The Bosphorus, Istanbul, TR

The Bosphorus - also Istanbul Strait (Turkish: Istanbul Bogazi) is the strait that forms the boundary between Europe and Asia.  Bosphorus plays strategic significance during early years as it served only passage between Black Sea and Sea of Marmara.  It provided great commercial and strategic importance.

It's strategic location was of the main reason for founding Constantinople (Istanbul) by Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in AD330.   Other countries aiming to control over the Bosphorus was high during early period of wars.

Two bridges cross the Bosphorus, the Bosphorus Bridge (Turkish: Bogazici Koprusu) 1973 and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (Bosphorus II) 1988.

Waterfront views: 

The Bosphorus Tour

Rumeli Fortress (European side)

It's purpose was to control the navigation on the Bosphorus.

It's one of the best example of Turkish military achitechture.

Ciragan Palace (European side)

Built in 1863-1876 by Sultan Abdulaziz who died here shortly after his dethronement in 1876,

Sultan Abdulhamit II held his brother Sultan Murat V also dethroned in 1876.

In 1986 the palace burnt out completely. It was restored between 1986-1990. 

Galata Tower (European side)

This has been used as a prison in Ottoman Empire and

as a fire-watch tower.

Berlerbeyi Palace (Asian side)

This palace built by Sultan Abdulaziz in 1865 in European style, situated near

the Bosphorus bridge.  It has 6 salons and 24 rooms and was used by

Sultans as their guest house.  Sultan Abdulmahit lived in this palace

as a prisoner for 9 years after his dethronement in 1909.

Dolmabahce Palace   European shore

Turkish renaissance style built in 1843-1856, 285 rooms and 43 salons. 

 Ataturk died in this palace in 1938.   

Kucuksu Palace " A Little Stream" (Asian side)

Sultan Abdulmecid's summer palace in 1856.

Kuleli Military High School    Asian shore

The first military high school in Turkey,  founded in 1845 by

Ottoman Abdulmecid I  now one of the oldest high school in Turkey.

Egyptian Consulate  European shore

Bosphorus Bridge (Turkish: Bogazici Koprusu)

Ortakoy Mosque (Buyuk Mecidiye Camii) European shore

Galata University   European shore

Galatasaray Adasi also known as Kuruçeşme Islet (European side)

Galatasaray Sports Club

The Sandwich .  Figure it out :-)

The Bosphorus

September 2011

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Basilica Cistern, Istanbul, TR

Basilica Cistern

Yerebatan Sarnici (Sunken Cistern) or Yerebatan Sarayi (Sunken Palace) in Turkish is the largest built ancient cistern that lie beneath Istanbul in 6th century during Byzantine Empire.  The cistern  provided water supply to great palace of Constantinople and other buildings and continued to provide water to Topkapi Palace on Ottoman Empire.  The underground cistern undergo several reconstruction and has been opened for public in 1987.

A Cistern is an underground reservoir for the storage of liquid especially of rainwater.

There are 336 columns that support the cistern, 12 rows with 28 columns each rows.

 

Each columns are 9 meters height

The only engraved column with hen's eye or tears shape.  The column

pays tribute to the slaves who lost their lives during the construction of the cistern.

The upside down head of Medusa

 Medusa's head, sideways

These two heads of Medussa attracts visitors' attention at the cintern.  Their origin is unknown but believed that they were taken from the buildings of late Roman period.

Myths : Medussa

Medussa was one of the Gorgons (Greek mythological, monster) with snakes hair that anyone who looked at her would turn into a stone.  Therefore, is it thought that Gorgons head, figure and statues were put with the aim of protecting great building. 

Another myth, was that Medussa is beautiful with long hair and dark eyes who had been inlove with Perseus, son of Zeus, the Greek idol.   Athene, another female idol who was also inlove inlove with Perseus.  Athene turned Medussa's hair into horrible snakes because of jealosy. Whomever Medussa looked at would petrified.  Into Perseus astonishment he beheaded Medussa and showed her head on his enemies, petrified them and thus won a lot of wars.

Medussa's head was engraved in the handles of swords in the believed of winning the wars, and on the pedestals of columns in ancient Byzantium for protecting the buildings.

Swimming fish

In the eyes of the present

Basilica Cistern

Sultanahmet, Istanbul

Turkey

September 2011

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Blue Mosque, Istanbul, TR

Sultanahmet Mosque, Sultanahmet Camii by Turkish which  is popularly called as Blue Mosque because of its blue tiles interior.  

