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Istanbul Tours
ISTANBULFormerly CONSTANTNOPLE, ancient BYZANTIUM, largest city and seaport in Turkey. Strategically situated on a hilly triangular peninsula at the entrance to the Black Sea, the city lies on either side of the Bosphorus Strait and thus is located in both Europe and Asia.
Istanbul is a city of great historical interest, and many reminders of
its past remain. Yerebasan Sarayi (Underground Palace) and "Constantines
Palace" (Tekfur Sarayi; built a thousand years after Constantine are
among its well-preserved monuments).
At meydani (Hippodrome)
Was initially built by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus, but it was Constantine
who established the arena – with a crowd capacity of over 100,000
people – as the public centre of his city. It was here that Justinian's
mate, Theodora, first appeared on the stage of history as a dancing girl
in a circus troop to catch the eye of her illustrious benefactor and eventual
partner. The Hippodrome was also the site of the notorious Nika or “victory”
riots between the Green and Blue religious factions. Some 30,000 died in
five days of urban warfare; St Sophia was destroyed for the second time;
and Justinian was nearly driven from his throne.
Kariye Muzesi (Chora Monastery)
Just inside the Edirne Gate, this is an essential stop (open 9.30 am-4.30
pm , closed Tuesdays). Originally known as the Monastery of St Saviour
in Chora (“in the country”), because it stood outside
Constantine 's city walls, it was rebuilt several times, and the existing
church was the project of the mother-in-law of Emperor Alexius I Comnenus.
Its walls are rich with over 100 of the finest Byzantine mosaics in the
world, the work of Artist Grand Logethete Theodore Metochites in 1315-21.
They depict Biblical scenes from the annunciation to the Last Judgement.
Dikilitas (Obelisk of Pharaoh Thutmose)
One of the monuments in the Hippodrome, it was brought by Constantine from Karnak in Egypt , during his general plunder of the portable monuments of the ancient world.
Aya Sofya (St. Sophia)
The Church of Holy Wisdom – in not only the main Byzantine building still standing in Istanbul, unquestionably the most spectacular sight in the city and one of the finest architectural creations in the world, but it is probably also one of the most important. Almost since it was built, this imposing edifice has been a source of political controversy and remains so today. Now and again it comes under dispute between those how would prefer to see it become a mosque, as it was in Ottoman times, and those who are happy that it remains a museum and relic of Byzantium. Meanwhile, government bureaucracy, its pre-Islamic origin, and lack of funding have led to shocking neglect and it is in urgent need of repair. It is open Tues-Sun: 9.30 am-4.30 pm. Dedicated in 536 during the reign of Justinian, the church, actually the third on the site, was the architectural wonder of its time. The first church, built by Constantine 's son, Constantinus, burned to the ground in 404, while the second, built by Theodosius in 415, was torched during the Nika riots of 532.
The present structure, whose dome has inspired architectural design for 1,500 years, was basically the creation of Anthenius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus, who laboured for nearly six years before the church could be consecrated on 26 December, 537 . It was reconsecrated in 563 after repairs following an earthquake which ruined the symmetry of the dome. It now stands 56 metres (183 ft) high and measure 32 metres (105 ft) from east to west and 32 metres (105 ft) from north to south. Thin marble panels absorbed and reflected the light of thousands of candles and lamps, which illuminated the entire building so well that it was used a lighthouse – though it is dim and mysterious today. The myriad candles possibly accounted for the first great fire that destroyed the original edifice, as well as much of the city.
Tradition maintains that the area around the emperor's throne was the official
centre of the world. Also on the main floor is the “sweating
column”, where Justinian was said to have cured a migraine by
resting his head against the stone, leading to the belief that when rubbed,
each of the pillars in the church could cure a specific disease. Centuries
of visitors touching the spot has resulted in a deep dent, now framed in
brass and called the “holy hole”.
