Turkey is one of my favorite country. It combines all the things I like when I choose a place to visit; exotic culture & architecture, beautiful landscape, great meaty tasty food and clean (more or less). I have been to Istanbul once, a couple of years ago but, didn't have a chance to leave the city. This time, with a bit more time, my friend and I planned to explore the capital city, see the unfamiliar landscape in Cappadocia and visit magnificent monuments in Izmir. Our journey started in Istanbul where we arrived early in the morning. We took a cab to our hotel, right in the center of the old town. It was called Hotel Alzer (http://www.alzerhotel.com/) the location was just perfect. Honestly, I saw this hotel the last time I was in Istanbul and I thought, what a great location. So, I intentionally searched for it and even better, they still had room available. That's the benefit of planning ahead, I probably booked around 5 months in advance. The hotel is on Atmeydani and, guess what, opposite to the Blue Mosque! Alzer is a boutique hotel and quite a small one with only a few rooms on each floor.
Since we arrived early in the morning, it wasn't time to check in yet. However, the hotel reception offered a breakfast for us. The breakfast room was on the topmost floor with a 180 degree view of the Blue Mosque.
The view made up for the little disappointment of the breakfast. Not that there wasn't a variety of food, there were plenty of pastry, yogurt, vegetable and dry fruits. But for a meat lover like me, I need some protein, and it must be protein from meat, not cheese or yogurt. Well, there wasn't any. Lucky that there was hard boiled eggs so, that would do for now. I ended up with bread, boiled egg, some cheese and a little vegetable (cucumber). It was quite fulfill but, I have to admit that I had probably a couple pieces of bread. I wouldn't say that it wasn't good, the bread was good, the cheese and some kind of yogurt spread were tasty and the boiled egg, well once in awhile, it was also good. After we had our fill, we still couldn't get to our room so, why waste the time away. We decided to start the sightseeing and headed to what was already in front of us, the Blue Mosque. So, we got out of our hotel and in front of us was Sultanahmet Maydani with two obelisks. Actually, it once was a Hippodrome. I would have to say that the name did give me a wrong impression. I might sound dumb but, the first time I heard, I thought, what did it have to do with hippopotamus? Well, I did learn later that it was a sporting arena and social center for mainly horse racing or chariot racing. The name actually came from Greek words.
What we saw now, was just a tiny bit of a complex it once was. A little walk from Hippodrome and we entered the Blue Mosque. Just its size from outside its wall was impressive enough. It was huge!! with big giant dome and the 6 minarets. It was commissioned to build by Sultan Ahmet I, what a vision for a young Sultan. It said that he was only 19 when he ordered this mosque to be built. It was a bit ridiculous to learn that these 6 minarets came from a misunderstanding between the Sultan and the architect...just a minor unclear pronouncement could turn a couple of golden minarets into six minarets. Imagine, if it was done right, how wonderful it would be.
We entered through the front gate and by nature, we walked up to the first stair and opening that we could see which took us to the forecourt.
This is where most of visitors have to have a photo taken. The forecourt is a wide open space with a fountain in the middle. All around there were areas that people could sit and prey.
We couldn't get inside of the Blue Mosque from here. I mean there was a gate but, it was for worshippers only. So, we had left through the left side of the forecourt and walked towards the back of the Mosque. The crowd and the queue will show you the way. There wasn't any fee but, we did have to take off shoes and that created the queue. While we were waiting for a tour group to go in, we just looked around for some interesting thing. We found that in the form of cats.
One thing that we noticed was the number of cats that we found in this country and they all looked very chubby and healthy. Turkish must have loved their cats very much. These cats had attitudes. They might look bored, annoyed or snob but, nonetheless, they looked quite cuddly. We found two mosque cats in front of the entrance, posing for tourists like us. As mentioned, we had to take the shoes off and they actually provided a plastic bags for us to put our shoes in.
So, we all looked like a bunch of tourists who just came from a shopping trip. Once we entered, the sight and the atmosphere were indescribable. There were many awesome thing that we had to take in at the same time.
