Istanbul - Turkey

A Metropolis of times, continents and cultures.

In Thursday we received the letters from our pen-friends from Istanbul. Our joy is insurmountable. The city of the cities, with 15.000.000 inhabitants as they told us, a huge number of people living together, in one city. As the digital copy of Teleraph tells us it is "The bridge between East and West". Definitely a bridge, literaly and metaphorically. And the article continues:

 "No other city in the world straddles two continents; nowhere else has been the capital of two empires. This vibrant metropolis of 15 million people, sprawling across the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus Strait, is unique. Founded by the Greeks, later capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire, Istanbul blossomed anew at the heart of the Moslem Ottoman Empire following its capture by the Turks in 1453.

Both empires bequeathed Istanbul a wealth of superb buildings, most concentrated in the old city centred on Sultanahmet. From the glittering gold mosaics of the Hagia Sophia to the cascading domes of the Blue Mosque, and from the cavernous depths of the Basilica Cistern to the Topkapı Palace’s mysterious harem, Istanbul simply oozes history.

Across the curving inlet of the Golden Horn from Sultanahmet are bustling Karaköy, Galata and Beyöğlu. Istanbulites and visitors alike come here in droves to shop, eat, club, visit galleries, cinemas and theatres, whilst the more adventurous catch a ferry to Asia and hip Kadıköy and Moda."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/turkey/istanbul/articles/istanbul-travel-guide/

 

According to the DK travel guide the following are some of the top sites to visit if you ever visit Istanbul. 

1. Top Kapi

Built by Mehmet the II, as a palace, in 1460-1478. 

2. Hagia Sophia

A marvel of architecture due to its huge dome, which has been built and rebuilt many times in history, due to the fact that, Instanbul is situated in an area with many earthquakes. Byzantine Emperor Justinian ordered it in 537 AD and the architects Anthemios and Isidoros designed it. A symbol of Christianity, an awe inspiring construction.

3. The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)

Sultan Ahmet I, at the age of 19,  ordered its construction to the architect Sedefkar Mehmet Aga. His ambition was to construct a building bigger and more magnififcent than Hagia Sophia or the Süleymaniye Camii. Finished in 1616, it is one of the most known architectural monuments in the world.

4. The Archeological Museum

The museum hosts the history of more than 5.000 years, since Turkey, lies in an area where many of the oldest and most charming cultures have flourished and died. The museum was founded in 1881 Osman Hamdi Bey, in an attempt to preserve Turkey's cultural heritage.

 

5. The Grand Bazaar  or Kapalıçarşı.
Bazaars are the essence of the East. the colours, the smell, the spices, the food, the materials, the carpets, as if they come out of a story of Sehrazat. To the West the East always had a sort of mystery which excited their imagination.  

6.  The Süleymaniye camii.
Suleyman the Magnificent, the biggest Ottoman emperor, and the most talented architect of the empire Sinan, created this marvel of architecture, among 400 other buildings. A beautiful construction, built in 1550-1557. The emperor's and his wife's mausuleum, lies in the garden of the Süleymaniye Camii.

7.   Chora Church or Kariye Camii
Originally built as part of a monastery complex. Know for its unique mosaics and frescos.

8. Çemberlitas Hamami
People of the east considered people of the west, uncivilised and filthy. That is due to their body cleaning habits. The hamam baths clean the body by opening the pores, deep cleaning from dirt and sweat, a habit in most eastern cultures. The funny thing is that the islamic countries inherited this excellnt ancient habit from the Greco-roman baths after the numerous invasions.  It is belived that cleansing the body, cleanses the soul too.

9. Dolmabahçe Sarayi
Built in 1853, a huge palace built before the end a of big empire before the birth a modern country.

10. Bosphorus Bridge, Boğaziçi Köprüsü
A cruise  in the Bosphorus offers an excellent view of the city, to admire. You are welcome.

All these information intrigued our imagination and created the wish to visit this beautiful historical city.