No-Fly Zone" during the massage and the lather. Otherwise, we woulda had a problem....
View from our Hotel
Istanbul Sunset (view from Asian coast)
Blue Mosque
Blue Mosque Courtyard
Inside the Blue Mosque
Dome of Blue Mosque
Aya Sofia
Main room of Aya Sofia (its too big to capture!)
Aya Sofia (w/ one of the blk medallions)
Inside Aya Sofia, East
Stairs ... to the light!
Second Floor
Bascilia Cistern
View from our Hotel
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