The first was the huge carpeted area. Usually, the atmosphere in the mosque (at least the one I have been to) was a bit stuffy. For Blue Mosque, the air was as thick as other very old places but because it was super spacious that it wasn't too stuffy.
Then, we approached the preying area which was restricted only for those who really intended to prey. So everyone was crowding in front of the railing to be able to take a picture without anyone on sight.
Looking up, there was a strange iron decoration hanging from the ceiling. I'm not sure whether there is any meaning to it. It shape was like a shining Sun with its rey. But the most magnificent sight of all was its tile walls.
Though, there wasn't any paintings or fresco because of their believe (there can't be any human image inside mosque), the pattern tile wall was more than enough. The pattern was very intricate with simple color of blue, red and white but, mainly blue. Hence the name Blue Mosque. Before I came, I always wondered why it was call Blue Mosque when the outside was actually gray. This kind of tile is like a signature of Turkey.
After lots of neck craning moments, we finally forced ourselves to move out. We exited through the opposite side of where we came which got us out to a small garden area. Another thing that I like about Turkey is their tulips. at first, I thought it was a bit odd because I associate tulips with Holland and other Western like countries. But I learned that this is the real origin of tulips. They are basically everywhere including in the garden of Blue Mosque.
The way they arranged the flowers was rather cute. I think they tried to represent the Turkish flag so, they had the white tulips in the shape of moon and star. They really strict to the color of the flag and they only had red and white tulips in here. I gotto say that it was like they did something with the color because the red was really bright red. The exit took us to Sultanahmet Park with small trees, flowers and rows of benches for the visitors to admire view and maybe to have some snack.
It was a nice place to rest and admire the history. The visitors can choose to look at the Blue Mosque or Hagia Sophia. The two great monuments is separated by a park and a big fountain.
We went straight through because I knew that there could be a crowd waiting to get into Hagia Sophia and there were. Most of them were with tours. Every time I see a group tour, I have a habit of trying to get inside before they do. It is to be expected that group tour are slow and noisy and I don't like them to interfere when I am enjoying the surrounding. Lucky that the line for individual ticket was short so, we did get in front of them. When looking at these two gigantic mosques, I always feel like the Blue Mosque represents masculine and Hagia Sophia represents feminine somehow. Maybe it is because of the colors, can't really say. Hagia Sophia or in Turkish, Ayasofya, actually was a cathedral but, later was turned into a Mosque. Conveniently, it already built like a mosque. Hagia Sophia is the greatest example of the Byzantine architecture. However, when the Sultan converted it into a mosque, they had to do some modification with its wall and ceiling. As it is forbidden to have an image of anyone in the mosque, they had to cover the wonderful mosaic. Now, it has become a museum as it has such a long history. After submitting our tickets, we walked through a small simple garden with some ruined Roman-like columns. There were also the remains of the basilica, a carved stone in the shape of lamb; lamb of God.
We entered from the left side of the museum and to a hallway. At a first glance, there was nothing much but, looking up and we got a glimpse from its past, a golden mosaic ceiling.
That was just the beginning. We passed a huge door (an Imperial Entrance) to a gigantic hall, under a great dome. The first thing that hit us was the size of the hall, a huge empty space. As it was converted into mosque, there wasn't anything around. When looking up, its art was a combination of Christian and Islam.
There are Islamic rounded signs almost at the top of 8 columns around the hall. And there are also mosaic images of Jesus. Of course, this was uncovered once it has become a museum. Actually, this represents the ideal world where two major religious can co-exist peacefully...a little dramatic.
Anyway, We did a 360 before started looking around. First, we went straight to the front of marble mihrab which is a niche (look like a gate) that points the direction of Mecca.
We, then, went around the hall. Another thing to notice is the chandeliers. These huge golden chandeliers hang right from the ceiling, a longgg way down. If looking from under or over, they have a shape of flower. I think they are really pretty especially when there are so many in the same place.
