23 April 2023
What a crazy and fascinating city Istanbul is, and I am so pleased that
we had a tour guide with us to help us make the most of our day exploring. He also
explained that if it is a rule, then it is everyone’s responsibility to break
that rule (for instance, Roger has just been out for a walk and saw a Merc
driving up a footpath teeming with people so that it could park, on the
footpath, outside a café restaurant). It was explained to us that the city is
currently so busy because Ramadan has just finished so families are out
celebrating, and the government has put on free transport for the weekend. No
wonder the ferries looked full to overflowing. There are 16 of us on the tour,
mainly Kiwis and Aussies, and we will be in a 50 seat bus for our tour – window
seat for everyone! We started the day by driving along the shore of the
Bosphorus on the European side towards the old city. Istanbul as a city is nearly
2500 years old so there is a lot of history, especially regarding regimes being
overthrown. The official population Is around 16.8 million, but it is believed
to be over 20 million and I think all 22 million of them are out and about. We
visited two of the mosques; the magnificent and ancient Hagia Sophia, plus the well-known
Blue Mosque. The Hagia Sophia was originally built in 5 years (between 532 and
537) as a Christian cathedral. These days it would take that long to just get
the planning permission! When it was completed, it was the largest interior
space in the world. Interesting in that it was built facing Jerusalam. The
building has also been an Eastern Orthodox Church before it was converted to a
mosque. When it was converted to a mosque, the nave had to be moved so that it
faces Meca. Similarly the prayer lines on the carpet mean that the carpet is
also not square to the walls – a guess would be 10-15 degrees in order to face
Meca. The Blue Mosque is somewhere that Roger has wanted to visit for a long
time, so he was very excited to have the opportunity to check it out. It is so
named because of the blue hand-painted tiles on the interior walls. It was very
pretty inside, but very busy.
After the mosques, we tackled the crowded streets towards the Basilica
Cistern, via the ancient Hippodrome. As soon as we entered the cistern, it felt
so familiar. It featured in the Dan Brown novel Inferno and in its film
adaptation, plus was in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love. This
cistern (there are hundreds in Istanbul) was built in the 6th
century and was used as a water source during summer. Today the water level is lower,
and it is used as a tourist attraction – and a backdrop for movies. A metal walkway
has been built meandering its way around the columns. As you work your way
through the cistern, there are multiple artworks which have been set up,
including a giant sculptured hand that rises up out of the water. Towards the
back of the cistern, two of the columns have been carved with the face of Medusa
at the base. Originally, these wouldn’t have been seen due to the higher water
level.
This afternoon we were treated to a cruise on the Bosphorus. We weren’t
packed into one of the crowded ferries, but instead we had a ferry all to
ourselves, complete with commentary. Spoilt! The strait has a traffic
management plan, 12 hour north bound and 12 hour south bound for larger vessels
– all mixed with a flotilla of ferries and smaller craft. We cruised up the European
side and down the Asian side.
Cruising on the Bosphorus. Top left photo shows the crowds we encountered on our way to the ferry. This photo was taken in a pedestrian tunnel underneath the road. Our tour guide, Leverton, is the one carrying the blue umbrella. Amazingly he hasn't lost any of us yet.
Tomorrow we have an early start to get to Canakkale in preparation for
our excursion to the dawn service at Gallipoli.
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