After starting the day on an audible due to a couple unforeseen closures, Day 2 turned busy quickly. Hosting a mix of Byzantine and Ottoman sites, eight hours of group touring brought us to Byzantium's center, its largest cistern, back to its famed hippodrome and to the city's ancient exterior, where we visited the Kariye cathedral, Theodosius' massive land walls and Valen's aqueduct. Regarding Ottoman sites, our trip included the Sultanahmet Mosque, Edirne Mosque and Fetih Mehmet Mosque. In between, we visited the Grand Bazaar, and I found time to sneak in a trip to the hammam.
Placed at the center of the city at the Hippodrome, the stone "Milion" was once part of a triumphal arch and used as the starting point for all of the empire's cities, particularly the mile markers around Istanbul.
The largest of two preserved cisterns, this structure dates from the Justinian era (527-565) and takes its present name from a basilica that was built over it. At 140 meters long and 70 meters wide, the cistern was once used to store up to 100,000 tons of water for the city's citizens. 336 columns raise from the shallow water to a height of 9 meters to support the structure, and most of them have capitals that reflect Corinthian style. The most popular are two columns in the northwest corner that have Medusa heads engraved on them; many legends have attempted to explain their origins as well as the fact that both are lying on the ground upside down and on its side, respectively. Most likely, little supervision or care was provided during that part of the installation (who would see the base of a reservoir anyway?). More intriguing was that I did not share the secret entrance to the spy mechanism into the Russian Embassy as Bond had in From Russia with Love.
The only remains of the city's circus are the three columns that used to stand in its center: the Column of Constantine Porphyrogenitus (10th Century AD), Serpentine Column (479 BC) and Egyptian Obelisk (1500 BC). Our second time here, I was more taken by Constantine's column because the Janissaries used to scale it as a test of manhood. It reminded me of training for the Best Ranger Competition a few years ago...
In the lower left corner is the mihrab and minbar; the lights hanging above head are at 10'
As we entered the grandest mosque of the city, I remembered a previous conversation with Dr Ross mentioning that the "Blue" Mosque lacked substance despite its beauty. Agreed. Although the 17th Century mosque was grand, detailed, ornate and any other positive adjective you could bestow upon it, the site lacked something to define it. Unlike the Haghia Sophia which had numerous artifacts / interesting details built into each level, the Sultanahmet Mosque was just...big and boring. Further, the floral designs up and down the walls were gorgeous but almost too much.
As I mentioned to Dr Rupert after the trip, I preferred the interior design of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca because I remember the different levels having different ornamentation made of different materials; though the rest of the mosque lacked engineering prowess, the design was well done.
Established by Mehmet II after he took the city in 1453, the bazaar has thousands of shops trying to take money (and give Dr Rupert's hair a feel!). Much like Fez or Marrakech, the bazaar was more modern, nicer and less congested; however, like them, I could do without a return trip within its walls...
For 69 Turkish Lira ($40), I enjoyed a traditional Turkish bath in one of the city's most famous hammams, built by Sinan himself in 1673. The experience started by entering the hammam sauna. Round in shape, the sauna room was covered entirely by a tan, condensated dome filled with 150 fist-sized holes spiraling toward its center to provide light. From the dome's center hung a single unlit lightbulb from a plied electrical cord. A marble slab filled the room three feet above ground level, with walrus-sized hairy patrons beached upon it like the sea lions along the Monterey coast. Like chapels to a cathedral, individual open bath stalls surrounded the circular room.
The marble was hot, creating a fidgety first-time experience while I waited for a couple other patrons to finish their rub-down. Soon enough, it was my turn and I was beckoned by a hairy 50-something in pidgin English to move to his corner of the marble slat and, "lie." Back and front, seated and lying down, the gruff man proceeded to peel off layers of dead skin, proudly grunting at his progress in a manner implying I should've done this months ago.
After a thorough soaping and a few buckets of hot water, he shucked my arms and legs like corn cobs, apparently trying to take muscle from the bone. In between meaty claws, I heard the gruff reminders to "No tip upstairs; you give money me." So, after an equally rough shampooing and just as subtle reminder to place Turkish Lira only in his hands, I was done with my 45-minute hammam experience, rejuvenated and ready for a bit of traveling outside the inner old city. Would I do it again? Of course. Was it as rough as implied? No, but it wasn't gentle either.
