Our day at the Grand and Spice Bazaars and dinner with the Kaya family

Saturday            May 07

Today was a tour de force by Muammer Kaya taking us to see the many layers of life in Istanbul.  We spent the morning walking in the old city, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market and managed to squeeze in some shopping.  Muammer met us at 9:30 AM and we walked until around 3:30 – covering about 6 miles – before taking a break at the hotel to freshen up to go visit the home of Muammer, Sokran and their twin sons. 

We walked first to see some interesting areas near Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome.  We turned into a small side street and entered Caferaga Medresesi – a small courtyard oasis where Turkish handicrafts are taught and sold.  People were relaxing on this sunny spring Saturday mid-morning, having coffee and socializing.

A lovely little oasis located just off a street from Hagia Sophia with coffee shops, handcraft instructions and a courtyard

Muammer and legendary Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan -maybe some resemblance?

Making Turkish coffee with coals - strong stuff!

A nargile (waterpipe) smoking cafe

We walked down to the Hippodrome area and stopped to see the Milion, a stone pillar from early Byzantine time from which all distances from the empire were measured.  We also saw a small Byzantine theatre near the Hippodrome which is covered to protect the original stonework because it still offers outdoor performances.  As we walked past the Basilica Cistern, Muammer told the story of how he got into tourism when he was a young man by offering to give talks to tourists in the cistern for 5 lira.  He met the American ambassador and his family one day – not knowing who they were – and impressed him and visited the Consulate the next week, which began a relationship that set him up on his business path.  He also described his first meeting with our neighbors and his adopted American family, Oscar and Karen Seibel, in the same area.

Guarding the gates

The Milion monument - the marker at the Hippodrome from which all distances in the empire were measured

Muammer took us to the Grand Bazaar via a roundabout way, first showing us all the whole sellers that surround the bazaar, bringing in truckloads of goods to be unloaded in small shops that serve as storage areas for the goods that are sold in the bazaar.  Closer in is a next ring of merchants that supply the small shops and hans (houses or specialized areas) in the bazaar.  There are specific  locations for different types of merchandize – rugs and textiles, leather goods, jewelry, etc.

We entered the Grand Bazaar and enjoyed a quick tour, including a visit to a few merchant friends.  Perhaps my favorite area was the Zincirli Han, which is a lovely little oasis of greenery, and serves as the center for the jewelry merchants. We met a fourth generation jeweler, Ismail Merim.  He said he is coming to Chicago later this year, so I gave me my card and told him to stop and visit.  We stopped at a tile place (EM-ER) and met Emre Kivilcimer.  Michael spent some time looking at the merchandise and decided to buy a set of six Iznik tiles with a bright red and blue traditional tulip pattern – he plans to make a table with them.  We met another friend of Muammer’s who is a retired rug merchant  and stopped to have tea and pomegranate juice.

Pretty paintings, tiles and other decorations add to the charm of the bazaar

A labyrinth of stores, the Grand Bazaar was first building around the time of Mehmet II (1453)

Muammer and Michael walking in the very peaceful Zincirli Han (for jewelers).

Door with padlock in the Zincirli Han

Stopping for tea with Muammer's rug merchant friend

We left the bazaar to walk to visit the (outside – because of prayer time) Suleymaniye Mosque, the medrese shops surrounding the mosque and also saw the tomb of Mimar Sinan (very modest for such a great and famous architect). 

Suleymaniye Mosque

The mosque's hamam (Turkish bath) is right down the street from Mimar Sinan's tomb.

Views across the Golden Horn to the Galata Tower from the Suleymaniye Mosque

View of the Bosphorus

Stopping on the street for lunch - Michael tries a local version of "Sprite" soda

A gyros is just the right thing for a shopping and walking day.

Our chef

We walked down a long hill to the Spice Market, stopping on the way for a quick bite for lunch before entering this most fragrant and eye appealing  center of commerce.  So many choices of teas, sweets, spices and dried fruits  - I saw teas for relaxing, for energy (including “red bull” tea), for love, for cholesterol.  Some shops were very specialized – selling only Turkish or Persian saffron or other exotic items. 

