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| Blue Mosque at Night (photo courtesy of Lorrie LeJeune) |
I would love to say I really had the opportunity to see all of the city, but sadly I was on a tour of the Aegean Sea coast and only had one day in this glorious city of two world's, Europe and Asia. The Europe side more modern in architecture and the Asian side, wroth with ancient dwellings I could see from a boat tour.
Unfortunately along with only a day to experience Istanbul, I had camera issues my memory card (digital isn't always best) and lost all my photos. Thankfully a friend of mine, Lorrie LeJeune had just been to Istanbul a couple of weeks prior to my visit and so she has lent me her photos for this blog. Many thanks Lorrie!
For the purposes of this blog (and because I lost so many photos) I will be concentrating on the Hagia Sofia, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) and the Hippodrome. Although if you visit Istanbul I highly recommend a few other sites.
Galata Tower: Constantinople, as Istanbul was originally named, was situated between the Golden Horm and the Sea of Marmara. Galata belonged to the Genoese (foreigners) who built the Galata Tower in 1348. After Mehmed II seized Galata from the Genoese he had it lowered but it was restored in 1967 to its original 55 m height.
Dolmabahce Palace: The Palace is quite impressive as it sits right on the Marmara Sea and can be seen by boat. Originally a wooden palace of the Ottoman dynasty, it was torn down and rebuilt to today's site in 1853. It was originally the Sultan apartments for his personal family and harem. Today it is a Museum of Art and Sculpture.
The Rumeli Fortresses: The fortresses originally built by Sultan Mehmed II in 1452 was designed to control the Bosphorus straits. The site was the old temple to Zeus and its walls are 1.5 m thick and 7 m high. Now it is an open air theatre for shows and performances.
Hagia Sofia
The Hagia Sofia was constructed during the Byzantine era during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great and completed by his son Constantine in the year 360. The main basilica was destroyed in 404 and rebuilt in 415. It was again destroyed during the Nika uprising in 532. It was again rebuilt in the mid 500 and was finally left in its present form from 562 in the style of the dome basilicas of the time. The domes are weighted in balance with east and west with the columns placed in north-south directions. The eight porphyry columns were brought from the Artemis temple in Ephesus, and marble stones and columns brought from Rome and Athens. There are red, circular ceremonial partitions on the right where the Emperor's throne was placed. I asked our Turkish guide was the some mosques had one tower and others two or more. She said the number of towers established the wealth of either the person or persons living in the community. Many wealthy individuals will built one or two mosques in their community as a status symbol. The towers were originally built so men could call others to prayer. An individual would climb up the tower and call out or sing to make sure others would come to prayer which is five times daily. Now, they use microphones and many don't even climb up the towers anymore.
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| Inside Hagia Sophia (photos courtesy of Lorrie LeJeune) |
The mosaic panel of Jesus rests above the Emperor's entrance door.
Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque
The Blue Mosque was built between 1609-1616 by Sultan Ahmed I. It is built with a square plan design and the central dome rests upon four vaults which stand on large marble pedestals. Its door is inlaid with mother-of-pearl, gold-gilt and marble sculptured bannister's are all original works of art. It was named "Blue Mosque" after the blue and green colors of the tiles. We were able to go inside to see the Mosque during one of their services. We did have to take off our shoes, however we didn't have to wash our feet, face or hands and were not able to enter the prayer area. I did see the special "cage" reserved for women. I say cage because it was all closed with bars. Our guide said women are separated because men may become aroused by women praying next to them and the men should only focus on Allah. Why is it all religions are so concerned with sex?
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| Inside Dome of the Blue Mosque (Photo courtesy of Lorrie LeJeune) |
Hippodrome
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| Hippodrome at Night (photo courtesy of Lorrie LeJeune) |
The racing track was bordered by spectator seats on three sides, with the Emperor's stand on the fourth side. The Hippodrome could seat 100,000 in its glory days and was surrounded by high walls. It was destroyed during the crusades in 1204. It became a "Meydani" Horse Square where the Ottoman's would train their horses. I did have photos of the obelisks and if I can somehow retrieve my photos from the damaged memory card I will update the post.
I'd be remiss if I didn't include all the wonderful bazaars in Istanbul. The open air shopping areas are throughout the city and can offer some nice prices if you are willing to haggle. The owners love to talk price! One of the treats of Turkey is what is known as Turkish Delight. The dessert comes in all sizes and shapes and different flavors and mixtures of nuts and some spices.
This is just the first post of many on my adventure in Turkey so stay tuned for more from the cradle of civilization.
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