Also known as the Church of the Savior in Chora, the Kariye Museum is home to some of the best Byzantine mosaics in the city; unfortunately, I left my map of them at the hotel and was disinterested in most of them. Built in the 11th Century, the museum appears not to have undergone any massive renovations or reconstructions, as most of the interior and exterior showed the effects of time, particularly the barren nave. Instead of spending a prolonged time indoors, I started reading James Barr's Setting the Desert on Fire on a cool shaded pavilion.
The walls have been around since the 300s, and the portion of them we visited was along the road to Edirne. Passing through the Edirne Gate, I tried to imagine what it was like for an Emperor to head out to Thrace for battle or Mehmet II entering through it for the first time in 1453. Both visions were futile, as traffic whizzed by on the wall's exterior highway and bus drivers cracked wise while parked along the wall's interior. The old schematics held true, at least regarding the main wall and its moat.
Probably the nicest mosque interior visited thus far (of three), this recently renovated work of Sinan's was spacious and bright, but not weighted down by the ungainly site of thousands of black cords from which chandeliers were hung (like Sultanahmet). The red floor offered a stark contrast to the pale white walls encrusted with lime green and opaque trimmings.
The crown jewel of the day comes from an unplanned site, the Fetih Mehmet Mosque. Originally the Church of the Holy Apostles, I stumbled around this mosque not knowing its original identity or that Mehmet the Conqueror (for which it was renamed) was buried there. Built as the original resting place of Byzantium's Emperors, this mosque also was to consolidate the remains of Jesus' twelve apostles. Along with the Byzantine Emperors' resting places being unmarked, the original mosque is also no longer due to an earthquake in 1766.
We didn't enter the mosque, only its courtyard. But, the gem for any visit has to be outside the complex in the form of Mehmet II's turbe (tomb). Stepping inside the small mausoleum was special, as the conqueror's tomb was three times as long as needed and adorned by the Sultan's turbin, encased in a very appropriate black cover behind glass. The gravitas described in Eyewitness Travel is appropriate; the only other tomb I've visited on this par was Napoleon's porphyry-covered resting place. Adding to the experience was how he was remembered...
Milion (not the major Ottoman buttress, but the small gray slab in the lower left corner)
Placed at the center of the city at the Hippodrome, the stone "Milion" was once part of a triumphal arch and used as the starting point for all of the empire's cities, particularly the mile markers around Istanbul.
The Basilica Cistern
Hippodrome
The Egyptian Obelisk
The Egyptian Obelisk
The Base of the Obelisk, displaying four scenes of the Emperor at the Circus
The only remains of the city's circus are the three columns that used to stand in its center: the Column of Constantine Porphyrogenitus (10th Century AD), Serpentine Column (479 BC) and Egyptian Obelisk (1500 BC). Our second time here, I was more taken by Constantine's column because the Janissaries used to scale it as a test of manhood. It reminded me of training for the Best Ranger Competition a few years ago...
Sultanahmet Mosque
In the lower left corner is the mihrab and minbar; the lights hanging above head are at 10'
As we entered the grandest mosque of the city, I remembered a previous conversation with Dr Ross mentioning that the "Blue" Mosque lacked substance despite its beauty. Agreed. Although the 17th Century mosque was grand, detailed, ornate and any other positive adjective you could bestow upon it, the site lacked something to define it. Unlike the Haghia Sophia which had numerous artifacts / interesting details built into each level, the Sultanahmet Mosque was just...big and boring. Further, the floral designs up and down the walls were gorgeous but almost too much.
As I mentioned to Dr Rupert after the trip, I preferred the interior design of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca because I remember the different levels having different ornamentation made of different materials; though the rest of the mosque lacked engineering prowess, the design was well done.
Grand Bazaar
The Oldest Coffee Shop in the Bazaar (now a jewelry boutique), circa 1750
Established by Mehmet II after he took the city in 1453, the bazaar has thousands of shops trying to take money (and give Dr Rupert's hair a feel!). Much like Fez or Marrakech, the bazaar was more modern, nicer and less congested; however, like them, I could do without a return trip within its walls...
