Straddling Europe and the Middle East at the end of the Silk Road, Istanbul has for thousands of years been a travellers' nexus and a meeting point of cultures. Yet the city is completely unique - somehow it doesn't really belong to either continent.
We were a little apprehensive about visiting Turkey's most famous city during the month of Ramazan (as it is called locally). Would it be appropriate to eat and drink in public and, more importantly, consume alcohol?
It turns out our fears were completely unfounded. Turkey takes a very liberal apprach to Islam. Plenty of people were observing Ramazan by fasting, praying and wearing traditional clothing, but plenty were not.
Bufe restaurants and coffee houses were packed with locals and doing a roaring trade all day long. There were also swarms of pilgrums visiting from other parts of the country. The old parts of the city - Sultanahmet and the Bazaar quarter - teemed with an almost seemless blend of locals and tourists, creating an amazing buzz.
The atmosphere intensified when the sun went down, as Ramazan observers hit the streets in droves, packing out parks, streetside restaurants and cafes to break their fast. The city's mosque's were ablaze with colourful lighting, spelling out a message which I assume loosely translates to "Happy Ramazan." I can only imagine what this place is like on Eid, the festival marking the end of Ramazan.
Istanbul, with a colourful history spanning three empires and over 2000 years, is so crammed full of historical and cultural sites its easy to feel overwhelmed. Sultanahmet square is a logical starting point. It is flanked by the city's most important mosque, the Blue Mosque and the stunning Byzantine church (later turned into a mosque) the Haghia Sophia.
We were stunned by the magical interiors of the Hagia Sophia - one of the things I love about this building is its unique blend of design, art and iconography, arising from a series of conversions to different religions over the years. The Hagia Sophia was built in 360 AD as the cathedral of Constantinople in the Byzantine empire (the continuation of the Roman empire after emperor Constantine shifted the capital from Rome to here). It has been converted from an Orthodox place of worship, to a Catholic church and then a mosque over the years. It has since been declared secular and is now a museum. Inside, ancient Christian mosaics rub shoulders with bold islamic calligraphy.
Opposite the square, the imposing Blue Mosque buzzes with activity all day long. Unlike the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque is a working monument, playing hosts to thousands of Muslims who pray there daily. We arrived right after afternoon prayer time had started, and were diverted into a free information session. The presenter said some interesting things about the history and structure of the mosque, but then went a bit religous and dogmatic on us.
We then covered up and went in - I put on a headscarf, but was told my knee-length skirt wasn't long enough and was given a sheet to wrap around my legs. The entire interior of the mosque is covered in beautiful blue decorative tiles. Despite the building's size, it felt quite claustrophobic in there, and a little bit weird walking through an area dotted with people prostrating and praying.
There was a distinct lack of oxygen - the floors are covered with a luxurious, thick carpet and the space is too big to air-condition. The air was heavy with a pungent smell of body odour. I was glad I visited but it wasn't a place where I wanted to linger.
Sultanahmet rises up from the Bosphorous, a busy channel that slices Istanbul in two and is the main route between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, which leads into the Mediterranean. It is a bit of a tourist mecca - streets lined with restaurants, bars, tile and rug shops.
Yet the precinct has a fun, vibrant atmosphere, and wasn't overly tacky like tourist hangouts normally are. Most places were several stories high, with rooftop terraces where you can sit and watch ships cruising along the Bosphorus.
Most cities have a central market - Istanbul has a whole section of town dedicated to its bazaars. The centrepiece is the Grand Bazaar, a sprawling labyrinth of interconnected buildings - all delightfully air-conditioned. The complex houses all manner of merchants and goods - jewellery, painted crockery, rugs, tiles, paintings, scarves, clothes and shoes.
The bazaar overflows onto the surrounding streets all the way down to the Golden Horn, a waterway branching off the Bosphorus that separates old Istanbul from the newer commercial centre of Beyoglu. My favourite bit was the Spice Bazaar, an L-shaped complex rammed with spice merchants. Stalls were piled with cumin, saffron, cinnamon, special spice blends, teas, figs, nuts, nougat, caviar, turkish delight and baklava.
The salesman were tenacious - cast so much as a sidelong glance at their produce and they are all over you like a rash. It probably didn't help that I was by myself - Adam and Ryan had decided they'd had enough sightseeing and escaped to a pub. One merchant gave me a full rundown on all of his merchandise, scooping up spice mixes to so I could smell them and hand-feeding me turkish delight!
Everyone we came across was friendly and welcoming. People seemed genuinely interested and were keen to chat, laugh and joke around. This applied to people in shops and restaurants, and also just random people we met in the street.
When we visited the Rumeli Hisari - or Fortress of Europe - a half hour bus ride out of the city, we met a big family group. The patriarch was so amazed by Adam's size he wanted to have his picture taken. After the first shot, his daughter asked to have her picture taken with me, and for the next 10 minutes they turned into the paparazzi, snapping photos of everyone.
There was a moment of confusion when they asked where we were from. We said Australia, and they went quiet and looked confused. One said a word in Turkish that sort of sounded like "straaii?" We shrugged our shoulders, and it wasn't until she then said "Tel Aviv?" that we realised they thought we were from Israel! We then said "Aust-ra-lia" and the mood instantly improved, and everyone burst out laughing.