After we finished with the ground floor, we took a stair which was located at the corner under the North Gallery. It wasn't too much of a climb but, required quite an attention as it was very uneven. What was on the second floor? Well, first of all, it gave us a great viewpoints of the ground floor, of everything surrounding the hall, crowd of tourists and all the chandeliers which was awesome.
Then, we started looking around counter-clockwise (well, that was the only way we could do). The highlights of the gallery was the uncovered mosaic images of Jesus and Mary as well as beautiful ceiling decoration and a huge marble door.
It was quite a walk. The walk ended in front of the image of Mary and Child then, we had to turn back and to the same stair that we took us. On the way to exit Hagia Sophia, we saw a line of people leaded to a column toward the back of the mosque. If I remember it correctly, it was the last column under the North Gallery. It was quite strange, they we lining up to put their thumb into a little hole on the column. After eavesdropping on other tourists, we found out that this was a sacred column. It is said that anyone who put their thumb into the hole and turn 360 degree, whatever they wish at that time will come true. Well, we couldn't pass that for sure. So, we wait on the line to wish for good luck as well as a photo opportunity.
Unfortunately for me, I was too preoccupied with turning my thumb all 360 degree and tried to look good, I didn't really make any wish (except, wished that the picture would come out right). Actually, maybe the myth is true. Maybe my wish did come true, the picture did come out alright (I think). We left the place through the South side exit. Even the exit looked great, just have to remember to look up.
By the time we left Hagia Sophia, it was around noon, time to check in. So, we made our way back to our hotel which wasn't far at all. We got a room on the third floor. A ride on a tiny elevator with two big luggage and we were there. The room was small, no surprised there, but comfy enough. The bathroom was, well, not big but, spacious that I didn't bang myself against anything.
One thing that stood out for me was the telephone. It was an old fashion, like an antique and it still worked! After we got settled and freshened up, we were due for a lunch. I know that I had quite a few pieces of bread but, we did walk all morning. Now, I want meat, to compensate with my almost vegetarian breakfast. We walked to the left on Atmeydani Sokak and to Divan Yolu Caddesi. Don't worry too much about the name, it was the street right in front of us with a tram line. This was also where we got on a tram everyday, Sultanahmet stop. We did a bit of survey and stop at a fast food like kebab place.
I also came to this place last time. Though it looked touristy, it did serve its purpose well, quick, meaty and yummy lunch.
For the afternoon program, we were going to tackle Topkapi Palace. From my experience, this would take us all afternoon and it did. To get to Topkapi, we just needed to walked to a street on the right side of Hagia Sophia (when we face Hagia Sophia). This street would take us straight to Topkapi Palace, very easy to find. Before, we reach the gate, we had to stop for a picture of the Fountain of Ahmed III.
Actually, it didn't look at all like a fountain to me, more like a mausoleum. We went through the Imperial Gate of the palace, AKA Gate of Sultan. This massive gate was built back in 14th century. This gate opens for public from the first morning pray to the last evening pray, how generous.
Inside was a huge park or the first courtyard. The atmosphere was very relaxing and there were many local who came to enjoy taking pictures and lounging around on the lawn. There were also bushes of tulips, that seemed to be the focal point for many people. Even men (local men) asked their friends to take picture of them with the tulips. Men & flowers, somehow I didn't quite get that.
Just before another gate or Gate of Salutation is where the ticket counter located. Once we got the tickets, we went through the gate and beyond is the second courtyard but, not just yet.
We had to go through a security check, felt like going to airport, bag and jacket had to be scanned. The second courtyard is smaller than the first but, more significant as this is where the entrance to harem, kitchen and the inner courtyard are.
To be able to soak in all the history of this place, which is a lot, we decided to rent an audio guide. We could choose to listen to the description and explanation of each place by selecting the number that is assigned to each location. This way, we can start the tour from anywhere we want and don't need to follow everyone else. When we went to pick up the audio, the staff told us to start the tour at the Harem as it will be closed earlier than the rest of the palace, so we followed his suggestion.
