I'm not sure why they've set out our itinerary in such a way that we saw the most historical (old European) part of Istanbul, i.e. the Sultanahmet area where the famous Blue Mosque, Ayasofya, Topkapi Sarayi and Basilica Cistern are located. I remember hearing something about Day 2 (the day of our first tour of Istanbul) being a Sunday, so something wasn't open but who knows, I could have dreamt it up for all I know. In fact, I could have dreamt the whole thing up, superimposed myself into the photos, and you wouldn't know that I've never actually been to Istanbul! Unless you actually do know me, and the fact that modifying photos with Photoshop or some other software is completely beyond my technical capabilities.
Okay, enough nonsense. And I wonder why it has taken me so long to finish blogging about Turkey.
First stop for the morning (after breakfast at Hotel Angel's Home) was the Sultan Ahmed Cammii, or more popularly known as Blue Mosque after the colour chosen for the interior of the mosque. This national mosque is easily distinguishable by the 6 minarets that surround the mosque, there are some conflicting stories as to how Sultan Ahmet Cammii came to have such an odd number of minarets. Did Sultan Ahmet I ask for 'gold' (altin in Turkish) minarets, or six (alti)? Had he intended to copy the Holy Mosque in Mecca, which also had six minarets (a seventh was later added to the Holy Mosque to distinguish it from the Blue Mosque)? Whatever the reason, it is these 6 minarets that now make the Blue Mosque such a prominent feature of Istanbul's skyline today.
Visitors are allowed inside the mosque, through a separate entrance from worshippers. Shoes must be removed, but the women among us were not forced to don scarves over our hair. Visitors are restricted from entering some parts of the mosque, such as the main prayer floor, and the mosque is closed during prayer times. There is a carpet museum onsite that houses the original carpets used in the mosque, but the museum, like many other exhibits on this trip, were closed for restoration works.
Inside the mosque, one's attention is first captured by a few outstanding elements:
- the 20,000 magnificient blue Iznik tiles;
- the stained glass windows (of which there are about 200);
- the central dome, which weighs 1 tonne;
- the huge pillars that resemble elephants' legs, that are the main support structures that hold up this imposing monument;
- the 8 tablets inscribed with the names of the Prophet, the 4 caliphs, the Prophet's son/grandson and another figurehead and his son/grandson (I will try and find the exact names!)
Our guide also pointed out the finer details of some of the features that we might have missed otherwise:
- the 4 smaller domes act as counterweights to the central dome
- women conducted their prayers on the balconies, separated from the men
- the pulpit (or minber) from which Imams lead the prayers on Fridays or other holy days
- the low-lying chandelier, which facilitated the changing of candles and cleaning of wax in the earlier years
I'm sure I've missed some things out, but this is what I can remember off the top of my head :)
We move from the Blue Mosque to the Hippodrome just outside, where horse races were once held. There is a loud, boisterous group of friends at the Hippodrome when we are there. Our guide runs through the information amidst the din caused by that group, we take a few photos, but I don't think we are able to pay that much attention. It is a cold day and we are eager to get to the next point, the Turkish & Islamic Art Museum, which will provide more warmth and shelter from the harsher weather today.
The Turkish & Islamic Art Museum contains many artefacts, and explains the history of the carpets that Turkey is so famous for. There are also exhibits about the way of life in different regions of the country, and beautiful pearl-inlaid koran stands and boxes from the Ottoman period. We do not get much time to browse the exhibits here, but if Turkish & Islamic history is your thing and you want to take your time, you could probably spend a couple of hours here.
We hurry along to our next stop, the final stop on our official tour of Turkey. We have found out that today is supposed to be Latife’s day off, but she has had to work to accommodate the change in our flight schedule, so we will try to help ensure she gets the full afternoon off.
Call it what you want: St Sophia, Hagia Sofia, or Ayasofya is a magnificient building that has evolved to reflect Turkey's history, from Byzantine to Ottoman periods, to its current status as a republic.
The current building was constructed in 5 years from the year 532 A.D. and is actually the third church to be erected on the site. The previous two (smaller churches) had been destroyed by earthquakes and riots. Then, when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinopole, Sultan Mehmed II ordered that the church be used as a mosque. The beautiful gold mosaics depicting Jesus and the Virgin Mary were covered up with plaster, the marble floors covered with carpet, the altar was removed and a mihrab installed in its place (a mihrab indicates the direction of kiblat/Kaaba in Mecca/where Muslims should face when praying). Hence, the mihrab looks slightly off-centre on the main platform. Finally, when Turkey achieved independence and became a republic, its founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, decided to change the building into a museum.
As a result, some of the coverings put in place when the church was converted into a mosque was removed to showcase the splendour of the church. Other parts of the building were left as they were during the Ottoman period. It is an interesting mix and contrast, if a little spoilt by the scaffolding that has been erected inside the museum to support the dome. According to our guide, the scaffolding was erected after the last earthquake in 1999, as it was the quickest and cheapest way to support the dome, and is likely to become a permanent fixture in the museum. What a pity.
As with the Blue Mosque, there were 8 plates inscribed with the names of the Prophet, the 4 kaliphs, etc. Flash photography is not permitted against the gold mosaics, though it may be used in other areas. This rule, we learnt, is quite heavily enforced. Whenever a flash went off, the guards were quick to shout out ‘no flash, please’. At one stage, even a school teacher who was on a field trip with her class told some visitors to turn off their camera flashes. Probably not something you’d witness in Malaysia! Towards the end of the tour of Ayasofya, our guide shows us a jar that is made from a single piece of marble. This wouldn’t be a huge deal, until you consider the fact that the jar’s capacity is 12,000 litres! *faint*
We ended this whirlwind morning tour of Sultanahmet with a short ride to the Spice Market. If you could have seen me, I was probably clapping my hands in glee. We were going shopping for food, people! :)) Even now, I still get excited at the thought of it.
[to be continued...]
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