I left my heart...in Istanbul...(part 2).

My dearest gang,




Hasan Ali Al-Harawi, a twelfth century Arab writer, was quoted as saying...’Constantinople is a city larger than its renown proclaims. May God in his Grace and Generosity deign to make it the capital of Islam’.

If anything, that was what essentially was for almost six hundred years. It all ended on 3rd March 1924 with the abolishment of the Caliphate and the sending into exile of some 120 odd members of the Ottoman dynasty. Ahh history...

First, though, the order of the day. Seeing we had a very very limited amount of time (as is always the case with any travel), we had decided early on that the second day in this fabulous city would be spent covering three places that to this day defines the city ie the Haghia Sofia, the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque.

After a thoroughly fulfilling breakfast of warm rolls, eggs, Turkish honey and tea (sigh!), we set off to these three historical monuments which happens to be within walking distance of each other at what is referred to as the Hippodrome. Our first stop was the Haghia Sophia.

The Haghia Sophia was built as a Byzantium Church around 530 AD and was only converted into a mosque upon the conquest of Constantinopole in 1453. It had therefore seen almost 900 years of history prior to it being converted to a mosque. Built on the orders of the Byzantium Emperor Justinian, the Haghia Sohia means ‘Divine Wisdom’, it was the greatest church in Christendom and remains one of the most magnificent structures in the world.

Its conversion was relatively simple being addition of a prayer niche, mimbar and minaret. The awe and wonder one experience that one feels on entering the interior would be, I think, similar to that felt by Sultan Mehmed on his first entrance to the then church.

In fact, the world have Sultan Mehmed to thank for this experience as he did not order the covering of the mosaics that made up the interior decoration but merely ordered the addition of wordings of God and his Messenger. The Ottomans did not even bother to change its name but merely Turkicized it to Ayasofya! In 1932, by the orders of Kamal Attaturk, it was converted into a museum but this is no ordinary museum in the sense of the word as the building is the main exhibit!

Next to the Topkapi Palace.
If there is a building that evokes visions of harem, debauchery and other vices, surely it would be the Topkapi Palace. Whether this is a fair assessment of the Palace would be, I suspect, open to debate but in 1459, Sultan Mehmet on a prominent site overlooking the Bosphorus, the first stone of this splendid palace was laid. It basically comprises of three large courtyards, the first two being for public ceremonies and the third being the private palace.

We saw the collections of Caliphs from different eras such as swords used by the Companions of the Holy Prophet, His footprint and even hair down to gems and even the imported Chinese crockery used by them. We have to understand that the Ottomans were the greatest power during that era to be able to comprehend the riches that were being exhibited. When Thomas Dallam, an organ maker was sent by Queen Elizabeth I, to present a musical organ as a gift, he remarked..’the sight whereof did make me almost to think that I was in another world’! If only the walls could speak….surely it would have endless tales to tell of the scandals, conspiracies, historical decisions that took place within them.

As it was almost noon...lunch! In the Topkapi Palace is a famous restaurant, the Konyali. This fabulous restaurant has been in operation for more than a hundred years. Apart from the mouth watering array of Turkish cuisine, the view is mesmerizing as we are basically overlooking the beautiful sea of Marmara. On a summer day, the sea is glittering with the reflection of the sun. After walking for a few hours, to have lunch at the Konyali is absolutely bliss and is definitely one of the highlights of the trip. A must, you hear!

Next to the final destination, the Blue Mosque or the Sultan Ahmet Mosque. The Mosque acquired its namesake, the Blue Mosque, as it utilizes tiles from Iznik which were predominantly blue in colour. The mosque was built in 1609 by order of Sultan Ahmet I and is sited to face the Haghia Sofia, supposedly to demonstrate that Ottoman and Islamic builders could rival anything their Christian predecessors had created.

Unlike the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque is still functioning as a mosque and prayers are still being carried out at this great mosque. The Blue Mosque has been a source of inspiration to this day. Dato Baharuddin Abu Kassim, one of Malaysia’s foremost architects, took as inspiration for the Shah Alam State Mosque the Blue Mosque.

Three buildings from three different eras. We walked away from the Blue Mosque suitably awed. As we walked in the park in the middle of these three buildings, we were brought back to our senses by the aroma of kebabs. Yes, we had the most delicious kebab (I swear!) in the world right there under the shade of a giant tree. History, the past ,present day, Lamb Kebab, Apple Tea, friendly people, Istanbul has it all...ahh...HEAVEN!

In the evening, we went for dinner at an area called Kumkapi which is famous for seafood. It is basically alfresco dining and we made up a group of about fifteen people, friends really. We had a great time sharing all kinds of seafood, finishing with Turkish ice cream. Memories of this and subsequent equally memorable visits thereafter to Istanbul only serve my resolve to visit the city again and again.

‘It seems to me’ wrote the Frenchman Pierre Gilles in the sixteenth century, ‘that while other cities are mortal, this one will remain as long as there are men on earth’. Istanbul.

Ruby Ahmad.




















Haghia Sophia,external:www.2blowhards.com/archives/Hagia%20Sophia.jpg
Haghia Sophia,internal:www.turktour.com
Topkapi:www.omniplan.hu/200503-SJ/M/P1260127-Istanbul
Konyali:royal-olympic-cruises.com/ shore_excursions/im
Blue mosque:turkiet_the.blue.mosque.stor.jpg
Shah Alam State Mosque (Masjid Sultan Salahuddin) :www.users.on.net/geodesic/india/dscf0016.jpg
Yours truly at friend's apartment