The Harem is where the mother, wives, concubines, children and servants of Sultan lived. There are around 400 rooms in this quarter. Less than this and there might not be enough rooms for all. There was a strict hierarchy in this place. The higher the rank, the better the accommodation. The mother or favorite wife would probably get a big suites with the view. I image that lives in this place were probably full with drama, like soap opera as they needed to compete for Sultan's attention.
Some of the rooms are really pretty, richly decorated with chandeliers, colorful ceramic tiles, stain glasses window and beautiful fresco. I like the the way they decorate the room, just want to have one of this room in my house. I especially love their color ceramic tile. I think it's the combination of color and the pattern that make it look so exotic and appealing. Looking at the pattern and it might look like a lot but, somehow it worked even though they covered the whole wall. Well, it probably will not work back at home.
There are also an outdoor areas for the residences of Harem to enjoy. I first thought that they would be living in an enclose area with little view of the outside world. Actually, the veranda was very spacious and had a nice view of the city, not bad at all.
We exited the Harem and into the inner courtyard. We were a little confused of where to go next. So, we went back to the second courtyard, just to make sure that we didn't miss anything out there. We didn't get to see the kitchen as it was under renovation or something, basically, it was opened to public that day. Then, we went through the Gate of Felicity in order to get to the inner courtyard. The inner courtyard is where the residential area of Sultan as well as the palace official area and the treasury are.
First thing to get done was to see the treasury and there were a long queue. Actually, there were not that many people but, everyone was walking so slowly. It took us sometimes to finish two rooms. Unfortunately, photo was not allowed inside. After this, we went to see Sultan's wardrobe. OMG, why was the Sultan so big!! A Sultan's cloth could probably fit 2 - 3 people inside. Again, we couldn't take picture. We went to a few quarters including the Audience Chamber and Imperial Council. We ended our tour at the Outer Garden which overlooks the Marmara sea.
After a whole afternoon of walking, we needed a little snack to boost our energy. Conveniently, there is also cafe and restaurant on premise. We had to went down a long flight of stair which at first, look like leading to the edge of a cliff. The cafe is self-service and offers drinks, dessert and also some kebab. The restaurant is on another side of the stair. We had coffee (coffee au lait) and rice pudding as well as enjoy the view of the sea. The weather was getting cooler as it was close to the evening. So, a hot cup of coffee was really nice. As for the rice pudding, from the look of it, I thought that it was going to be warm but, not at all. Apparently, they had their rice pudding cold and not just this place. It was creamy, rich and a little too sweet for me, good but sweet. Also, there wasn't as much rice as I thought..like a creamy boiled rice.
We were there till after 5pm then, we headed back to our hotel for some rest. However, not for long as the dinner time was approaching. We wanted to have traditional food with a view. At night, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are lit up very beautifully. There were quite a few restaurants that offer dinner on the roof or at least a higher floor so that we could see the view of Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia at night. We did a little survey around the area and settled at Bodrum restaurant which located just off Divan Yolu Cd and close to Yerebatan Sarnici (which we would be visiting another day). This place sat right between the two majestic mosques. We went up to the top floor. Lucky us that there was one small table left (that we had to squeeze ourselves in). Our goal for dinner tonight was to have mix meze. Meze is basically a selection of small dish that can be eaten at lunch or dinner time. It is more like an appetizer such as mash eggplant, hummus, some yogurt dip and cheese.
There are quite a variety of dish that is considered as Meze. As for main course, meat was what we wanted. My friend ordered mix grilled which consisted of different kind of kebab like lamb, chicken and beef. As for me, I tried lamb casserole Turkish style. I have never had it before but the description in the menu was inviting enough, stew lamb with pastry and cheese on top. And it was delicious, a super tender and juicy lamb stewed with eggplant (one of my favorite vegetable). They topped it with some kind of dough, similarly to lasagna pasta and cheese. Then, they broiled it until the cheese was melted and browned.
It was incredibly filling and we walked back to hotel very happy girls. That evening, we didn't go anywhere else as our day started super early (since getting of the plane). So, see you tomorrow, Dalmabahce.
To be continue ...
i love reading this article so beautiful!!great job!
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