Çemberlitaş Hammam
For 69 Turkish Lira ($40), I enjoyed a traditional Turkish bath in one of the city's most famous hammams, built by Sinan himself in 1673. The experience started by entering the hammam sauna. Round in shape, the sauna room was covered entirely by a tan, condensated dome filled with 150 fist-sized holes spiraling toward its center to provide light. From the dome's center hung a single unlit lightbulb from a plied electrical cord. A marble slab filled the room three feet above ground level, with walrus-sized hairy patrons beached upon it like the sea lions along the Monterey coast. Like chapels to a cathedral, individual open bath stalls surrounded the circular room.
The marble was hot, creating a fidgety first-time experience while I waited for a couple other patrons to finish their rub-down. Soon enough, it was my turn and I was beckoned by a hairy 50-something in pidgin English to move to his corner of the marble slat and, "lie." Back and front, seated and lying down, the gruff man proceeded to peel off layers of dead skin, proudly grunting at his progress in a manner implying I should've done this months ago.
After a thorough soaping and a few buckets of hot water, he shucked my arms and legs like corn cobs, apparently trying to take muscle from the bone. In between meaty claws, I heard the gruff reminders to "No tip upstairs; you give money me." So, after an equally rough shampooing and just as subtle reminder to place Turkish Lira only in his hands, I was done with my 45-minute hammam experience, rejuvenated and ready for a bit of traveling outside the inner old city. Would I do it again? Of course. Was it as rough as implied? No, but it wasn't gentle either.
Kariye Cathedral
The Southern Dome, Virgin with Angels
The Anastasis
Mosaic of St Peter
Also known as the Church of the Savior in Chora, the Kariye Museum is home to some of the best Byzantine mosaics in the city; unfortunately, I left my map of them at the hotel and was disinterested in most of them. Built in the 11th Century, the museum appears not to have undergone any massive renovations or reconstructions, as most of the interior and exterior showed the effects of time, particularly the barren nave. Instead of spending a prolonged time indoors, I started reading James Barr's Setting the Desert on Fire on a cool shaded pavilion.
Walls of Theodosius
The walls have been around since the 300s, and the portion of them we visited was along the road to Edirne. Passing through the Edirne Gate, I tried to imagine what it was like for an Emperor to head out to Thrace for battle or Mehmet II entering through it for the first time in 1453. Both visions were futile, as traffic whizzed by on the wall's exterior highway and bus drivers cracked wise while parked along the wall's interior. The old schematics held true, at least regarding the main wall and its moat.
Edirne Mosque
Probably the nicest mosque interior visited thus far (of three), this recently renovated work of Sinan's was spacious and bright, but not weighted down by the ungainly site of thousands of black cords from which chandeliers were hung (like Sultanahmet). The red floor offered a stark contrast to the pale white walls encrusted with lime green and opaque trimmings.
Fetih Mehmet Mosque
Turbe of Sultan Mehmet II (The Conqueror)
The crown jewel of the day comes from an unplanned site, the Fetih Mehmet Mosque. Originally the Church of the Holy Apostles, I stumbled around this mosque not knowing its original identity or that Mehmet the Conqueror (for which it was renamed) was buried there. Built as the original resting place of Byzantium's Emperors, this mosque also was to consolidate the remains of Jesus' twelve apostles. Along with the Byzantine Emperors' resting places being unmarked, the original mosque is also no longer due to an earthquake in 1766.
We didn't enter the mosque, only its courtyard. But, the gem for any visit has to be outside the complex in the form of Mehmet II's turbe (tomb). Stepping inside the small mausoleum was special, as the conqueror's tomb was three times as long as needed and adorned by the Sultan's turbin, encased in a very appropriate black cover behind glass. The gravitas described in Eyewitness Travel is appropriate; the only other tomb I've visited on this par was Napoleon's porphyry-covered resting place. Adding to the experience was how he was remembered...
Mehmed the conqueror was tall, full-faced,
well-muscled and strong with a ruddy complexion and a ram-like nose...
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