Istanbul- City of Sights and Sounds

Are you looking for a holiday destination for your next vacation? A vacation where you want to appreciate history and culture, indulge in exotic culinary delights, or spend some time on the cruise? How about shopping? If you are looking for hand woven rugs, or want to buy some fabulous jewelry, you should be hopping on to a flight which will take you to one such place…. if you still haven’t guessed it, I am talking about Turkey, and Istanbul in particular.

My husband Gopal and I hopped on to Emirates flight at 7.40 am and after about 8 hours of luxurious service in the business class; we arrived in Dubai at about 2.00 pm. Our next flight was not due until the next two hours. Having been to Dubai before, the shopping at the airport was not a temptation for me. Rather we chose to relax in the business lounge while snacking on some pastries, fruits, and coffee.

Ready for the next leg of our journey from Dubai to Istanbul, we boarded the flight, and seating ourselves comfortably in our business class seats, we hardly noticed the travel time of 6 hours, and before long, we were greeted by a young and handsome man who took us to our hotel, Kaya Ramada in Istanbul.

Kaya Ramada is a 5 star hotel and is located in the industrial town of Istanbul. We were booked in this hotel as it was in close proximity to the exhibition center where Gopal had been invited to make a presentation in the International Congress as the sole representative of China.

After spending a day at the congress, we moved into Conrad International, which is located more conveniently, and is in the centre of the city. Staying here for 2 nights was as relaxing and extravagant as it was luxurious and delightful! Our stay in Istanbul was short, but an unforgettable one, and as far as I am concerned, I have never visited a place just once. I am therefore very confident of revisiting this enchanting city and explore more of its grandeur.

Istanbul has always been a city that has aroused the curiosity of travelers as the center of the world and as a metropolis where west and east civilizations meet. It is a city where you can see the co existence of western fashion and the traditional. Classical Turkish and modern art forms can be seen side by side in a truly fascinating manner. Being mainly the center for education, entertainment, import and export, and extensive trade, Istanbul is clearly, the largest city in Turkey.

The historic city of Istanbul was originally founded on the seven hills of a peninsula surrounded on its three sides by the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus, and its arm called the Golden Horn. Since the 4^th century AD on, it was regarded as the center of the old world since it was the capital of one empire after another, namely the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires in succession for about 1600 years, a capital where over 120 emperors and sultans reigned.

Today, Istanbul is the largest city of Modern Turkey with 12 million inhabitants, one of the most crowded European cities. Most of the main road and the squares are still the same as they had been in the 5^th and the 6^th centuries. Most of the important buildings, places of worship, palaces of the Byzantine and the Ottomon periods and even some of those of the Roman period still stand intact!

The City Hippodrome was built in the 2^nd century during the reign of Roman emperor Septimius Severus, and was expanded to massive dimensions under Constantine the Great. It is believed that about 30,000 people could be seated in this arena. This was the center for entertainment, amusement, and sports during the Roman and Byzantine empire. The Hippodrome was U shaped and the Emperor’s box, with four bronze statues of horses on its roof, was located by the eastern stretch of the track. The Hippodrome stood intact and remained the most important landmark of the Byzantine. But after the crusaders invaded in 1204, it was stripped of almost all the monuments, and eventually destroyed. Later during the ottoman rule, the Hippodrome regained some of its past glory, sadly though, today only the racing track is left.

The Serpentine Column is one of the most ancient monuments in Istanbul. Serving as the base of a golden cauldron, the heads of three serpents whose bodies are twined in a column provided the three points on which the cauldron rested. The 8 meter column and the cauldron were made of bronze. Emperor Constantine had it carried to Istanbul in 324 AD and erected at the Hippodrome. It is believed that the heads of the Serpentine were intact until as long as the 1700s, but were broken afterwards.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque or the Blue Mosque: this is one of the most revered masterpieces not only in Turkey, but in the Islamic World, as well. Undoubtedly, it inspires deep admiration to all those who visit it and is a striking example of classical mosques built with six minarets. Built between 1609 and 1616 by Sultan Ahmed 1, the mosque is predominantly famous as the “the Blue Mosque” mainly because of the color of the paint and the ceramic tiles used generously to decorate the interior. The mosque is a complex structure consisting of functional buildings as a covered bazaar, a Turkish bath, a public kitchen for the poor, a hospital, schools, and later the tomb of Sultan Ahmed 1. Unfortunately though, some of these structures have not survived today.

The Hagia Sophia Museum has been nominated by many historians as the 8^th wonder of the world. This is no surprise at all since it is one of the few structures of such huge dimensions to have withstood the natural disasters. Its architectural mastery has been believed to be far ahead of its time and unmatched for 1000 years!

The Bosphorous: is one of the most beautiful sights in the world, it is a strait that runs a winding course between Asia and Europe and from one sea to another. As the boat winds down the river we could see several seaside mansions, mosques, palaces, restaurants and beaches along the shores. The view is absolutely magnificent, and I was told that during spring it is even more beautiful as it is adorned with pink flowers of Judas-trees. Two fortresses halfway up the Bosphorus on opposite shores stand facing each other. There are two suspension bridges across the Bosphorus, first one was completed in 1973, and the second one in 1988.

The name “Bosphorus” is derived from mythology and it means the ‘cow’s Passage’. Since it is an easily traversed passage, it facilitated the development of trade between civilization in Asia and Europe.

The Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the peninsula on which the historic city of Istanbul developed, have been the most sought after location in the world during the last 2500 years.

The Grand Bazaar: is believed to be the oldest and largest covered market place in the world and is situated in the center of the city. Resembling a giant labyrinth, it consists of approximately 60 lanes, and more than 4000 shops. Seeing is believing, you must definitely make a stop at this market not just for shopping, but more to appreciate its beauty, and the skill involved in organizing it.

The city like bazaar is completely covered and has grown over the years. When originally designed and built in wood, each land was reserved for a profession, and the quality of handicrafts produced was strictly controlled, sadly the great fire of 1700 nearly destroyed the market. Fortunately, it was repaired using stone and bricks, but is in a much different shape today than the original design. Prices vary, and bargaining is customary in the smaller stores.

Handmade Turkish carpets

Carpets and Turkey are synonymous. Can you believe going to Turkey, and not buying carpets? Before I go into the details of the carpet shop as such, let me briefly tell you about this handicraft of the Turks. The two richest carpet museums in the world are located in Istanbul. Carpets are still knotted in the old traditional ways, and are produced just about in every region of Turkey. The carpets are made of pure wool, silk, or wool and cotton blends in various sizes and designs. The very sight and feel of each rug in the shop bears testimony to the high quality raw materials, special techniques, patience, and month’s long labor of the skilled artisans. The beauty of each of the carpets in the shop was so irrestible that I ended up buying half a dozen of the carpets. It was too difficult for me to leave the carpet shop, and I dragged my feet in spite of my husband promising me to visit Istanbul in the near future.

I returned home to Shekou with nostalgic memories of this splendid city, rich in its history and culture. The holiday was short, nevertheless an unforgettable one. I know for sure I will be back there in the near future to explore, enjoy and cherish what was not done in my first visit. Gopal and I are convinced that if there is one place in the world that we would like to make our home, apart from India, it would be Istanbul.