Weather – sunny with coolish breezes
Photo: Desley at Topkapi Palace.
Photo: At last... a photo of all four of us. Under the golden roof the Sultan sat watching the sunset during Ramadan (Topkapi Palace).
Photo: The bottom of a column depicting the head of Medusa at the Cistern Basilica.
Photo: Showing one of the four normous elephant columns which hold up the dome of the Blue Mosque.
Photo: On entering the Blue Mosque you notice the five levels representing the five steps: to pray five times a day; to fast at Ramadam; to share wealth; to visit Mecca once in a lifetime; to testify that Muhammad is the last prophet and that God is great.
Temperature: mid-twenties
Today was the first day with our tour group and we met at 8.30am in the hotel foyer for a walking tour of Istanbul. Yesterday and today we could sense a change in the air and autumn was stirring with a few cold breezes and a definite drop in the temperature.
First stop was the Topkapi Palace a short walk from our hotel.
Today was an example of what we should have been doing yesterday: set off early and belong to a group!! We entered the palace shortly after 8.45am and the crowds were already developing.
The Topkapi Palace began being constructed in the 1460s following the conquest of Istanbul by Sultan Mehmed II and was completed in 1478. The palace was built in stages and at times held 4000 people. A 31 km wall was built around the complex on the peninsular as defence and can still be seen today in remarkable condition. The palace was built on top of the hill and came under the Ottoman conquest in 1453.
There are many buildings on the site including the Tower, kitchens, audience hall with throne, library and the treasury.
I must admit I felt as if I had fallen into a book of Aladdin’s Lamp that I knew as a young child as the amount of jewels in the treasury was stunning. We saw emeralds as wide as a cup, gold thrones one and half metres across, gold candlesticks one and half metres high and diamonds of 52 and 86 carat surrounded by brilliant cut smaller diamonds. Interestingly, the last diamond was found on a rubbish dump by a pedlar and sold for three spoons and eventually identified by a jeweller who came to the attention of the sultan. The diamond is massive and was used by a sultan on his turban.
I stood in awe of at least fifty very large cut emeralds in a gold and emerald encrusted box measuring at least twelve inches by nine inches.
The complex included the Circumcision Room, two pavilions, the Golden Roof, the Sultans’ clothes, and the Room of the Relics. We spent several hours being informed by our guide and came away well informed.
We stopped for a morning break and then we were off for a visit to the Basilica Cistern which is near the Hagia Sophia. This enormous cistern was built in the sixth century AD and as much as I had no understanding of what a cistern was I was truly overwhelmed by its serene majesty. The underground system is made up of 336 columns which was formerly the agora and subsequently converted/covered into the water supply for Byzantine Empire.
Our guide, Ergun, then took us to lunch at a little cafe after a reasonable walk. Its entrance was small but opened up to a bigger area in the back. By this stage we were all looking forward to sitting down and having a break. Ergun was most helpful in our choices and we enjoyed delicious Turkish lunches and drinks.
Our next visit was the Blue Mosque which was built in 1600. We visited only a few days ago but we were grateful for the extra information afforded by our guide. We donned scarves once again and placed our shoes in plastic bags. The area was regarded as a caravanserai and included hostels, schools, shops, cemeteries and kitchens. The tiles cover the entire mosque and are particularly beautiful.
We moved onto the hippodrome to view the Egyptian obelisk we saw a few days ago and then onto the Grand Bazaar.
Our guide gave us an hour to visit and off we set for another adventure of losing ourselves amongst 4000 shops! This time we felt more confident and we purchased some turquoise after a little bartering. Goodness knows if we achieved a good price but we like what we bought.
We all managed to find our way back to Gate One of the Grand Bazaar and then followed our guide back to our hotel. Our next meeting was for dinner at 7.30pm in the foyer.
Ergun took us to a lovely restaurant which specialised in seafood not too far from our hotel. We enjoyed the company of our new travellers over a few wines, beers and delicious food.
Tomorrow we leave Istanbul and discover wider pastures……
No comments:
Post a Comment