(Part 10) Traversing Turkey: New Year in Istanbul

- January 1, 2020, New Year.

- What better way to start the new year than having an adventure! As they say, whatever you do on the new year will pave way to whatever you're doing for the whole year. Though I don't necessarily believe this fully, I do hope for more travels and adventures this 2020!

- I began my new year by visiting the 16th-century Sokullu Mehmed Pasha Mosque, which, although a small mosque in the hidden alleys near my hotel in the Fatih District, was made by the Ottoman Empire's grand architect, Mimar Sinan. I actually did not have any intention going inside this mosque; I was on my way to another mosque, but since the mosques looked alike, I went inside this one by mistake. It was a good mistake though, but it does say something about the rather homogenous appearance (from structure to, at times, color) of Ottoman-Islamic architecture.

Sokullu Mehmed Pasha Mosque.

- My intention was to visit a less-visited mosque hidden in a semi-residential area further away from the center, but is also an interesting place to visit if one has a bit of extra time. The Kucuk Ayasofya ("ku-chuk aya-sof-ya") or "Little Hagia Sophia" shares much with the actual/big Hagia Sophia at the city center apart from their appearance. It was built almost the same time as the big Hagia Sophia in the 6th century, and both started out as Byzantine churches before being converted into mosques during the Ottoman Empire.

Kucuk Ayafoya.

Interior.

Main dome.

At the entrance.

From the side.

- Later on we rode the tram from Sultanahmet station to Karakoy station, and once more rode the funicular up the hill to the Beyoglu District. I once again visited the Galata Mevlevi House Museum, but not to watch whirling dervishes again like what I did the day before (click here), but to learn more about the lives of the Sufi whirling dervishes.

Streets of Fatih District.

Back in Beyoglu.

- The Mevlevi House was built in the 1400s as a lodge for members of the Mevlevi Sufi Order, which originated in Konya by none other than Rumi himself (also known as "Mevlana;" click here to see my visit to his grave in Konya here). For me, this museum had more extensive exhibitions compared to the museum in Konya. The main difference is that in Konya, the living quarters and Rumi's grave (of course) were the focus, while the Mevlevi House highlights the things used by the dervishes (pens, books, documents, and musical instruments.)

Dervish things.

Plenty of hats!!

The base of their hats is made from camel hair.

A dervish work area.

The main hall during its quiet times.

This is what I'd look like if I were a horn.

Different traditional stringed instruments.

- After visiting the Mevlevi House, we walked around Istiklal Street for a bit before finding a restaurant to have lunch. The most interesting restaurants for me are those that look like cafeterias, where you just point to a dish you like and they'll serve it for you. (In Filipino, "turo-turo.") The food there seem less touristy and more varied than eating in a regular restaurant - the price is also more reasonable, I think.

Cafeteria-like restaurants.

- Finally, I decided to have a last visit to the Grand Bazaar, near Beyazit tram stop, for a last shopping trip. To be honest I really didn't get to buy much since most of the stores sold the same things (we Southeast-Asians like to call it "same same but different.") Still, it was nice to see the bazaar in its maze-like glory. The pastel-like hues of its antiques, carpets, jewelry, costumes, fabric, and shoes are definitely a feast for the eyes of the creative mind.

A traditional drinking fountain, made of marble, in the middle of the bazaar.

Old and new Turkey.

- Alas, our trip to Turkey had to come to an end that night, as we went off to Ataturk International Airport to catch our flight back to Manila. The only thing I can say is that this trip was good enough to give me an idea of how wonderful Turkey is as a country, but because of certain missed opportunities such as not being able to ride the hot air balloon in Cappadocia, or not getting the chance to see other places due to lack of time, I definitely wish to see Turkey again in the future to see and learn more about this country between continents!!

And now, off to my next adventure!!

  - Don't forget to read about my other adventures in Turkey:

Part 1, Troy and the Trojan Horse: here

Part 2, Virgin Mary's House and Ephesus: here

Part 3, Laodicea on the Lycus and the Alien Travertines: here

Part 4, Konya: here

Part 5, Cappadocia: here

Part 6, Istanbul's Royal Old Town: here

Part 7, Istanbul Between Continents: here

Part 8, Istanbul's Secrets: here

Part 9, Istanbul on New Year's Eve: here