Travel Journal
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ISTANBUL: City of the World’s Dreams (PART I)
August 2023
By Sandra Bertrand
Be prepared. When you set foot on foreign soil, you may be taking life and limb into your hands. But more of that later (in Part II next month).
The place I’m about to share with you is no ordinary site. Alternately referred to as New Rome, New Jerusalem, and Allah’s eternal city, it has endured for 8,000 years. Fast forward to the third century AD to find it the seat of the Byzantine Empire followed by the Ottoman sultans for a mere 16 centuries.
Be prepared. When you set foot on foreign soil, you may be taking life and limb into your hands. But more of that later (in Part II next month).
The place I’m about to share with you is no ordinary site. Alternately referred to as New Rome, New Jerusalem, and Allah’s eternal city, it has endured for 8,000 years. Fast forward to the third century AD to find it the seat of the Byzantine Empire followed by the Ottoman sultans for a mere 16 centuries.
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No wonder its popularity. Astride the Bosphorus Straits that straddle the European and Asian sides of Turkey and divided by the Golden Horn – a perfect harbor affording a route to the Black Sea – Istanbul lay as the world’s prize. It was high time my partner Joanne and I had a look.
Putting aside the challenges of baggage checks, security checks, the personal checking and rechecking that passports, airline stubs, credit cards, contact lens cases, iPhones, iPads, Kindles and chargers are all accounted for, we find our way through Ataturk Airport’s Arrivals Hall for taxi transport to Istanbul. We would not see the B&B we had booked in the rutted jumble of alleyways of the old city’s Sultanahmet district for another two and a half hours. Mind you, the airport is only 25 km (16 miles) west of the city, but it was, after all, the day after Ramadan when fasts are broken, and the world comes alive again. As we grew closer, skirting the expressway where the upper Dome of Hagia Sophia Mosque winked in the late afternoon sun, the traffic became almost impenetrable. Car windows were thrown open, Turkish curses between our driver and others becoming commonplace, sprinkled intermittently with solicitous words about our comfort and a Styrofoam bowl of nutty treats. Bouncing about in the rear of the SUV, we attempted to keep our good natures as well as the bowl of nuts intact.
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Ottoman Wall from B&B Window
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At one point, circling the cobblestoned cadesis or streets of our district, the driver abandoned us. We could hear his curses all the way up an alleyway where a tow truck was attempting to untangle itself from a mass of parked vehicles. Thankfully, we were within yards of our Sublime Porte hotel. We unceremoniously tumbled forth to retrieve our bags, the aforementioned nuts spilling onto the curbside.
We’d booked a dinner cruise up the Bosphorus for our first evening, so our wild toad ride was soon forgotten. Leo, our leather jacketed concierge who identified himself by his birth sign, was on hand, shadowed by Arnie, his sidekick. “Merhaba,” or “hello” served as the one essential greeting for every encounter. They were friendly young Turks, amusing us with their solicitations every time we descended the small stairwell for breakfast. As for the cruise, dinner was well underway by the time our shuttle bus arrived, and we were corralled to our seats. The emcee had obviously learned enough international phrases from Babble on his iPhone to last a thousand and one cruises. A bevy of folk dancers appeared and a belly dancer who spoke an entirely new language with every torso twist. While the boat hummed quietly beneath our feet, we snapped the blazingly lit Dolmabahçe Palace before docking. |
Topkapi
Readers mature enough to remember Hollywood’s nod to Istanbul’s wonders will recall Topkapi, a cinematic jewel heist starring Melina Mercouri, Maximilian Schell and Peter Ustinov, all set on stealing an emerald encrusted dagger from the 15th century palace. Topkapi would be the perfect beginning to our first morning’s sightseeing.
Conceived by Sultan Mehmed II as a series of pavilions contained by four enormous courtyards, Topkapi served as home to the sultan empire for over 400 years. As we wandered through this paradisical landscape, enhanced by the tulip season in full bloom, it was easy to feel giddy, spring breezes slapping the cheeks and birds flitting to and fro ornamental fountains dotting the grounds.
Readers mature enough to remember Hollywood’s nod to Istanbul’s wonders will recall Topkapi, a cinematic jewel heist starring Melina Mercouri, Maximilian Schell and Peter Ustinov, all set on stealing an emerald encrusted dagger from the 15th century palace. Topkapi would be the perfect beginning to our first morning’s sightseeing.
Conceived by Sultan Mehmed II as a series of pavilions contained by four enormous courtyards, Topkapi served as home to the sultan empire for over 400 years. As we wandered through this paradisical landscape, enhanced by the tulip season in full bloom, it was easy to feel giddy, spring breezes slapping the cheeks and birds flitting to and fro ornamental fountains dotting the grounds.
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Paradise? Harem life might suggest otherwise: A thousand concubines, competing for the chance to bear the sultan a son. The last women left Topkapi in 1909.
