A spectacular day in historic Istanbul: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Hippodrome, the Sultanahmet (Blue) Mosque

Friday, May 6

Sirecki Mansion Hotel - our location for the next 5 days

View from our balcony to the Golden Horn/Bosphorus

Our balcony looks out on Gulhane Park  and the old city wall of Topkapi Palace

Our street follows the old Topkapi Palace walls and along Tram number 1 - on the horizon is the Blue Mosque

Today was a very full and inspiring day – touring all the “must see” sights in old town Istanbul.   We walked with our guide, Mustafa, for close to 9 hours, exceeded 7 miles (more than 14,000 steps) and logged in more than 600 digital photos.

Muammer and Mustafa met us at the hotel as we were finishing breakfast around 8:45.  We left our hotel around 9 AM, grabbing umbrellas, as it was predicted to rain.  Our hotel is located on Taya Hatun Sokagi and is adjacent to the old palace wall that surrounds the Gulhane Park – the Topkapi palace gardens which were stocked with game for the sultans to hunt when the palace was the seat of their Ottoman rule.  Our 4^th floor room has a balcony that looks directly down on a particularly nice section of the park, with a rose garden.

We followed the tracks of Tram number 1, moving south from the Seraglio Point area to the Sultanahmet district.  Muammer said goodbye, and left us in the capable hands of Mustafa to be our guide as we visit the Hippodrome, Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, the Sultanahmet (Blue) Mosque and the Basilica Cistern.

We began at the Hippodrome, which now serves as a lovely park and meeting place, adorned on one end with the German Fountain (Kaiser Wilhelm II, 1898) and the Finuz Aga Mosque and at the other with the Egyptian Obelisk (from 1500 BC at Luxor – brought to the Hippodrome by Constantine), the (incomplete) Serpentine Column (from the Oracle at Delphi in Greece, 400 BC) and Constantine’s Column (from 330 AD to celebrate the new capital of the Roman empire).  Missing are the 4 bronze horses that were taken from Constantinople during the 4^th Crusade taken by Dandolo to adorn San Marco in Venezia in the 1200s.  Mustafa told us about a terrible riot that occurred in the Hippodrome in 532 – the Nika Revolt-which resulted in the massacre of 30,000 people by Emperor Justinian’s general Belisarius.

The German Fountain at the Hippodrome

Mike and our spectacular guide, Mustafa, chatting in the open public space at the Hippodrome

The Egyptian Obelisk and Constantine's Column at one end of the Hippodrome

The German Fountain - from Kaiser Wilhelm's II visit in 1898 defines the other end of the Hippodrome

The Egyptian Obelisk was brought by Constantine from Luxor. From 1500 BC, it's cut short by about 30% of its original size.  The flowers in front a a memorial to peace because of the terrorist bomb from this spring.

From there we walked to Sultanahmet Square – flanked on one side by the Hagia Sophia and on the other by Sultanahmet (Blue) Mosque.  In addition to a lovely fountain surrounded by flowers, the tombs of Sultan Ahmet I and the Baths of Roxelana complete parts of the structures that ring the central area.  Mustafa says the Baths of Roxelana, renovated and reopened to the public in 2012, are some of the nicest in the city.

To our left at Sultanahmet Square - the Hagia Sophia

To our right at the Square - the Blue Mosque

Vendors selling roasted chestnuts and corn at the square

We walked northeast to the Hagia Sophia – the third in line of three churches that began with a wooden structure built by Constantine in 360.  A second was built by Theodosius II in 415 and was burned down during the Nika revolts.  The current structure dates to 537 and was built by Justinian to replace the church lost in the riots .  It’s dome was the highest in Christendom until St. Peter’s was built. It served as a church for more than 900 years, until the Ottoman’s conquered Constantinople in the 15^th century and converted it into a mosque, and then was in use for another 400 more years.  In the 1930’s, after Turkey became a republic, Ataturk changed it into a museum for the public.

The most beautiful Hagia Sophia - 1500 years of worship

Only a few Byzantine mosaics remain – uncovered in the last decades from under the plaster placed over them when the building was used as a mosque.  The name never changed, as Hagia Sophia means Holy Wisdom (not Saint Sophia, for example), which also fit for the Islamic beliefs.  It was particularly interesting to walk the ramp up to the second level to see the mosaics and better visualize the full scope of the building.  The ramp was used by the royal women when it was converted to a mosque, as the women are/were kept separate in the elevated area.  There are many beautiful marble panels that are matched at the seams to provide lovely decorations for the walls.  The precious marble columns are topped with carved capitals from the 6^th century that contain Justinian’s crest.  Eight immensely large round medallions decorate the 8 supporting pillars with beautiful gilded calligraphy on black leather, calling out Allah, Mohammed and the 4 caliphs and two grandsons of Mohammed.  The mihrab, the sultan’s loge and the minbar pulpit are all in place, slightly off center since the original orientation of the Hagia Sophia isn’t aligned with Mecca.  Above the mihrab in the half dome of the apse is a beautiful mosaic of the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus from the 8^th century against a background of gold mosaic tiles from the 6^th century. 

