Istanbul, Turkey
Our morning started early with me stepping out of the hotel and right in the middle of a three-way street cat fight. I came out unscathed and Josh got a good laugh. What we had heard about the stray cats of Istanbul is absolutely true – they are EVERYWHERE! Most are not friendly. I started taking photos of all the cats I saw, but there were so many the task grew tedious quite quickly.
Our first stop of the day was the Topkapi Palace. Located a short 5 minute walk from our hotel,. The Palace was the former capital of the Ottoman Empire and home to the Empire’s Sultans for over 400 years. I was clearly meant to be a Sultan and thoroughly enjoyed roaming around the beautiful gardens (the tulips are in full bloom), cozy pavilions and the Sultan’s private Harem (a few Turkish Lira more – but totally worth it).
The Palace grounds had several great views of the city and were laid out more like a campus than a palace (lots of different buildings connected by walkways and gardens). One of our favorite rooms was the Privy Chamber of the Treasury, which housed an exhibit on calligraphy and word portraits of the Prophet Muhammad.
Definitely, the most awe inspiring area was the Reliquary, which housed religious artifacts inherited and conquered by the Ottoman Empire. No photos were allowed, as it was a sacred space, but it was certainly one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever entered. With intricate tiled art covering the walls and domed ceilings, this building rivaled even the best European decor we’ve seen.
Among the many religious relics were David’s sword, Moses’ staff (allegedly the one used for parting the red sea), Joseph’s turban, keys to the Kaaba in Mecca, Fatima’s robes and many items purported to be owned by the Prophet Muhammad himself, including his sword, his bow and boxes containing strands of hair from his beard.
Obviously, there is no vouching for the authenticity of many of these items, but there was certainly something mesmerizing about viewing items that have been treasured by believers for thousands of years.
Our ticket to the Topkapi Palace allowed us free entry into the Istanbul Archaeological Museum and the Hagia Irene (Holy Peace). The Archaeological Museum was under renovation so much of it was inaccessible. We did visit a few conjoined exhibits (Museum of the Ancient Orient and the Tiled Pavillon Museum) neither of which were anything to write home about. Frankly, I would have been upset if we had paid just see this museum.
The Hagia Irene was much more interesting. The oldest of three churches built in Constantinople honoring the attributes of God, Hagia Irene honors Holy Peace and was used as an armory by the Ottomans. Hagia Sophia (which we’ll see tomorrow) honors Holy Wisdom and was turned into a mosque after the Ottoman’s conquered the area. And, Hagia Dynamis honored Holy Power, but was destroyed sometime before the Ottoman’s arrived.
Later in the afternoon, we walked to the Grand Bazaar. It was extremely loud and crowded. A big tourist attraction with tons of people, the Bazaar felt like exactly the kind of place the U.S. State Dept. Travel Warning (issued a few days before we left) was referring to when listing locations to avoid. Josh wanted to explore deeper into the market, but I felt a little uneasy about it.
We eventually opted out and shopped, instead, on some of the busy side streets in our hotel’s neighborhood.
Dinner was less enjoyable than last night, but in a nice location on a 4th floor terrace overlooking the Blue Mosque (which we also plan to visit tomorrow). We sort of felt tricked into eating at this place by the street vender who described the view as being a little better than it actually was.
The shop/street vendors here are very interesting. They are aggressively friendly which makes them much more difficult to fend off than the equally aggressive – but without the niceties – vendors we’ve successfully ignored in Rome and Prague and New Orleans and Downtown Greensboro. It is extremely difficult to just keep on walking when someone is genuinely making you laugh or offering you tea. And, here, everyone offers you tea!
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