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