Istanbul: One of the Most Magnificent Places on Earth

 

Istanbul was absolutely astonishing. The information that I learned, and the people that I met left a lasting impression on me. The seven days that we spent in the city flew by too quickly.  However, the memories of the city still resonate deeply with me, and I reminisce quite often.

The mosques and the history of each was incredibly fascinating. We could have filled a 16-week course with Istanbul's mosques' histories. In total we saw about 10 mosques (though I saw a few outside of the official itinerary). The Suleymaniye and Ayasofya Mosques.


Ayasofya Mosque

The Ayasofya, originally an Eastern Orthodox Church, was architecturally different from the other mosques we visited; it was built nearly 1000 years before during the Byzantine empire and doesn't have many elements of Islamic architecture. The most noticable difference was the dark stone and darker paint used for its construction. Nevertheless, it was beautiful and breathtaking.


Ayasofya Mosque




Wishing column at Ayasofya Mosque.
My wish actually came true!


 

Suleymaniye Mosque

The Sleymaniye was a bit of an architectural feat, according to our guide, Ali. A problem with many mosques is that the smoke from the candles would become trapped within the dome during prayer. This mosque, designed by Sinan, has a ventilation system that pulls the smoke up and out. It's also the largest mosque in Istanbul. Its design is simple compared to many of the other mosques, but its size is incredible. I loved the paintings on the interior. They were elegant, but not overwhelming.

Suleymaniye Mosque

Suleymaniye Mosque












Apart from the historical aspects, we also emersed ourselves in the culture of modern Istanbul in Taksim.  I think the best way to describe this neighborhood is like the Times Square of Istanbul.  Thousands of people roam through the main street, Istiklal Caddesi.  The night life, as Julio previously mentioned, was unreal.  I'm not yet 21 and can't go to the bars very easily here in America, so I can't compare it to our bars.  However, I was in both shock and awe over the experience.

We had difficulty being admitted into the clubs and bars without a reservation, but we did find one bar that let us in.  It was in a back alley of Asmali Mescit, and they sold shots for 5 lira ($2.70).  There were no tables available, so we were seated around the bar. 

The alcohol they serve in Turkey is very different from the alcohol here (although they had the same generics such as plain vodka, tequila, etc.).  We befriended the bar owner and one of the bartenders.  They began giving us free shots of Turkish liquour.  We tried hazelnut and melon flavors which were unbelievably good.  I bought the Turkish specialty, Yeni Raki, which is an anise seed and grape flavored liquour that turns white when mixed with water. It's an acquired taste, but I really like it



Hazelnut flavored alcohol.

Yeni Raki.





 

Andrew and I at Asmali Shot House on the last night.



The bar owner and his cousin.

My friend's cousin, Yigit.
I met him for the first time when I visited.



Turkish lamps from Yurdan Carpet and the Egyptian Spice Bazaar.

I knew I was going to do a lot of shopping while I was in Istanbul, so I made sure to withdraw plenty of money from the bank.  My mission while I was there was to buy a Turkish globe lamp.  I didn't actually buy a hanging globe like I wanted, but I bought two handmade Ottoman-style table lamps from Yurdan Carpet for 400 lira ($220) and a small table globe for 50 lira ($30) from the Egyptian Spice Bazaar.

Turkish tea set.

Turkish flags.

I've loved Turkish tea cups since I first saw them at a Turkish restaurant in Michigan and have been looking in antique shops for a set ever since.  I haven't found any that I've really loved, but I found a set at the Egyptian Spice Bazaar that I fell in love with.  Additionally, I bought Turkish delight (which is, as the name suggests, delightful), Turkish apple tea, Turkish coffee, hookah tobacco (nargile in Turkish) and Turkish flags.  In support of the citizens of Turkey, I've hung the large flag in my apartment window, and the small one is laying on the back ledge of my trunk in my car.


Istanbul's soccer teams' jerseys.

My absolute favorite purchases were two soccer jerseys that I was convinced were fake because they were so cheap.  However, my friend told me that they are real, but are last season's jerseys.  Fenerbahce, the team for the Asian side of Istanbul, was 35 lira ($20) because it didn't have a name.  Galatasaray, the team for the European side of Istanbul, was 45 lira ($25) because it had Sneijder's name.  I bought Fenerbahce for me, and Galatasaray for my friend, Can.

This was an amazing experience.  The day that we were scheduled to leave, Marisa and I were half-joking (but completely serious) about leaving Ataturk Airport and disappearing back into the city.  When we were on the plane, I my heart sank into my stomach when we lifted off the runway.  I cannot wait to go back.  The places we went, and the people I met were incredible.  Istanbul is a beautiful city and there's no place I'd rather be right now.  Hopefully next time I visit, Istanbul will become my home.  See you on my July, 2014 trip, Istanbul.

Here are some more pictures that I like and think are worth sharing.

Piere Lotti

Marisa and I in front of Laleli Mosque at sunset
on the first day.