During the massive expansion of the Empire, the collection grew, much of its booty from campaigns against Syria, Arabia, and Egypt. Dipping in and out of pavilions, catching the light dancing off the blue-tiled walls, we were entranced. Room upon room lay before us, holding Imperial costumes such as a red silk kaftan worn by Mehmed the Conqueror, gold filigreed copies of the Koran, documents of painstakingly detailed calligraphy, and a Treasury housing an 86-carat diamond, originally found in a scrap heap in the 17th century and purchased by a spoon maker for three spoons! The Topkapi dagger was meant as a gift to the Shah of Persia, but alas, the Shah died before it reached him. Near the exit, a glass cabinet sports what is reported to be bones from John the Baptist. After the glitter and glory amassed before us, it’s no surprise if the saint was given a short shrift. |
Eating well – I might add sublimely – is paramount to the Turkish experience. Tria Elegance provided a twilight view of the Bosphorus. Seabass stew and lamb chops were accompanied by a bottle of local red wine (Kavaklidere brand). Many kebab houses and cheaper restaurants do not serve alcohol, so pomegranate juice or bottled mineral water (su) are good substitutes.
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Hagia Sophia, More Mosques and the Basilica Cistern
Hagia Sophia, (“Church of Holy Wisdom”), a five-minute walk from our B&B, was inaugurated by Emperor Justinian in the early sixth century. Not converted to a mosque until the Ottoman conquest of 1451, it remains an indisputable wonder of the world. Joining the faithful or simply curious hordes, we remove our sneakers, don our head scarves, and enter this 6th century Byzantine wonder. A hush descends almost immediately as our eyes lift to embrace the 184-foot dome. Even for the well-traveled, the immensity and beauty is not something easily forgotten. A world class museum today, Erdogan’s governmental edicts of 2020 have converted it back to its mosque status. Three white drapes have been hung, concealing the Virgin Mary mosaics. In the four concave corners at the base of the dome, the six-winged Seraphim are left uncovered, harmless enough, I suppose, for our eyes to gaze upon. |
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Mosque-hopping is not unusual, with over 3,000 in the city, from the greatest testaments to Mohammad’s glory to the humblest hideaway wooden structures. The Blue Mosque faces Hagia Sophia across the expansive Sultanahmet Square, known for its blue Iznik tilework and the six minarets that caused much hostility when Sultan Ahmed I had it built in the early 17th century. Four minarets were the standard and many thought he was attempting to rival Mecca itself. On another day we visited Suleymaniye Mosque, which rests on the grounds of what was once the old palace (1550-51 AD) of Mehmed I. A graceful, airy interior prevails, enhanced by a dome with a height of double its diameter. Purple irises thrust their heads through the outer fence of an adjacent cemetery. At one time, the complex fed 1,000 of the city’s poor on a daily basis – Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike. |
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A favorite discovery was the 6th century Basilica Cistern, a cavernous underground vault constructed by 7,000 workers to supply water from the Belgrade Forest. Visitors navigate walkways, surrounded by 336 columns from Egyptian and Roman conquests. It’s a sound and color extravaganza, with art installations interspersed among the dripping overhang. Another stolen treasure we spied is the head of Medusa on a column base. (An interesting sidenote: For a century after the Ottoman conquest in 1451, the cistern remained undiscovered until citizens were found collecting fish by lowering buckets into their basement holes!)
The Hippodrome and Other More Earthly Delights
The Hippodrome is the perfect place to give your imagination full play. It was once the heart of chariot-racing – its arena thought to hold 100,000 spectators. You may not hear the roar of the crowd but it’s impressive, nonetheless. On a darker note, a bloody brawl between the teams led to the Nika Revolt, with Emperor Justinian’s massacre of 30,000 people trapped inside. Taking a stroll through its reduced length, now an elongated public garden, we discovered the Egyptian Obelisk (1500 BC) from Emperor Constantine’s glory days in the third century AD. It was transported from Luxor and remains in pristine condition. The relief of figures at its base appears to have been carved only yesterday. |
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Constantine’s “Burnt Column,” built to inaugurate the capital, survived several fires, and no longer bears the Emperor in Apollo’s dress. But myths survive. Holy relics entombed at its base are said to include the axe that Noah used to build the Ark. Even a flask of Mary Magdalene’s anointing oil is said to reside there.
More mundane delights awaited us. Crossing Sultanahmet Square, we found a cat feeding dispensary. A coin drop releases a fistful of cat kibble for these feline orphans. Cats are everywhere to be found and during a lunch sojourn, an insistent one hopped quickly into Joanne’s lap. The Grand Bazaar is inevitably on every wish list, with thousands of booths splayed out under painted vault rooftops. If close spaces are not to your liking, or getting lost from your wandering companions, this may not be the place for you. We soon vacated, choosing the Spice Market instead. It was there that we purchased bags of exotic spices and even an aromatic bunch of dried jasmine tea bulbs. I opted for a pistachio-flavored roll in one of countless “Turkish delight” booths.
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Our one true extravagance was an indigo handmade carpet for our New York City apartment parlor. At first, we set the idea aside, even with the street hawkers following daily in our wake. If you want to avoid the machine-made variety, research your options and check that the underside is double-knotted.
