Constantinople

For Labor Day weekend this year Ryan and I made a trip to Istanbul. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, with a population of 14.1 million and is the fifth-largest city in the world by population within city limits. Uniquely, Istanbul is a transcontinental city, straddling the Bosphorus waterway. The commercial and historical centers lie in Europe, while a third of its population lives in Asia. 

A View of Istanbul

For nearly sixteen centuries following its reestablishment as Constantinople in 330 AD, Istanbul served as the capital of four empires (Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman). Interesting enough, the city was instrumental in the advancement of Christianity during Roman and Byzantine times, before the Ottomans conquered the city in 1453 and transformed it into an Islamic stronghold. Although the Republic of Turkey established its capital in Ankara, palaces and imperial mosques still line the hills as visible reminders of the city’s previous central role. We arrived on Friday evening and meandered through the narrow streets to find our hotel. Our first Turkish experience was the food. We had beef and lamb skewers and finished the evening with apple Turkish tea. Everything we tasted at this restaurant was delicious. 

Out Meal of Lamb and Beef Skewers

Turkish Tea and Baklava

 On Saturday we spent the morning exploring the city and purchasing tickets for the hop on hop off bus. We decided to ride the bus around its full route so we could hear the history of the city. The bus took us across the Bosphorus Bridge, a suspension bridge spanning the Bosphorus strait connecting Europe and Asia. The Bosphorus Bridge was the fourth longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1973. At present, it is the 22^nd longest suspension bridge span in the world. We rode across the bridge from the European side of the city to the Asian side where we decided to take a break from our bus ride and explore. 

Sign on Bosphorus Bridge

Bosphorus Bridge

  

We made our way to Beylerbeyi Sarayı, a summer palace overlooking the Bosphorus form its Asian shore. The Imperial Ottoman summer residence was built in the 1860’s and was often used as a guesthouse for visiting heads of state. The palace looks the most beautiful from the Bosphorus, where its two bathing pavilions can be seen. The reception hall has a pool and a fountain because running water was popular in Ottoman houses for its pleasant sound and cooling effect in the heat. Egyptian straw matting was used on the floor as a form of insulation. Unfortunately, they would not let us take photos inside the house. After touring the house we hopped back on the bus and headed back over to the European side of Istanbul.

Beylerbeyi Sarayı From the Bosphorus

Our next stop was the Grand Bazaar (1455). The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 60 covered streets and over 5,000 shops. The bazaar is well know for its jewelry, hand-painted ceramics, carpets, embroideries, spices, and antique shops. The bazaar has been an important trading center since 1461 and its labyrinthine vaults feature two domed buildings, the first of which was constructed between 1455 and 1461. 

Spices on Display at the Grand Bazaar

Enjoying Istanbul

 Sunday morning we hopped back on the bus and headed to the neighborhood of Galata. The medieval stronghold of Galata was a colony of the Republic of Genoa between 1273 and 1453. After having lunch at the Hard Rock Café we headed to the famous Galata Tower. The tower was built by the Genoese in 1348 at the northernmost and highest point of the stronghold. The medieval stone tower is one of Istanbul’s most striking landmarks. Galata Tower is a nine-story, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline and offers panoramic views of the city. 

Galata Tower

Galata Tower

 

The Bosphorus from Galata Tower

Enjoying Galata Tower

After leaving Galata tower we jumped on a Bosphorus river cruise.  The boat took us along both the Asian and European shores. The Bosphorus was an important ancient trade route connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. The picture from the water gave us a different perspective of the city while taking in views of stately homes, palaces, and medieval fortresses along the route. 

Mosque Viewed from the Bosphorus

Rumelian Fortress from the Bosphorus

 

We got up early Monday morning and headed to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque. Sultan Ahmed Mosque was nicknamed the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. The interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles. The upper levels of the interior are dominated by blue paint and more than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs. The mosque was built from 1609 to 1616 and is still used a practicing mosque today. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque has one main dome, six minarets, and eight secondary domes. The design incorporates some Byzantine Christian elements of the neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered the last great mosque of the classical period. 

Blue Mosque

Large Dome of Blue Mosque

Hagia Sophia is one of Istanbul’s most iconic structures and represents the peak of Byzantine architecture. A dome 102 feet in diameter tops the building. Hagia Sophia stood as the world’s largest cathedral for more than a thousand years, before being converted into a mosque. Today the building is a museum. We did not take the time to tour the museum only to marvel at its architecture. 

Hagia Sophia

 Following our visit to the Blue Mosque we headed to the Basilica Cistern. The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. Before being converted into a cistern, a great Basilica stood in its place, built between the 3^rd and 4^th centuries during the early Roman Age. The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings in the surrounding area. The cathedral-sized cistern is an underground chamber approximately 453 feet by 212 feet and is capable of holding 100,000 tons of water. A forest of 336 marble columns support the ceiling, each 30 feet high, arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns. In the northwest corner of the cistern are the bases of two columns carved with the facade of Medusa. The origin of the two heads is unknown, though it is thought the heads were brought to the cistern after being removed from a building of the late Roman period. 

Basilica Cistern

Medusa Head of Basilica Cistern

 Our last stop before packing up and leaving Istanbul was the Topkapı Palace. The large palace was the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans for approximately 400 years of their 624-year reign. The palace complex consists of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. Construction began in 1459 and at its peak the palace was home for as many as 4,000 people. Topkapı contained mosques, a hospital, bakeries, and a mint. After the 17^th century, the palace gradually lost its importance as the sultans preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosphorus.  In 1923 the palace was transformed into a museum dedicated to the imperial era. The palace complex has hundreds of rooms, chambers, and fine examples of Ottoman architecture. The museums contain large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts, as well as a display of Ottoman treasures and jewelry. The palace is an extensive complex rather than a single structure, with an assortment of low buildings constructed around courtyards, interconnected with galleries and passages.

Topkapı Palace

A Pavilion Room at Topkapı Palace

Istanbul from Galata Tower