When Justinian built Aya Sofya, he filled it with decorative mosaics. Later emperors added figurative ones, destroyed by the Iconoclasts between 729 and 843. The mosaics in the church today all postdate that period, and were preserved after the Muslim conquest of the city (when it became a mosque), thanks to a simple coat of whitewash. The mosaics were rediscovered during renovations in the 1930s when Ataturk converted it into a national museum.
Yerebatan Sarayi (Basilica Cistern)
Diagonally across from the Haghia Sophia, near the top of the Divan Yolu (the Imperial Way ), is the Basilica Cistern, popularly known as the Sunken Palace – Yerebatan Sarayi (open daily 9am-5pm ; entrance fee). This was restored in 1987 after the removal of several hundred years' worth of mud and rubbish. Begun by Constantine but expanded by Justinian in 532 for storing the imperial water supply, it may originally have been accessible from the Imperial Palace complex, but fell into disuse during Ottoman times.
Today, it provides a bizarre attraction, in the form of an eerily lit underground chamber, its cathedral-like ceiling supported by 336 columns. It still contains a few feet of water, over which bridges have been built to give visitors the full effect. So inspiring is the site that it has been used as a film set and for audiovisual installations during the Istanbul Arts Biennial. The early Medusa heads, one on its side, were probably poached from pre-Christian ruins.
Topkapi Sarayi ( Topkapi Palace )
Located behind Aya Sofya is the Topkapi Palace (open 9.30am-5pm ; closed Tuesdays, entrance fee). The complex is considerably smaller than the original (it used to extend down to the Sea of Marmara, including today's Sirkeci railway station and Gulhane Park), but the grounds are still enormous. You need a full day to appreciate it properly.
This was the nerve-centre of the far-flung Ottoman Empire after Mehmet the Conqueror's great-grandson, Suleyman the Magnificent, made the decision to consolidate the seat of the Ottoman Empire and his royal residence, harem included. The palace became the setting for many both sublime and sordid events throughout 400 years of history until the construction of Dolmabahce Palace further along the Bosphorus in the mid-19 th century.
Though structurally reflecting Mehmet I's original plans, the sprawling, eclectic compound overlooking the confluence of the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the Sea or Marmara reflects no single particular architectural stamp. Every new sultan elaborated on the building according to need, and four major fires did little to preserve whatever architectural unity might have existed. The only original buildings left from the time of Mehmet I are the Raht Hazinesi (or Treasury Building), which was his original palace, the inner and outer walls, and the Cinili Kosk (Tiled Pavilion), just below the palace in Gulhane Park. The latter is now home to the Museum of Turkish Porcelains, which displays early Selcuk and Ottoman ceramics as well as exquisite some Iznik tiles from the 17 th and 18 th centuries (open daily 9.30am-noon; entrance fee).
The main Topkapi Palace complex consists of three distinct areas, the Birun ( Outer Palace ), Enderun ( Inner Palace ) and Harem, each of them broken down into various courtyards connected by a maze of gates.
At one time over 50,000 people lived and worked on the palace grounds, a veritable city within a city, complete with dormitories for various guards, craftsmen and gardeners, all wearing their own distinctive garb for easy identification. In addition to discreet neighbouring mosques and baths, the palace even had its own zoo, where lions, elephants, bears and other gifts from foreign rulers were kept.
The Bab-i Humayun (Imperial Gate), the main entrance to the palace erected by Mehmet I in 1478, leads to the First Courtyard where the Janissaries, the Praetorian Guards of the Ottomans, were once headquartered. To the left upon entering is the unmissable Aya Irini (St Eirene), the oldest Byzantine church in Istanbul . Next to it is the Darphane (Imperial Mint), site of the Istanbul Living City Exhibition which first opened for the UN Habitat II Conference in 1996 and which hopes to establish itself as a permanent museum. This presentation of the city does a great deal to correct the historical balance between Byzantine and Ottoman history as conventionally presented, and is a mind-spinning overview of and area inhabited since Neolithic times.
