Thursday, 23 October 2025

Istanbul

Yesterday's blog followed us to our late afternoon arrival at the Carina Gold Hotel, where we are staying four nights. Too tired from travel to focus on wandering to find a restaurant—although there are many nearby—we opt for pizza and salad at the hotel’s small cafe/restaurant.  And then we collapse for a good night’s sleep.

Today we begin serious sightseeing after enjoying a sumptuous and copious included breakfast buffet. 

We have pre-arranged a two-day private tour that will cover most of the city’s major sights—or at last as many as we have the stamina for. At 9am our personal guide, Aytaç (pronounced, "I touch"), meets us at our hotel for the short walk to the historic center of the Sultanhamat area, where we will spend most of the day. I will have more information about him later.

It is only a short way down a gentle sidewalk slope from our hotel to Sultanhamat Square, a lovely green space in the heart of the Old City. You cannot go far in this area without stumbling on a number of ancient monuments. We begin at one of the most ancient, the Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius that stands atop a Roman marble base. The obelisk was first erected during the 18th dynasty by Pharaoh Thutmose III (1479–1425 BCE). Roman Emperor Theodosius I had it transported to Constantinople and put up atop the Hippodrome (now Sultanhamet) in AD 390.

       Our Guide and Will in Front of the Obelisk

    

A few steps take us to the entry queue for the Sultanhamat mosque, more commonly known as the "Blue Mosque." Constructed between 1609 and 1617, the mosque has been magnificently restored, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Courtyard Entrance

The interior is a swirling combination of color, curves, and light.

Just beyond the "Blue Mosque," the larger mass of the Hagia Sophia broods over its surroundings. Older than its neighbor, the Hagia Sophia was completed in AD 537, becoming the world's largest interior space. It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. From its dedication in 360 until 1453, Hagia Sophia served as the cathedral of Constantinople. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, it served as a mosque; the four minarets added soon after. The site became a museum in 1935, and was re-designated as a mosque in 2020.

In spite of its architectural and historical importance, the building has not been as well maintained. Visitors can no longer visit the main floor, as I did in 1993 when it was officially a museum, today we can walk only along the balcony that surrounds the interior space. The mosaics and artworks still shine with their original splendor, but much restoration work still needs to be done.

We stop for a light lunch at a cafe outside an historic hamam (bathhouse). . . 

. . . before proceeding to the Basilica Cistern, an underground wonder that literally shines a light on Roman waterworks. It is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city. This cistern, located near the Hagia Sophia, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I. 

As tourists wander on metal walkways installed above the below-normal level of water, various lighting schemes create different visual effects.

After our adventures in the ancient and medieval worlds of Byzantium-Constantinope-Istanbul, Will returns to the hotel while  Aytaç and I continue on to the nearby Grand Bazaar. What was a crowded and romantic warren of indoor streets and alleyways when I first visited here in 1993, now seems to be mostly a large shopping mall for tourists, hardly like the authentic atmosphere of markets in other cities.

  

Aytaç takes me back to the hotel where we part for the evening. He will meet us here at 9:30 tomorrow for our second day of playing tourists. For now, Will and I look forward to a quiet and restful night.