HAIDER
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- May 21, 2006
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- Country
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Recently, on a whim, my wife and I booked our tickets, packed our bags and headed to Turkey.
Home to ancient Greek and Roman civilisations and, later, the Ottoman Empire, the diverse heritage of Turkey has always fascinated me. The country spans over 300,000 square miles and has a tremendous amount of history and culture to her credit.
We planned our trip in a way that enabled us to visit the major historical sites, while staying away from the Eastern parts of the country that are impacted by the war in Syria.
As is common for everyone visiting Turkey, we started our trip from Istanbul that connects two continents — Europe and Asia.
Istanbul is a magical blend of old and new ages. We were in awe when the plane landed at Ataturk International Airport, affording us a glimpse of the city.
Following the advice of numerous travel blogs, we chose to stay in the historical Sultanahmet district, and used it as our base to venture out in the city.
Exploring Istanbul in four days was a marathon. Despite being jetlagged, we immediately strapped on our backpacks and left for Sultanahmet Square to visit the splendid Blue Mosque (locally known as Sultanahmet Mosque).
It was built in 1616 by Ottoman Sultanahmet I on the foundations of the Great Palace of Constantinople. Situated in the heart of the old town, the rising minarets glorify Istanbul's majestic skyline.
Set across from the Blue Mosque and rivaling its grandeur is Hagia Sofia (locally known as Aya Sofia) — the largest church built by the East Roman Empire in 537. Following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it was converted into a mosque and then declared a museum in 1934.
From the high dome ceiling which had paintings depicting Christ to Islamic ornaments, the main hall in Aya Sofia took us across centuries, absorbing us into tales of the rise and fall of the greatest empires on earth. The interior of the museum has an intriguing golden glow.
In the immediate vicinity is Basilica Cistern built by Emperor Justinian I in 6th century AD, which is is the largest cistern in Istanbul; and was built to supply water to the Great Palace. Although the entrance is modest, it was not until we went underground that we witnessed the marvel of the Byzantine construction.
Legend has it that 7,000 slaves were enlisted for its construction. One of the columns has ancient text with tears sketched on it, as if paying tribute to the hundreds of slaves who had died during the construction.
After sunset, we went to a restaurant next to the Blue Mosque in the quest for some authentic Turkish kebabs. Amidst hot kebabs and smoky hookahs, we watched a dervish whirling on Sufi rhythms. The whirling, as they say, helps a dervish achieve perfection in his connection to the spiritual world.
Next morning, we visited CaferAga Medresesi, a cozy artisan refuge, outside Hagia Sofia. From there, a narrow back alley took us to the gates of Topkapi Palace.
Home to ancient Greek and Roman civilisations and, later, the Ottoman Empire, the diverse heritage of Turkey has always fascinated me. The country spans over 300,000 square miles and has a tremendous amount of history and culture to her credit.
We planned our trip in a way that enabled us to visit the major historical sites, while staying away from the Eastern parts of the country that are impacted by the war in Syria.
As is common for everyone visiting Turkey, we started our trip from Istanbul that connects two continents — Europe and Asia.
Istanbul is a magical blend of old and new ages. We were in awe when the plane landed at Ataturk International Airport, affording us a glimpse of the city.
Following the advice of numerous travel blogs, we chose to stay in the historical Sultanahmet district, and used it as our base to venture out in the city.
Exploring Istanbul in four days was a marathon. Despite being jetlagged, we immediately strapped on our backpacks and left for Sultanahmet Square to visit the splendid Blue Mosque (locally known as Sultanahmet Mosque).
It was built in 1616 by Ottoman Sultanahmet I on the foundations of the Great Palace of Constantinople. Situated in the heart of the old town, the rising minarets glorify Istanbul's majestic skyline.
Set across from the Blue Mosque and rivaling its grandeur is Hagia Sofia (locally known as Aya Sofia) — the largest church built by the East Roman Empire in 537. Following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it was converted into a mosque and then declared a museum in 1934.
From the high dome ceiling which had paintings depicting Christ to Islamic ornaments, the main hall in Aya Sofia took us across centuries, absorbing us into tales of the rise and fall of the greatest empires on earth. The interior of the museum has an intriguing golden glow.
In the immediate vicinity is Basilica Cistern built by Emperor Justinian I in 6th century AD, which is is the largest cistern in Istanbul; and was built to supply water to the Great Palace. Although the entrance is modest, it was not until we went underground that we witnessed the marvel of the Byzantine construction.
Legend has it that 7,000 slaves were enlisted for its construction. One of the columns has ancient text with tears sketched on it, as if paying tribute to the hundreds of slaves who had died during the construction.
After sunset, we went to a restaurant next to the Blue Mosque in the quest for some authentic Turkish kebabs. Amidst hot kebabs and smoky hookahs, we watched a dervish whirling on Sufi rhythms. The whirling, as they say, helps a dervish achieve perfection in his connection to the spiritual world.
Next morning, we visited CaferAga Medresesi, a cozy artisan refuge, outside Hagia Sofia. From there, a narrow back alley took us to the gates of Topkapi Palace.