The Harem
The Harem is also reached from the second courtyard. Of all parts of the
palace, this probably most unflames the visitor's imagination, fuelled
by images of odalisques and slaves reclining on divans waiting for the
sultan's pleasure. There were over 300 rooms (of which 40 are open today),
but half were cramped cubicles for the lesser eunuchs, servants and concubines.
Rooms increase in size and opulence as you approach the chambers of favourite
concubines and legal wives, of which there could be only four. Thanks to
the legacy of Roxelana, chief wife of Suleyman the Magnificent, the Valide
Sultan (“mother of the sultan”) was to become effective
queen of the domain and could exert great influence – her apartment
was second only to the sultan's own voluptuously ornate private rooms.
Even in its most decadent days, the Harem was hardly the den of unfettered sex and iniquity conjured up by many – there was too much competition. Sex with the sultan could hardly be a spontaneous affair – according to records left by one legal wife, he simply requested the Chief Black Eunuch to inform the girl he had chosen, after which she was bathed, perfumed, dressed, and sent a gift. Unless she was especially favoured, he then presented himself at her chamber, (only a very few ever entered the sultan's rooms), where the date and time were recorded. If she became with child, that, too, went on record; if the birth resulted in a boy, she acquired the elevated status of Haseki Sultan . Some sultans were known to be disinterested in and even hostile towards women, and a preference for boys was not unknown. Osman II even wore spiked shoes in the harem so that the grating sound would warn the women to get out of his way.
For the first 150 years of Ottoman rule, the brothers of each new sultan were strangled with a silken cord – in 1595 Sultan Mehmet III had 19 siblings murdered to avoid any later power struggles. This could lead to difficulties later is no heir was forthcoming in time and later Ottomans rethought the strategy. The Fourth Courtyard contains a rather disturbing legacy of their solution – the Veliaht Dairesi (Gilded Cage), where, in an effort to cut down on such rampant fratricide, the siblings of the heir apparent were kept safely out of the way in indulged isolation, awaiting the possibility of power. The conditions were not ideally suited to producing great leadership, however, and are often considered to have contributed to the fall of the empire. Deli Ibrahim (Ibrahim the Mad) suffered from extreme paranoia after 22 years in debauched isolation – his reign is primarily remembered for the 280 concubines he ordered drowned in the Bosphorus upon hearing rumours of a harem plot.
Sultan Ahmet I Camii (Blue Mosque)
The most famous, if not necessarily the most beautiful, mosque in the old
city is the Blue Mosque, facing Aya Sofya from across Sultanahmet Square
. It is a purposefully imposing structure, its interior walls clad in exquisite
Iznik tiles, built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Mehmet Aga. A
student of the great architect Sinan, Aga built the mosque both as a means
of showing the world that he had outstripped his mater – and the architects
of Aya Sofya – and as a tribute to the superiority of Islam. It still
maintains that symbolism for many Muslims. The mosque, with 260 windows,
associated religious school, hospital, caravansaray and soup kitchen (the
kulliye or “complete social centre” in the Islamic
sense) is impressive for size alone. Its six minarets nearly caused a major
rift, as this was as many as the great mosque in Mecca ; the Sultan had
to donate an extra minaret to Mecca to quell the row.
Kapali Carsi (Grand Bazaar)
A favourite tourist haunt covering the size of a city block, where everything from carpets to leather jackets, antiques, silver, icons and gold are haggled over. The selection is superb. Competition also keeps the prices reasonable, but shop around before you commit to heavy bargaining. The average shop-owner is no dummy, so don't expect to pick up some rare and dusty item for peanuts.
The Goldern Horn (Halic)
The Golden Horn is an inland body of water, once the private playground of sultans and a favourite place to picnic. But the city's population explosion during the 1950s, coupled with ineffective zoning laws, have turned the once pristine waters into Turkey 's Lake Erie .