Dolmabahce Palace, Royal Dining, and the National Archaeological Museum
Dolmabahce Palace was on our wish list, though a bit anticlimactic. How much unbridled material opulence can one attention span take? Such grandeur from the Imperial Gate to the Ceremonial Hall belied the fact that by the mid-19th century the Ottoman Empire was in decline, the sultan’s dream residence financed by foreign banks. Nevertheless, the reputed heaviest chandelier in the world and the crystal staircase are worth admission.
Dolmabahce Palace, Royal Dining, and the National Archaeological Museum
Dolmabahce Palace was on our wish list, though a bit anticlimactic. How much unbridled material opulence can one attention span take? Such grandeur from the Imperial Gate to the Ceremonial Hall belied the fact that by the mid-19th century the Ottoman Empire was in decline, the sultan’s dream residence financed by foreign banks. Nevertheless, the reputed heaviest chandelier in the world and the crystal staircase are worth admission.
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When we exited the main shore gate, we were greeted by a screaming squadron of military jets over the water, silencing our guide for several moments. We could only surmise they were on their way to Ukraine’s borders, some miles north.
An early dinner at Deraliye promised dishes concocted from Ottoman palace recipes. Upon arrival, the chef and his bubbly assistant were wrapping the taping for a TV cooking show. Our drinks arrived, though at first, “on the rocks” didn’t translate. A complimentary meze of minced olives inspired me to dub it the “Turkish caviar.” For cold starters, we chose lamb neck with thyme, shallots, prunes, dried apricots, dried molasses and rosemary, as well as Baba ghanoush, my favorite eggplant and yogurt dip. The hot appetizer was Arefe Kibbeh (kebab), stuffed meatballs with minced almonds, pistachios, currants, and rosemary. It seems the Sultans were not concerned with their waistlines, and neither were we. The kebabs were followed by roasted apple, stuffed with minced beef and lamb, rice, dried fruits and spring herbs for Joanne, and I finished with a spicy lamb stew.
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Similar traditional dishes were to be enjoyed at Matbah in an upstairs dining room overlooking the old city. A lovely touch at plate-side was a single emerald colored bead with a card explaining the tradition of venerating and gifting guests as angels, with many verses devoted to hospitality in the Koran. We walked the short distance back to our B&B, the brightly lit Blue Mosque as accompaniment.
On yet another day, an insistent drizzle of rain confirmed it was the perfect day for the National Archaeological Museums. The collection, spanning over 5,000 years, is understandably massive. Three museums comprise the site: The Archaeological Museum, Museum of the Ancient Orient, and Museum of Islamic Art. Two hours at a minimum should be set aside. Unmissable is the main house with its classical and pre-classical finds in near perfect condition. Gods, goddesses, emperors and ordinary citizenry dazzle in size and artistry. The sarcophagi from Sidon (modern day Lebanon) boasts scenes such as The Mourning Women (374-378 BC) of breath-taking beauty. The artifacts from ancient Troy with a pictorial display of the wars will satisfy every age in your party. Rest your eyes and feet by strolling through nearby Gulhane Park whose tulip collection reaffirmed spring as the magic season to visit. |
Stay tuned for Part II of Sandra's exploration of Istanbul, including a rough and tumble account of her accident in Sultanahmet Square as an American tourist in distress.
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PLACES OF INTEREST MOSQUES Hagia Sophia Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya Meydanı No:1, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 522 17 50 The Blue Mosque Binbirdirek, At Meydanı Cd No:10, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye Suleymaniyah Mosque Sülaymaniyah Prof. Sıddık Sami Onar Cd. No:1, 34116 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 458 00 00 HAMAM (Turkish Bath and Massage) Kilic Ali Pasa Hamami Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Hamam Sk. No:1, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 393 80 10 |
PLACES OF INTEREST PALACES Topkapi Palace Cankurtaran, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 512 04 80 Dolmabahce Palace Vişnezade, Dolmabahçe Cd., 34357 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 236 90 00 The National Archaelogical Museums Cankurtaran 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 520 77 41 The Basilica Cistern Alemdar, Yerebatan Cd. 1/3, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 512 15 70 The Galata Tower Bereketzade, 34421 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 249 03 44 |
PLACES OF INTEREST RESTAURANTS Deraliye Alemdar Mahllesi Ticarethane Sk No 10, 34122 34122 Sultanahmet, Türkiye +90 212 520 77 78 Matbah Ottoman Hotel Imperial Cankurtaran, Caferiye Sk. No:6 D,134122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 574 61 51 Tria Elegance Cankurtaran, Terbıyık Sk. No:7, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 518 45 18 Paci Lounge Mimar Sinan, Üsküdar Harem Sahil Yolu No:10 34668 Üsküdar/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 216 334 97 50 HOTELS Pera Palace Hotel Evliya Çelebi, Meşrutiyet Caddesi, Tepebaşı Cd. No:52, 34430 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 377 40 00 Sublime Porte Hotel Cankurtaran, Yeni Saraçhane Sk. No:5, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye +90 212 517 36 66 |
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Sandra Bertrand is an award-winning playwright and painter. She is Chief Art Critic for Highbrow Magazine and a contributing writer for GALO Magazine. Prior to working for Sanctuary as Culture & Travel Editor, Sandra was a Featured Artist in May 2019.
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