Spices and teas - happy nose from the wonderful fragrances and aromas

Turkish delight and other goodies

Beautiful options for saffron and other high end spices

Dried fruits and nuts

Every shop has artistic displays and an appealing way to entice you to taste and buy

When we left the Spice Market, we walked toward the Golden Horn, past the New Mosque and the Eminonu  ferry docks.  Muammer said that the Golden Horn was quite industrial, filled with leather tanneries, for example, until the government bought up the land and cleaned it up for green space and use by the people.  It’s a lovely location now, to be sure.  We tried to see the Rustem Pasha Mosque, - which is supposed to have spectacular Iznik tiles.  Rustem Pasha was the son-in-law and grand vizer for Suleyman I, and reputed to be very corrupt – this allowed him to accumulate the vast amounts of money that it took to decorate the mosque so lavishly.  Unfortunately, it is closed for renovations, so we will have to visit a future time.

Lemonade seller - you buy the lemonade and he adds the mint!

Muammer and lemonade seller

Street scene near the spice market

We stopped at a confectionary shop, Osmanhoglu, just outside the Spice Bazaar to purchase Turkish delight (double roasted hazelnut) for Muammer’s guests.  We decided to purchase some to take home with us and they vacuumed packed the decorative boxes for us to take back to the states. The crowds were intense in the streets surrounding the Spice market – everyone was out doing their Saturday shopping.  It was fun to see so many people – non tourists to be sure, once you were off the main areas. We walked back to the hotel to freshen up and change for dinner.  On our way to Muammer's car, we walked past the Sirkeci Gari - the train station.  This is the station that served as the last stop for the Orient Express from Europe.  

The Sirkeci train station- beautiful, but not very busy.

The Orient Express  - last train stop before Asia, back in the day.

Muammer gave us a driving tour of a number of parts of the city that are being reclaimed from old habitations and built into new apartments and high rises for renovation.  We stopped at Vialand theme park, an amusement park that he works with, providing excursions for tour groups.  He showed us some adjacent property that he would like to help develop for a “Rock and Jump” trampoline franchise in Istanbul (go  Aaron!)

Vialand theme park. Great looking rides!

We drove through Muammer's family neighborhood, stopping at a local farmer’s market to pick up some fruit.  I had the pleasure of negotiating for a melon, some apricots and strawberries – but the vendors were pushovers and gave us a nice discount. We then stopped to meet his sister, Remziye, who served us Turkish coffee and sweets. 

Market vendor - made it easy for me to bargain for a better price.

Mission accomplished

Piles of sorted and clean grape leaves - ready for stuffing!

Muammer's sister, Remziye, serving us coffee and sweet treats.

We made it to Sukran and Muammer’s apartment by 7 PM to meet his boys and join his family for dinner.  They live in a beautiful gated high rise community surrounded by greenery, with a pool and playground for the kids.

Michael, Sukran, Muammer, twin boys Cagdas & Cinar , Susan

They're just adorable - we had lots of fun giggling together

Sokran made a delicious dinner, (with contributions from others).  We met Serdar and Esra Atacan; Gokhan & Milike Atacan and their baby Enes, and Muammer’s brother Murat and his wife, Perihan, and their two children.

Milike, Enes, & Gokhan Atacan, Michael, Sukran, Muammer, Cagdas, Cinar & Susan 

We had a feast – I’ll have to let the photos do the describing, because I don’t know the names of the many dishes – eggplant, beans, yoghurt and peppers, chicken, squash dishes, chicken soup – and a great tres leche cake for dessert.  

Sukran Kaya

Serdar Atacan

Gokhan made the beans - delicious.

Michael and I were ready to pack it in by 10 PM, and Muammer kindly drove us back to the hotel – (in less than 30 minutes, much quicker than the evening traffic jams!). A great ending to a wonderful day -- he stopped in Sultanahmet Square so that we could see Hagia Sophia and the Sultanahmet Mosque lit up a night (!)  By the time we made it and settled into our place, it was past 11 and Michael was sound asleep.  I spent just a little more time downloading photos and writing these memories.  We’re off again tomorrow with Muammer – but not until  10 AM, so I look forward to a good night sleep!

Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet) at night; the white dots in the sky are birds

Sultanahmet Square fountain and the Hagia Sophia