I wanted to come to Istanbul after a class I took on Islam. I learned
about the great history it has as being the center of the Roman and
Ottoman Empires and it's current diversity of religions and peoples and
it being the only Muslim democracy. In that class I learned about the
Ottoman Empire, it's glory days, the great advancements of art and
sciences during a time when the rest of Europe was in the dark ages, and
how it relates to modern day Islam. A product of the West, I had only
heard of Rome as being the great ancient world power. I was interested in experiencing this other great world civilization....and Istanbul seemed like a good place to start.
Indeed, we got to experience the progression of history through Roman ruins and monuments surrounded or replaced by Ottoman structures and monuments. Some of these sights specifically gave us an insight into these two great civilizations and helped us walk through centuries of history...
The old city wall
Built in the 5th century by Constantine the Great and fortified by emperor Theodosius II. They were only penetrated 1000 years later by the Ottomans with gunpowder canons. The sections we saw were quite impressive. I was most surprised that the walls are not preserved or restored. There was nothing keeping us from climbing on top - or from falling down and hurting ourselves for that matter. They were built as the outermost limit of the city, but now of course the city has grown much beyond them and they have been swallowed up into city life. At one of the towers there were a few local ladies having a picnic lunch.
Chora church
There were churches on this site since 500 AC and the mosaics are from the last re construction from the 12th century. The explanations on site said that these mosaics were used as models for many monasteries and churches in Europe. Unfortunately, the central nave was closed due to construction and we could only see the surrounding hallways- still stunning!
Haga Sofia-
The first version built in 537 AD, this basilica later became a mosque during the Ottoman Period and now it is a museum. It was the largest cathedral in the world until the cathedral of Seville surpassed it in 1520 and according to Wikipedia it "changed the history of architecture." I was mostly fascinated it how much it felt like a church but with all the main elements of a mosque. So many marks and stories of world history captured in this one space.
Ecumenical patriarch of the Orthodox ChurchAs the Vatican is to Catholics, this place is to the many branches of orthodox Christian churches. While it seemed small compared to the huge mosques we had seen, it impressed is with the old things it had (we love old things!) known to others as relics. They had bones from St Basil in addition to a piece of a pillar where Jesus was whipped.
Basilica cistern
From the 6th century this cistern was built by the Byzentine emperor Justinian. Lonely Planet talks about how no one really remembered it was there and that some people pulled up water from a "mysterious source" while others found it a convenient place to throw trash. But now it has been amazingly restored for our viewing pleasure. You can walk through on a raised platform through the whole thing looking down at a foot of water and a few fish who live there. The pillars are lit making for cool pictures and they have mysterious turkish music playing adding to the ambiance and making you feel like you traveled through time.
Beatiful Iznik tiles- at the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmed) and
Topkapi Palace Harem
I put these together because they are both known for a special iznik blue Persian tiles made in eastern Turkey from the 14th to 17th century. The patterns were mesmerizing and I couldn't help taking picture after picture of these Ottoman tiles.
Indeed, we got to experience the progression of history through Roman ruins and monuments surrounded or replaced by Ottoman structures and monuments. Some of these sights specifically gave us an insight into these two great civilizations and helped us walk through centuries of history...
The old city wall
Built in the 5th century by Constantine the Great and fortified by emperor Theodosius II. They were only penetrated 1000 years later by the Ottomans with gunpowder canons. The sections we saw were quite impressive. I was most surprised that the walls are not preserved or restored. There was nothing keeping us from climbing on top - or from falling down and hurting ourselves for that matter. They were built as the outermost limit of the city, but now of course the city has grown much beyond them and they have been swallowed up into city life. At one of the towers there were a few local ladies having a picnic lunch.
Chora church
There were churches on this site since 500 AC and the mosaics are from the last re construction from the 12th century. The explanations on site said that these mosaics were used as models for many monasteries and churches in Europe. Unfortunately, the central nave was closed due to construction and we could only see the surrounding hallways- still stunning!
Haga Sofia-
The first version built in 537 AD, this basilica later became a mosque during the Ottoman Period and now it is a museum. It was the largest cathedral in the world until the cathedral of Seville surpassed it in 1520 and according to Wikipedia it "changed the history of architecture." I was mostly fascinated it how much it felt like a church but with all the main elements of a mosque. So many marks and stories of world history captured in this one space.
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Ecumenical patriarch of the Orthodox ChurchAs the Vatican is to Catholics, this place is to the many branches of orthodox Christian churches. While it seemed small compared to the huge mosques we had seen, it impressed is with the old things it had (we love old things!) known to others as relics. They had bones from St Basil in addition to a piece of a pillar where Jesus was whipped.
Basilica cistern
From the 6th century this cistern was built by the Byzentine emperor Justinian. Lonely Planet talks about how no one really remembered it was there and that some people pulled up water from a "mysterious source" while others found it a convenient place to throw trash. But now it has been amazingly restored for our viewing pleasure. You can walk through on a raised platform through the whole thing looking down at a foot of water and a few fish who live there. The pillars are lit making for cool pictures and they have mysterious turkish music playing adding to the ambiance and making you feel like you traveled through time.
Beatiful Iznik tiles- at the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmed) and
Topkapi Palace Harem
I put these together because they are both known for a special iznik blue Persian tiles made in eastern Turkey from the 14th to 17th century. The patterns were mesmerizing and I couldn't help taking picture after picture of these Ottoman tiles.
Blue Mosque
Topkapi Palace
Those blue tiles certainly are beautiful, with such varied patterns.
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