Laleli Mosque with Galatasaray Sampiyon (Champion) flags
hanging over the street.

Pierre Lotti panorama.



Mosques of Istanbul

In Istanbul, one of the best things to see is obviously the mosques. Each one is very different yet similar. Most of our first few days were spent looking at these mosques and learning about their histories. From all the mosques we went to, I think the Ayasophia was the best looking one and most historical of them all. With wanting to be the biggest to all the gold in it, Ayasophia really caught my eye. The history behind it and walking through, especially to get to the upstairs was really chilling to think that people have been doing that for hundreds of years before even I was there. It was just a great place to be and to me the most enjoyable.

The only downside, just like any churches or other places of worship, once you see a few, you've basically seen them all and that's just what it felt like. They were all still cool to see and pretty nice to look at how each one was different but they all had the same feel and layout for the most part.

All in all, I very much enjoyed sightseeing but I wish we could have seen other things of historical significance rather then just mosques.

-Dylan

Nate Marsh - Blog post

The single most impactful experience in my week in Istanbul wasn't seeing the breathtaking monuments or enjoying the night life, but a friendly conversation and series of gestures in the narrow back alleys of a wholesale market.

While looking for souvenirs for friends and loved ones with Julio, Maria and Andrea we came to a small shop selling prayer beads for cheap -- a good souvenir. Having the majority of my shopping done and not wanting to crowd the tiny shop I stood outside taking in the last day or two of the city. The owner of the store, not knowing any English, kindly gestures for me to go inside and look at his wares, and I thanked him, but respectfully declined. Like many merchants, he wouldn't take no for an answer. To his right was a stand with thousands if small prayer beads he was selling for one Turkish Lira, so about $0.50. Because they were adorned with the Turkish flag and the man had been so friendly, I said why not and purchased them, along with another set of prayer beads with the "evil eye" on them.

Quickly the man smiled and rushed to an old wooden bench outside of the shop and cleared a space for me, putting down what looked like shoe inserts as a cushion and moving his plants for me. He then asked if I drank coffee, the thicker, richer Turkish coffee. Knowing from my reading and experiences, it is considered dude to decline tea or coffee from a Turk. I happily accepted.

Soon the rest of the group finished their shopping and the owner soon ordered ayrahn for them as well, a type of yogurt drink that, admittedly, has an acquired flavor. Soon the drinks arrived, he rubbed perfume used before going to pray in the mosque on all of our shirts, and he started calling many of the surrounding merchants to come over and take pictures and shake hands, none of whom spoke much, if any, English.

Signs and gestures were made, business cards were handed out, and most if the intent of the sign language was assumed and not truly understood. The important thing was that smiles were shared along with pictures and laughter.

 

The generosity of someone who doesn't speak a word of the same language, in a country that is so often misunderstood by Americans, was the chance of a lifetime. A friendly gesture speaks more than words.

 

Breathtaking Istanbul

What an experience; Istanbul was truly enlightening in all aspects. Since my family is from Turkey, I truly felt at home. The people were warm and very inviting; as I walked along the shops and through alleyways, I got invited for Turkish tea and coffee countless times, had some drinks with the locals and impressively learned how to cross the streets. 

Turkey is such a beautiful country and I appreciated the beauty of all of the Mosque’s and hearing the call to prayer five times a day. I also loved seeing modern Islam and the way in which modern Muslim’s move about their everyday life. I also found that not many people spoke English, as I was often mistaken for speaking in Arabic and tried to reply to them with my broken Turkish/Arabic. Our group was such a great group of people and Azlan and Astrid made the experience all that much better.

I have travelled outside of the country many times before and Istanbul is truly the one city that I felt was very inviting and I cannot wait to go back; it was by far my favourite. My heart is definitely still in Istanbul!

I bought a really cool hair piece that I wanted to share. It was pretty unique; I’ve seen people where them in magazines and on TV in movies but I never knew where to find a nice one. I finally spotted one in Istanbul and had to get it. I’m not sure where I am going to where it yet and I probably don't have it on correctly but it is definitely one of my most favourite purchases from Turkey!

Istanbul - City of contrasts

Traditional style toilet

Hotel Bathroom with modern fixtures

Girls jump rope all over the world



Previously outlawed, hijabs and burkas are now worn often

Beautiful and delicious food



More food!
 



Beautiful traditional music is heard along side modern Turkish rap

Bridal couple in the village



Istanbul has many bridal shops with extravagant dresses



I liked this one, very cake-like!

Our Group

One of the best things about this trip was our group:  8 students (Andrea, Andrew, Bolong,  Dylan, Julio, Marisa, Nate, Ray), Azlan and myself, plus of course our wonderful guide, Ali. While most of us did not know each other before hand, we all worked together and got along. By the end of the trip, we were very comfortable and had a great time talking, joking, and exploring life! Here are a few of my favorite group pictures: