September 8, 2013
I woke up to a sweet whisper from Nazo, “My darling, wake up!” We ate a heavy Turkish breakfast, and Nazo and Pinar taught me how to make Turkish coffee. Then, we headed out the door to visit the district of Sultanahmet.
Sultanahmet is home of many tourist attractions, including the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, and Hippodrome, to name a few. We were unable to visit them all in one short day, but the ones we visited were magnificent!
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| Gorgon’s Head in Basilica Cistern |
We began at Basilica Cistern, a cistern that resembles an underground palace. It was presumably located underneath the Roman Ilius Basilica and consists of a series of aqueducts and tunnels that carry water. The Cistern today is beautiful, resembling a large, open tunnel with paths lined with water. Lights illuminate the columns, creating an orange glow, and carp and goldfish swim about the water. At the far end of the Cistern there are two column bases in the shape of Gorgons’ heads, one setting upside down and the other on its side. According to Greek mythology, the Gorgons were a trio of snake-headed women whose smile turned those who looked on it to stone.
Next, we visited Topkapi Palace, a palace overlooking the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, and the Marmara Sea where the sultans made their homes during the Ottoman Empire. The palace consists of gardens and several smaller buildings that we got to view, including a treasury, a library, the Sultan’s suite, pavilions, and even a special room for circumcision ceremonies.
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| Obelisk of Theodosius |
During the tour of Topkapi, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Konyali, which is 113 years old. I tried a Konyali Kebab (meat) and Ottoman Serbeths (a sweet drink). After the meal, we sat as Nazo and Ertan drank tea. It is custom to drink tea after every meal to help digest food that was just eaten. I need to learn to keep room for that, because I was too stuffed to drink any!
We left Topkapi just as the palace was closing and wandered onto the streets of Sultanahmet. We made our way to the Hippodrome, which in Byzantine times was an open-air sports stadium around a central arena. It contains many monuments and attractions, including the Obelisk of Theodosius and the Serpentine Column. It was lined with shops of people selling cultural crafts and foods. I tasted Boza, a thick white drink they drink in cold weather, and Macune, or candy.
Exhausted, we took the train home, and so ended my second night in Istanbul!