Bosphorus
A stay in İstanbul is not complete without the traditional and
unforgettable boat excursion up the Bosphorus, the winding strait that
separates Europe and Asia. Its shores offer a delightful mixture of past
and present, grand splendor and simple beauty. Modern hotels stand next
to yali (shorefront wooden villas), marble palaces abut rustic stone fortresses,
and elegant compounds neighbor small fishing villages. The best way to
see the Bosphorus is to board one of the passenger boats that regularly
zigzag along the shores. You embark in
Eminönü and stop alternately on the Asian and European sides of the strait. The round-trip excursion, at a very reasonable cost, takes about six hours. If you wish a private voyage, you can contact one of the agencies which specialize in organizing day or night mini-cruises.
During the journey, you pass in front of the magnificent Dolmabahçe
Palace; farther along rise the green parks and imperial pavilions of Yildiz
Palace. On the edge of this park, on the coast, stands Çiragan Palace
,now restored as a grand hotel. Refurbished in 1874 by Sultan Abdülaziz,
it stretches for 300 meters along the Bosphorus shore, its ornate marble
facades reflecting the swiftly moving water. In Ortaköy, the next
stop, artists gather every Sunday to exhibit their works in a streetside
gallery. The variety of people create a lively scene; sample a delicious
bite from one of the street vendors. In Ortaköy, there is a church,
mosque and a synagogue that have existed side by side for hundreds of years
- a tribute to Turkish secularism and tolerance. Overshadowing İstanbul's
traditional architecture is the Bosphorus Bridge, one of the world's largest
suspension bridges linking Europe and Asia.
The beautiful Beylerbeyi Palace lies just past the bridge on the Asian
side. Behind the palace rises Çamlica Hill, the highest point of
İstanbul. You can drive here to admire the magnificent panorama
of İstanbul as well as the beautiful landscaped gardens. On
the opposite shore, the wooden Ottoman villas of Arnavutköy contrast
with the luxurious modern apartments of neighboring Bebek. A few kilometers
farther out, facing each other across the straits like sentries guarding
the city, stand the fortresses of Rumeli Hisari and Anadolu Hisari. The
Göksu Palace, sometimes known as Küçüksu Palace graces
the Asian shore, next to Anadolu Hisari. The second link between the two
continents; the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge straddles the waterway just
past the two fortresses.
From Duatepe Hill, on the European side, you can admire the magnificent
panorama of the bridge and the Bosphorus. Below Duatepe, beautiful Emirgan
Park bursts with color when the tulips bloom in spring. Opposite, on the
Asian shore is Kanlica, a fishing village now a favored suburb for wealthy
İstanbulites. Crowds gather in the restaurants and cafes along
its shores to sample its famous yogurt. Shortly after Kanlica and Çubuklu
is the Beykoz Korusu (Abraham Pasa Woods), a popular retreat. In the cafes
and restaurants you can enjoy the delightful views and clear fresh air.
On the European side, at Tarabya Bay, yachts seem to dance at their moorings.
The coast road bustles with taverns and fish restaurants from Tarabya to
the charming suburbs of Sariyer and Büyükdere. Sariyer has one
of the largest fish markets in İstanbul and is also famous for
its delicious varieties of milk puddings and börek (pastries). A little
further on past Sariyer, the narrow strait widens and disappears into the
Black Sea.
Dolmabahce Palace
This 19 th century palace was built by Sultan Abdulmecid to compete with his European rivals. It represents everything incongruous about Istanbul aesthetics, with tons of gold being wasted on elaborate decoration, bankrupting the state. True, there are some interesting carpets and objects d'art to be found here, but the general impression it conveys is one of complete irresponsibility and over-whelming bad taste – a museum of kitsch. Many of the treasures and building itself are now in a sad state of neglect. Abdulmecid died shortly after the palace's completion; his successor and brother, Abdulaziz, was apparently so disgusted with the building that he built his own palace, the Beylerbeyi.
Anadoluhisar ( Anatolian Castle ) &
Rumelihisar ( Thracian Castle )
The two castles look quaint and harmless enough, but Rumelihisar was built in 1452 when Sultan Mehmet used the two castles in tandem to choke off all aid to beleaguered Constantinople during the final siege of the city.
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