The mosque was constructed facing Hagia Sophia with as many minarets as the great mosque in Mecca causing a major rift between the two.  The Sultan has to donate extra minaret for Mecca.

Minarets are the tall slender towers usually situated at one of the corner of the mosque which call the faithful for the prayer.  

Pope Benedict XVI visited Sultanahmet Mosque during his visit in Sultanahmet in 2006.  It marks as the second Papal visit in history, to a Muslim place of worship.

It was crowded, families are celebrating their festival of breaking of the fast.  Felt hesitated to visit the mosque as it was their festival.  Those tiny eyes on the long queue of visitors at the entrance was enough to convince me to follow the queue.  Have to remove shoes before entering the mosque.  Plastic bags for the shoes are available by the entrance as well as scarfs for the ladies.  Scarfs are to be collected back when leaving the mosque.  No fees collected,  only donations.

It was my first time ever to visit a mosque and  I was amazed by its grandeur workmanship.  Tiles were finely decorated on such a high big dome.  

The courtyard

The Interior

 Mosque by night

Blue Mosque

Sultanahmet, Turkey

September 2011

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Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, TR

Known as "Megale Ekklesia", the Great Church during the first construction of the monument. 

Now, Hagia Sophia, Santa Sophia, Ayasofia, the "Holy Wisdom".

Constructed during the reign of Byzantine Emperor, Constantine the Great in the year AD360, The first building was a wooden basilica. The church has been reconstructed several times.  In AD537 a major reconstruction of the basilica after it was completely burnt on the second riot.   

The fall of Constantinople, now Istanbul in to the hands of Ottoman Empire during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II in AD1453.  Hagia Sophia was then converted to a mosque.

The building has been transformed into a Museam in 1934, opened for public in 1935.

Aside from the political conquest of Hagia Sophia, there was a heaven and earth story behind this.

During the Byzantine Empire in AD1522, Justinian 40, (who became the most powerful Emperor in Byzantine Empire) the nephew of Emperor Justin, the most learned man. Theodora after her religious awakening from Alexandria she returned to former life as an actress.  Justinian met Theodora in one of networking ties and fell inlove with her.  Theodora is beautiful, intelligent and confident in her 20's.  Theodora accepted to be his mistress.  Theodora moved to the palace along the Sea of Marmara.  It was shocking to many who knows Theodora's past.  Justinian did all he could to make her happy, showered gifts and secured financially. 

He asked his uncle, Emperor Justin to make her a patrician (aristocrat), raising peoples respect to her.

During that time, there was a law that forbid the upper class to marry a courtesan, and his aunt is against of her.  Not so long ago his aunt died and his uncle changed the law which gives way to their marriage.  However, they had to pass and respect the period of mourning for the departed empress.

Justinian and Theodora held their marriage at Hagia Sophia in AD525.  Two years later Justinian's uncle dies and the couple became the new Emperor and Empress.  Several buildings including Hagia Sophia burnt by rioters.  The couple supervise it's replacement into most impressive one. 

Lovely!  Heaven and Earth.

Is there still like Justinian exists?



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Turkey - Turkiye TR

My third destination on this year's vacation - Turkiye.

The word of mouth of my colleagues is shopping - shopping - shopping is all good in there.  Not my intention and not a strong reason for me to visit a country. 
Egypt is somehow been long on my list.  However, it's not a  good idea to visit there yet due to the country's shaky stability.  Maybe one day.

A colleague of mine is deviling me to go to Europe.  That is honestly unaffordable trip this year since I already made two trips earlier to Nepal in March and Philippines in May. 

Since, the company where I am working at started it's flight to Istanbul,  I gave it a thought.  When I saw to photos of Turkey...I told myself...I will go!  My colleague and  I ended up for Turkiye! :-).

Here is the shaping up of the plans.

Requirements:

1. Turkiye Visa Application form
2. Round trip ticket
3. Letter of support from the company
4. Copy of ID (CPR or company ID)
5. Original passport to be with held for processing, 3 days
6. A passport size photo to be affixed on the application form
7. Hotel Reservation / Travel Itinerary
8. BD22 non-refundable processing fee

Now, I need my travel buddy - Turkey, Lonely Planet.  The biggest mall in Bahrain with two bookstores does not have the book.  I was directed to Ali Mall where I finally got her :-).

