Kadıköy

On our final day in Istanbul we headed across the Bosphorus to the Asian shore. We spent the morning in the Kadıköy area exploring it's streets including their Tuesday market. There were an incredible amount of fruits and vegetables to be had. Cheese was sold on at least four trucks lining the edge of the market. For lunch we went to a kebab place called Ciya and had the best meal while in Istanbul. Delicious!

 

Bosphorus Cruise

We didn't have enough time to do the "full" Bosphorus cruise up to the Black Sea, so we opted for an hour and a half tour that went about half way to the Black Sea. It was a great way to check out the cool mansions along the waterfront and because it was Children's Day we saw a lot of cute kids in costume. Here are some of the images:

 

Kale: the cool breakfast stop that Anthony Bourdain visits while in Istanbul.

The Bosphorus Bridge: the first bridge to span two continents!

A view back to Sultanahment.

Here are a few images from the rest of our afternoon. We headed to the fish boats near the Galata Bridge for a sandwich:

Then we went to the Sensus wine bar for a quick drink:

And took a nice stroll along the pedestrian street up to Taksim Square:

Kariye Museum & Theodosian Walls

The Kariye Museum (aka Chora Church) is a actually a church that is located about three miles northwest of the Sultanahmet area. This church was built in the late 11th century and is well known for its frescoes and mosaics. The frescoes below are found in the side chapel or parecclesion and show the resurrection of Christ.

Although the journey to this church was a bit long on the crowded city bus, the mosaics make the journey worthwhile. The mosaic below depicts Mary and Joseph enrolling for taxation before governor Quirinius. 

In addition to Chora Church we made the trip to the suburb to check out the Theodosian walls. These walls were built between 408-450. We viewed the section of walls near the Edirne Gate where Mehmed II entered Constantinople in 1453 after the Byzantine armies had been defeated by the Ottoman forces.

On the journey back into town we passed and actually drove through Valens aqueduct. This aqueduct helped supply water to much of Constantinople including the Basilica Cistern.

An Afternoon in Istanbul

Following our morning visit to Topkapı Palace we headed over to the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum. This museum featured many Islamic items such as tiles and rugs....

 

...and a cafe that offered a training program to become a Turkish Coffee Connoisseur. How could we pass that opportunity up?!

We started our course by learning about the process of roasting coffee beans (and even got to roast some). Next we used a hand held coffee grinder to grind the beans for our coffee. We even got to add flavors such as mastic, cinnamon, cardamon, and cloves. It was actually a bit tiresome to hand grind the beans.

After producing enough grounds we added them to our cezve (the little pot with a handle) with cold water and placed it on the sandy heating stove.

   

Once the coffee begins to boil we poured half of the coffee into our cups. The remainder of the coffee gets reboiled and added to our cups about 30 seconds later. This process allows just enough foam to develop on the top of the coffee. Following this we were able to enjoy our coffee on the terrace with some Turkish Lokum.We even received our very own certificates for successfully completing the program!

After we felt sufficiently caffeinated we journeyed to the Yeni Camii (New Mosque) in the Eminonu district near the Galata Bridge. With it's great location and beautiful architecture it quickly became one of our favorite mosques in the city. The mosque had a lively courtyard and we were able to catch a glimpse of the everyday worship life of the patrons.

The striking interior rivals that of the Blue Mosque. 

Did I mention how lively the area was? It was incredibly crowed between the mosque and the Galata Bridge that spans Golden Horn. Rob and I did purchase a couple of fish sandwiches from the boats shown on the far right in the photo below. They were pretty tasty too!

Finally, a view of the fishermen on the Galata Bridge looking toward the Beyoglu neighborhood and to the Galata Tower.

 

Topkapı Palace

Topkapı Palace was the home of the Ottoman Sultans from 1465-1856 and is one of Istanbul's finest attractions. We read that the place can be busy so we arrived for our visit just as it was opening and we were the first visitors to the Harem for the day.

 

The Harem is a part of the private apartments of the Sultan. His mother, wives, concubines, children, and servents also live within the 400+ rooms of the Harem. Although only about 100 or so rooms are open to the public, you can see from the pictures above it would be an exquisite place to call home.

The Palace grounds included a beautifully decorated library and during our visit Rob made good use of the space. The grounds also offered fantastic views of the Bosphorus and the Asian side of the city!

Hippodrome

The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a happening place to be during our visit. There were food and drink vendors as well as great live music. We enjoyed a glass of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice and some roasted chestnuts too.

The first Hippodrome on this site was built in 203 AD by Emperor Severus as an arena for entertainment such as chariot races. In 324 AD when Constantine made the decision to move the seat of the government from Rome to Byzantium (Constantinople) he greatly enlarged the city and renovated the Hippodrome. The major features of today's Hippodrome include the Serpent Column that I wrote about yesterday, the Obelisk of Thutmose III, and the Walled Obelisk.

 

 

The Obelisk of Thutmose III was brought from the Temple of Karnak in Luxor (the first site Rob and I visited while in Egypt) to Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius in 390 AD. It is carved from Aswan granite but was cut into three pieces to be brought to Constantinople. Only the top portion survives and it does so quite remarkable considering it is nearly 3500 years old!

Sultan Ahmet Mosque

The first of many mosques that we visited in Istanbul was the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. Although the mosque is a popular tourist destination it is still very much a functioning place of worship. As respectful tourists we entered through a special entrance and removed our shoes. I also used my scarf as a head covering while visiting the interior.

This mosque was built in the early 1600s and contains elements of both Ottoman and Byzantine architectural practices. Also, while most mosques have 1, 2, or 4 minarets, the Blue Mosque has 6.

In the photos above and below you can see the blue tiles that adorn the galleries and give this building its nickname.

I love the red and white brickwork that adorns the archways. It is no doubt an idea taken from the Mesquita-Cathedral is Cordoba, Spain. 

The interior of the mosque is simply stunning. Can you imagine worshiping in a space such as this?