Royal digs

THERE are three structures that define the Istanbul skyline.

There’s the Blue Mosque and its six minarets, the sturdy wings of Hagia Sophia’s crowned by a grand dome, and the regal structures of Topkapi Palace.

Topkapi Palace – the complex built by Mehmet II between 1459 and 1465 as a humble abode on the shores of The Bosphorus – was on the itinerary today and I spent a couple of hours fighting a swarm of tourists to explore this iconic Istanbul abode.

Rather than throwing up a single structure, Mehmet built a collection of pavilions set in four regal courtyards with the assorted rooms and gardens designed to look like a "stone version of the tented encampments from which the nomadic Ottomans had emerged".

The first courtyard was for the public – with a mint, a hospital, schools, and even a bakery – while the second courtyard was a little more exclusive and the spot where the entrance to the harem was located as well as the compound of kitchens that cooked the Mehmet’s meals.

The third courtyard was the place Mehmet was all business and home to his library, the building where subjects were granted an audience with the big boss, and the Privy Chamber where some of Islam’s holiest relics are now on display.

The library in the third courtyard was my favourite space, and when I visited today the sun was pushing through the stained-glass windows with the smoky beams of light falling on the stone and wood surfaces that decorated this peaceful space.

I’m sure that library has changed a lot since the days of the Ottoman Empire, when sultans of all shapes and sizes would seek sanctuary to study and find the answers to the questions that came with ruling a settlement that sat at the crossroads between Asia and Europe, but I could imagine the robust men sitting on the colourful cushions.

The fourth courtyard, another pretty garden dotted with yet more pavilions, was his private haven and the one corner of the palace kept quiet so Mehmet could contemplate the challenges of ruling the Ottoman Empire and enjoy the view over two continents.

The buildings in the fourth courtyard were decorated with the elegant blue Iznik tiles that seem to define both Istanbul and the greatest days of the Ottoman Empire, with every surface so carefully decorated it looked like an intricate tapestry or mural.

Murat IV, one of the royal rulers that followed in Mehmet’s footsteps to live in Topkapi, added to the fourth courtyard during his days in residence building the Baghdad Pavilion in 1639 to celebrate his capture of the Persian settlement during one of his warmongering campaigns.

@ Hagia Sophia

@ Istanbul's "church of holy wisdom" built more than 1600 years ago when the city was a sophisticated Byzantine capital.

The grandest bazaar

 
THE first time I visited Istanbul there were only two items on my sightseeing to-do list.

I wanted to see the Grand Bazaar and the Blue Mosque, and with only a single day to see as much of Turkey's largest city as I could - I was on a ship with Istanbul squeezed between two Greek island - I got an early start and headed across Galata Bridge to the Old Town.

The Blue Mosque was soon scratched off my list, as all roads seem to lead to Istanbul's most famous religious structure with the six minarets filling every view of Sultanahmet, and I managed to duck inside between scheduled prayer sessions to enjoy the cool and the calm of the ancient sanctuary.

Then it was off to the Grand Bazaar, after regrouping over a Turkish coffee so strong the spoon almost stood up in the tar-like liquid, and I was psyched to engage in a little haggling to secure a couple of Turkish treasures.

Directions were sought from a member of the tourism police, and when he told my travelling companions and I that the Grand Bazaar was closed on a Sunday we just assumed he was a jolly chap having a joke with the folks from out of town.

So we headed off in the general direction, reasoning there was no way the world's biggest indoor market would be closed on a Sunday, only to find lots of deserted lanes and closed shutters when we approached the market precinct.

Bugger, no Grand Bazaar, no haggling, and no Turkish treasures.

When I discovered I'd be returning to Turkey, with my itinerary putting me in Istanbul for a whole lot of days and only one of them a Sunday, I pencilled the Grand Bazaar in as the first thing to do.

So this morning, a very sunny Saturday, I grabbed my camera and headed into the Bazaar District to finally explore the world's most famous souk.

 

For the next couple of hours I explored the warren-like network of passageways and alleys, wandering past stalls selling everything from delicate lamps and colourful ceramics to Turkish towels and handmade carpets, and dodging vendors intent on enticing me into their stores and parting me from the Turkish lira in my pocket.

The Grand Bazaar was established in 1461 by Sultan Mehmet II as "the trading heart of the empire" and in addition to an assortment of shops staffed by traders from around the region there were banks and cafes, accommodation for travellers, mosques, a bathhouse and even a school.

 

Not many of those original structures still stand today, as the sprawling complex has been destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries with earthquakes and fire doing the most damage, but the place still has a healthy helping if historic charm.

The covered market sits at the heart of the Bazaar District, with more than 4500 stalls set below vaulted ceilings, but the retail precinct extends in every direction and a maze of lanes accommodate even more traders.

There are 61 covered streets in all, with the alleys named after the goods originally traded in that part of the souk, and those in the know estimate that 30,000 vendors do business with 300,000 customers these days.

Walking around the souk, looking at all that stock and all those people waiting to do sell something, made me wonder how anyone could make a living in that place.

But they do, and they have for a few hundred years now.

 

 

Location:Börekçi Ali Sk,Fatih,Turkey

Turkish taxi

I ARRIVED in Istanbul this afternoon with three options to get into the city's Old City where my home for the next four nights is set right on one of Sultanahmet's busiest boulevards.

I could catch public transport with the option costing less than one Aussie dollar but involving a mix of metro and tram, I could wait for the next shuttle bus which would set me back a whole $5 but include an up-hill hike with 17kg of luggage, or I could catch a cab.

Feeling a little jaded after my 24-hour jaunt from Melbourne to Istanbul, which included a six hour stop in Dubai, I elected for the softest - and most expensive option - and jumped into a cab.

Friday afternoon traffic meant the journey took a little longer than expected, but it was endlessly entertaining with my driver treating me to a display of Turkish enthusiasm that included lots of yelling out the window and several episodes of fist shaking.

Seems my driver wasn't happy with fellow road users clogging up the main routes in from the airport, especially the people that parked delivery trucks on the road while unloading boxes and bags to traders along the footpath.

Every time we found ourselves trapped in some typical Istanbul gridlock my driver would lean out the window, straining to see around the obstacles in front, and give the horn a few quick whacks.

It was hot and dusty, and he was getting agitated because the number on the taxi's meter only increased when kilometers were covered so sitting still was costing this fellow money.

He made his own lane to dart to the front of the line of traffic waiting at a red light, drove the wrong direction up a one-way street to get around a bus parked to collect tourists, and darted up what looked more like an access track for workers maintaining the railway line than an actual street.

He even asked for Allah's assistance on a couple of occasions when there wasn't much movement ahead.

But he got me to my hotel in 45 minutes, I didn't have to walk anywhere or lug my luggage, and I received a very colourful introduction to Turkey for the discount rate of $20.

- Posted from my iPad

Location:Börekçi Ali Sk,Fatih,Turkey

Jumping ahead...again

SEEMS I have fallen behind with my blogging, again, so I'm going to jump ahead and start adding adventures from my current trip to Turkey.

I will do my best to go back and fill in the gaps - finish Peru and add a few photos from my hop to the Top End - but right now it will be all about Istanbul.

- Posted from my iPad

Location:Börekçi Ali Sk,Fatih,Turkey