The research and planning is much of the headache stage for me.  Sent email inquiries to tour operators about their packages and compared it  to my Do It Yourself travel.  Of course Do It Yourself travel is cheaper than the package but the later save us more time.  Time is essential when you only have few days to explore a country.  My colleague and I were both agreed to avail the package tour. 

Turkey has seven regions : Marmara, Aegean, Mediterranean, Central Anatolia, Black Sea, Eastern Anatolia and South-Eastern Anatolia. 
On this trip, four regions are going to be covered.

1.  Marmara: 

• Istanbul - Sultanahmet, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, The Bosphorus, Topkapi Palace,  Grand  Bazaar, Basilica Cistern
• Canakkale - Troy, Gallipoli Battlefields, ANZAC Commemoration Site, Lone Pine Australian Cemetary  

2.  Aegean:  

• Selcuk - Pergamon, Ephesus, Virgin Mary's House, Temple of Artemis
• Denizli - Hierapolis; Pamukkale

3.  Mediterranean:

• Antalya  - Kaleici, Termessos, Duden Waterfalls, Kursunlu Waterfalls, Perge, Aspendos, Side, White River Rafting
• Kekova - Lycian Sunken City
• Demre -   Myra

4.  Central Anatolia:

• Nevsehir - Cappadocia, Avanos, Goreme Open Air Museum, Pasabagi,Uchisar, Ortahisar, Urgup,  Ihlara Valley, Derinkuryu Underground City,, Turasan Winery, Horse Riding, Rose Valley, Cavusin Village, Selime Cathedral

Our tailored itinerary:

 Day 1   - Aug.31, Arrival in Istanbul, free day

 Day 2   - Sep. 1, Istanbul free day, evening bus to Cappadocia

 Day 3   - Sep. 2, Cappadocia - free day

 Day 4   - Sep. 3, Cappadocia Tour 1

 Day 5   - Sep. 4, Cappadocia Tour 2, evening bus to Antalya

 Day 6   - Sep. 5, Antalya Tour 2

 Day 7   - Sep. 6, Antalya Tour 3

 Day 8   - Sep. 7, Bus to Kekova

 Day 9   - Sep. 8, Kekova Tour, Myra, overnight in Fethiye

 Day 10  -Sep. 9, To Pamukkale

 Day 11  -Sep.10, To Selcuk

 Day 12  -Sep.11, Ephesus Tour

 Day 13  -Sep.12, Canakkale, Pergamon

 Day 14  -Sep.13, Troy & Gollipoli, trip to Istanbul

 Day 15  -Sep.14, Istanbul free day

 Day 16  -Sep.15, Istanbul free day

 Day 17  -Sep.16, Departure from Sabiha Gokcen International Airport

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Istanbul At A Glance, TR

Istanbul

Point of entry, Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) is the second airport located on the Asian side of Bosphorus and named after the first female combat pilot in the world. 

Time Zone: UTC+3

Currency: Yeni Turkish Lira

Exchange: Euro 1 = TL 2.4

There is no bus that runs straight from Sabiha to Sultanahmet.  Had to wait about an hour for the Havas Bus which run from the airport to Taksim.  The bus ran 40 minutes to Taksim at TL12 fare, then a cab from Taksim to Sultanahmet cost TL20.  It was the Festival of breaking of the fast so the city was traffic and crowded.

Firstly aimed to visit the travel agency to fully pay the booked tour.  Oh well not forgetting the difficulty on dragging the luggage on the brick pavers on alleys.  From the travel office to the hotel is just by foot passing the vast array of hotel and restaurants along the street.   The Turskish architechtural design which reflects their cultural heritage is very impressive.  I am in Istanbul ! :-). 



Hotel and restaurants along Akbiyek Street in Sultanahmet



Hotel and restaurants along Akbiyek Street in Sultanahmet

Arasta Bazaar

Souvenir Shop, Arasta

Would love to see Istanbul when the sun is up :-).



Here comes the sunshine :-)



Rooftop where the dining reception is 

Grand Bazaar  more>>> 

Topkapi Palace  more>>>

Hagia Sophia more>>>

Blue Mosque  more>>>

Basilica Cistern   more>>>

Bosphorus Tour  more>>>

Bosphorus

Tokens and Tram

Turkish Delight

Turkish Bread

Turkish Tree











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