Istanbul

Denizde balıkla doğa kaynaşır,
Martıları kanat çırpar oynaşır,
Asya, Avrupa'yla sevgi paylaşır,
Güzellik aşkıyla yanar İstanbul.
(Kadir Kaya)

Agree with me or not, but I see Istanbul as the connecting point of the world. Seriously! Well, there are tonns of reasons and here are some; it connects continental Asia with Europe, Black Sea with Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, Christian world with Muslim world, the gateway to Arabic and Turkic world for the Europeans and vice-versa. Where else can you find that?

Every visit gives me something new about this place besides satisfying my nostalgia about life in Turkey. The itinerary is more or less the same every time. Start a day somewhere in Taksim square, have a walk along famous Istiklal street, enjoy Turkish cuisine and excellent customer service in one of the local restaurants, pay visit to Blue Mosque and enjoy its calming atmosphere, take yet another series of photos of the same things to get the feeling of being tourist in this amazing city. Next comes walking down to Eminonu and getting into Grand Bazaar or Misir Bazaar, and then go for Bosphorus tour on the boat... Maha, friend of mine from university days, hosted me and showed around. Istanbul is one of the cities where I have many friends even though over the past years many of them left the city, thus a roof and a bed is always guaranteed.

One thing I always miss about Turkey is tea. Not that they have special sort of tea. Neither that tea has its own culture like in Indo-China. I think it's the timing. Like Spanish enjoy the coffee after meal, Turks enjoy tea. What makes this tea sessions more pleasant is these typical Turkish small glasses with slim belly;


Another must-do in Istanbul is the visit to historic Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque, 1616). It's called Blue because of its interior blue tiles. It's interior and exterior views makes it one of the most impressive monuments in the world. Sheer brilliance of Middle Ages architecture!

Getting ready to pray, washing certain parts of your body - abdest.

I decided to explore couple of other famous spots that I never stepped on (into) before. One of them was Galata Tower (1348). It's the cylinder like shaped tower with conic roof that is located on one end of Istiklal street, Taksim Square is on the other end. It was built Byzantines. From the observation point on the top, there's great view of Istanbul, its mosques and castles, Golden Horn, sea, etc.

Galata Tower from below

View of the city and Bosphorus from Galata Tower

View of the Galata Bridge from the tower

Video panorama:


(View of the Bosphorus from Galata Tower)


(View of the Golden Horn from Galata Tower)

There's also Galata Bridge. Although I am not sure about its history (doesn't look historical anyway), but it is very popular among the locals as a fishing spot. On the other side of the bridge there's Eminonu; famous place with its Eminonu Fishermen Boats that cook and sell the freshly caught fish directly from the boat!

Fisherman on Galata Bridge

Fishermen Boat at Eminonu

While at Eminonu, I met up with my friend from school, Doni, in Spice Bazaar. He works there in the silver shop that sells all sort of silver jewelery and kitchen stuff. He is also my souvenir gift supplier every time I come to Istanbul. In the evening, we met up with more other friends, Sadyr and Manas, and went to the supposedly best Iskender Kebap restaurant in the city (forgot the name, but I can ask).

Spice Bazar (Misir Carsisi)

Due to the triumph of Galatasaray in Turkish Football league this year, the streets and balconies are decorated with yellow-red Galatasaray flags. My favourite team, by the way. ;)


Another place I never visited before was Yerebatan Sarnıcı, or the Basilica Cistern. This time I didn't miss my chance. It is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that still lie beneath Istanbul. It is located close to Hagi Sophia. And was built during the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I in the 6th century. This underground structure was known as the “Basilica Cistern” as its was built underneath the Stoa Basilica. It provided water for the Great Palace of Constantinople, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.




There are 2 columns with the head of Medusa on the base. Wikipedia says that the origin of the two heads is unknown, though it is rumoured that the heads were brought to the cistern after being removed from an antique building of the late Roman period. Another mystery is why one of the heads is upside down, while the other is tilted to one side. It is commonly accepted by scientists that they were placed that way deliberately.


Another place I wanted to visit, but had no chance this time, is Kiz Kulesi (Princess' Island). Well, next time.

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