The fortress itself is pretty cool - overlooking the Bosphorus, it was built by the Ottomans after they took control of the city in 1453. Its ramparts and towers were used to throttle supply ships going back and forth between Istanbul and the Black Sea. Besides a lonely guy at the ticket office, the site was virtually unmanned, so we were free to climb on top of the walls and climb up to the towers. It was sweaty work in the midday heat, but the reward was a stunning view across the Bosphorus to a string of grand Ottoman summer palaces on the opposite shore.
The most elaborate Ottoman grandeur is on display at Topkapi Palace, residence of a string of sultan rulers for more than 400 years. The centrepiece is the harem - home to the sultan's many wives, concubines and immediate family. Arranged around a shaded pine courtyard, the harem is a series of stunningly decorated rooms - painted blue tiles edged in gold and elaborate calligraphy. There are exhibitions of sultans (and sultanas!) clothes, jewellery, calligraphy scrolls and weapons - the centrepiece is the jewel-encrusted Topkapi dagger.
We were a little apprehensive about visiting Turkey's most famous city during the month of Ramazan (as it is called locally). Would it be appropriate to eat and drink in public and, more importantly, consume alcohol?
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| Don't be put off from visiting during Ramzan! |
Bufe restaurants and coffee houses were packed with locals and doing a roaring trade all day long. There were also swarms of pilgrums visiting from other parts of the country. The old parts of the city - Sultanahmet and the Bazaar quarter - teemed with an almost seemless blend of locals and tourists, creating an amazing buzz.
The atmosphere intensified when the sun went down, as Ramazan observers hit the streets in droves, packing out parks, streetside restaurants and cafes to break their fast. The city's mosque's were ablaze with colourful lighting, spelling out a message which I assume loosely translates to "Happy Ramazan." I can only imagine what this place is like on Eid, the festival marking the end of Ramazan.
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| Inside the Hagia Sophia |
We were stunned by the magical interiors of the Hagia Sophia - one of the things I love about this building is its unique blend of design, art and iconography, arising from a series of conversions to different religions over the years. The Hagia Sophia was built in 360 AD as the cathedral of Constantinople in the Byzantine empire (the continuation of the Roman empire after emperor Constantine shifted the capital from Rome to here). It has been converted from an Orthodox place of worship, to a Catholic church and then a mosque over the years. It has since been declared secular and is now a museum. Inside, ancient Christian mosaics rub shoulders with bold islamic calligraphy.
 |
| The multi-domed Blue Mosque |
We then covered up and went in - I put on a headscarf, but was told my knee-length skirt wasn't long enough and was given a sheet to wrap around my legs. The entire interior of the mosque is covered in beautiful blue decorative tiles. Despite the building's size, it felt quite claustrophobic in there, and a little bit weird walking through an area dotted with people prostrating and praying.
There was a distinct lack of oxygen - the floors are covered with a luxurious, thick carpet and the space is too big to air-condition. The air was heavy with a pungent smell of body odour. I was glad I visited but it wasn't a place where I wanted to linger.
Sultanahmet rises up from the Bosphorous, a busy channel that slices Istanbul in two and is the main route between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, which leads into the Mediterranean. It is a bit of a tourist mecca - streets lined with restaurants, bars, tile and rug shops.
 |
| Looking out over the Bosphorus |
Most cities have a central market - Istanbul has a whole section of town dedicated to its bazaars. The centrepiece is the Grand Bazaar, a sprawling labyrinth of interconnected buildings - all delightfully air-conditioned. The complex houses all manner of merchants and goods - jewellery, painted crockery, rugs, tiles, paintings, scarves, clothes and shoes.
The bazaar overflows onto the surrounding streets all the way down to the Golden Horn, a waterway branching off the Bosphorus that separates old Istanbul from the newer commercial centre of Beyoglu. My favourite bit was the Spice Bazaar, an L-shaped complex rammed with spice merchants. Stalls were piled with cumin, saffron, cinnamon, special spice blends, teas, figs, nuts, nougat, caviar, turkish delight and baklava.
 |
| Spice bazaar |
Everyone we came across was friendly and welcoming. People seemed genuinely interested and were keen to chat, laugh and joke around. This applied to people in shops and restaurants, and also just random people we met in the street.
When we visited the Rumeli Hisari - or Fortress of Europe - a half hour bus ride out of the city, we met a big family group. The patriarch was so amazed by Adam's size he wanted to have his picture taken. After the first shot, his daughter asked to have her picture taken with me, and for the next 10 minutes they turned into the paparazzi, snapping photos of everyone.
 |
| Adam's Turkish admirer |
The fortress itself is pretty cool - overlooking the Bosphorus, it was built by the Ottomans after they took control of the city in 1453. Its ramparts and towers were used to throttle supply ships going back and forth between Istanbul and the Black Sea. Besides a lonely guy at the ticket office, the site was virtually unmanned, so we were free to climb on top of the walls and climb up to the towers. It was sweaty work in the midday heat, but the reward was a stunning view across the Bosphorus to a string of grand Ottoman summer palaces on the opposite shore.
The most elaborate Ottoman grandeur is on display at Topkapi Palace, residence of a string of sultan rulers for more than 400 years. The centrepiece is the harem - home to the sultan's many wives, concubines and immediate family. Arranged around a shaded pine courtyard, the harem is a series of stunningly decorated rooms - painted blue tiles edged in gold and elaborate calligraphy. There are exhibitions of sultans (and sultanas!) clothes, jewellery, calligraphy scrolls and weapons - the centrepiece is the jewel-encrusted Topkapi dagger.
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| Beautiful Turkish tile art |
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