Hagia Sophia's dome was the highest for a millennia, until St. Peter's was built in Rome.

Byzantine mosaics of the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus flanked by Islamic calligraphy of Mohammed and Allah.

Stone ramp to the upper level polished by 1500 years of feet walking daily

Mustafa concluded by telling us where to go to see the rest of the mosaics and told us the story of the wishing column, near the ramp that leads to the upper chamber.  The column is known as the Wishing Column, and the center circumference is covered with a brass plate with a whole in the center.  It is said that if you put your thumb in the whole and rotate your hand 360 degrees, your wish for health will come true.  I was able to do the full circle – good luck for me!

Beautiful mosaics

John the Baptist

At about 11:30 we were ready to move on and met with Mustafa, who was waiting outside for us.  We purchased drinks of freshly squeezed pomegranate and orange juice and walked over to Topkapi Palace.  On the way, we passed a number of the city’s cats and dogs that seem well cared for by many kind souls.

Michael and Mustafa take a juice break after our visit to Hagia Sophia

Your choice for fresh squeezed juice - yum!

The fragrance of roses....

Hagia Sophia's minarets vary with age - this one is the oldest (brick).

The Topkapi Palace was built in the 1400’s, shortly after Mehmet II captured Constantinople.  It is a large walled complex, with 4 courtyards and a number of buildings including a throne room for audiences, a harem for his family, a large kitchen complex that fed up to 5000 people a day, and a library.  We toured the Treasury, the area with the holy relics from Mohammed and the newly renovated kitchen/culinary area – which was my personal favorite.

Michael and me at the entrance to Topkapi Palace

Hagia Irene - a Greek Eastern Orthodox church (now a museum/concert venue) in the Topkapi Palace

This way to the Harem - unfortunately much is closed for renovations

The armory and display of weapons

A pavilion in Topkapi Palace

A muezzin calls to prayer at noon (ish)

We stopped for lunch near the Basilica Cistern entrance at a restaurant called the Pudding Shop – Mustafa says it got it’s start in the early 60’s as a place that catered to hippies.  We had a nice table at the window and enjoyed well-prepared Ottoman style food – a lamb and potato stew, a plate of chick peas and rice and a salad of finely chopped tomatoes, onions and cucumber.

Lunch at the Pudding Shop

Delicious lunch - stew, chickpeas and rice and tomato salad

Our next stop was a tour of the underground Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayi) – another Byzantine structure built by Justinian in the 500’s.  It carried water from the Belgrade forests via the Valens aqueduct and stored the water underground for the Byzantine Grand Palace.  It has 336 columns – each almost 30 ft tall – which were brought to the city from ruins in other places.  It’s a magical place – quiet and dark with still reflections – the columns and capitals are all a mish-mash of different patterns and styles.  It did surprise me to see how large (!) the catfish were that currently live in the water and swim silently along the walkways.  We saw two large Medusa carved heads which were placed underground upside down to help support the columns.

The Basilica Cistern

Build in the 6th Century by Justinian

We ended our tour at the Sultanahmet Mosque – which was closed today for religious reasons until 2:30 PM.  A very beautiful design on the outside – the only mosque with 6 minarets.  Mustafa says 4 minarets means it’s a sultan’s mosque, 2 minarets means it’s a sultan’s mother’s, 1 minaret for benefactors of persons of lesser import.  The Blue Mosque was built in the early 1600’s and is decorated throughout the interior with Iznik tiles.  At the time we were there, in the early afternoon, light filled the central dome areas and the white and blue walls seems to bring light in and concentrate it.  Very serene, both inside and out.

Dome of the Sultanahmet Mosque - called the Blue Mosque based on the beautiful interior colors

Walls are covered with Iznik tiles more than 300 years old

Interior of Blue Mosque at end of day

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a shop whose family is artisans in tile making from Iznik.  We watched a potter form a traditional Hittite style vase on a kick wheel – a long necked bottle used to collect tears from the wives when their men were off to fight in other lands.  The kick wheel (also from Hittite times) is powered by the artist basically pushing the wheel regularly with his foot to keep it spinning.  We saw some lovely and masterful designs of marble tiles and vessels.  I think Michael and I may have to come back for some shopping when we’re not so jet lagged.

 

Making a Hittite style vase with a kick wheel

By now, it was close to 5 PM and we said goodbye to Mustafa until we see him again on Monday.  We walked home to our hotel and have spent a relaxing evening watching the evening sun shine on the Gulhane Park gardens from our balcony.  We had a bit of fun talking to Charlie and Elizabeth on Facetime.  Charlie (hearing a siren going down the street by our hotel) – “Grandma, what’s that noise?  I think you have a fire truck going by.” – and then he wanted to see it, of course.

We plan to get a little extra rest tonight to conquer the jet lag and be ready for a fun day tomorrow with Muammer out in the old city and the bazaars.  So glad to be here!

A FEW LAST JUXTAPOSITIONS and Thanks to Mustafa for a great day: