(Part 7) Traversing Turkey: Istanbul Between Continents and Royal Tombs

- Dec. 29, 2019, Sunday.

- Being in Istanbul may cause some visitors as it is the perfect city to see an embodiment of both "Asian" and "European" qualities. Not only is it geographically located between continents, but its history and culture also show a slow-cooked fusion of both continents. To me, some aspects of its Asianness can be seen in its traditions and values as well as its Islamic legacy, while some aspects of its Europeanness are shown in its use of the Latin alphabet, its Greek and Byzantine remnants, and some European-style buildings.

- That morning, we visited the Dolmabahce Palace, which is an interesting contrast to the Topkapi Palace that we visited the day before (see here). The Dolmabahce ("dol-ma-ba-cheh") Palace was built in the 1800s by Sultan Abdulmecid I as a contemporary counterpart to the old Topkapi Palace. This newer palace was built in the northern part of Istanbul's European side, in the district of Besiktas ("be-shik-tash") and was made to look like a European palace! It is interesting to note that the 1800s was also a time when the Ottoman Empire wanted to learn and be at par with Europe, so the influx of European influences (including the shift from the use of the Arabic Alphabet to a slightly altered Latin alphabet) during this century came in waves. Despite this openness to European influences, the Ottoman Empire was still firm in asserting its Ottoman identity and Ottoman nationalism. (The nearest tram station is Kabatas ("ka-bah-tash") but you'll need to walk for around 10 minutes. The more convenient way to reach the palace is through taxi, though you must note that the traffic situation in Istanbul isn't that good.)

Clock tower outside the palace.

At the palace entrance.

European-style arch.

The main courtyard's fountain. (Sorry, no photography inside the palace.)

Side gate.

At the side gate.

- Most of the palace exterior has a nice view of the Bosphorus Strait, overlooking the Asian side of Istanbul. This explains why this palace was a lot windier than the Topkapi Palace.

Exterior of the main hall.

It reminds me of Hawaii's Iolani Palace, although this one is a lot bigger.

Gate to the Bosphorus.

- Just a minute's walk from the palace is the dock where people can take cruises along the Borphorus Strait. Our tour group, of course, had a cruise too, and it took around one very windy hour. Some sites along the cruise include the Ortakoy Mosque or the "Grand Imperial Mosque of Sultan Abdulmecid," the Rumelihisari (Rumeli Fortress), and its smaller Asian brother, the Anadoluhisari (Anatolian Fortress.)

The Dolmabahce Palace from the Bosphorus.

Ortakoy Mosque.

Hatice Sultan Palace.

Another view of the Ortakoy Mosque.

Rumeli Fortress.

Anadolu Fortress.

Maiden's Tower (Kiz Kulesi,) built in the Byzantine period probably as a ship dock.

- After the cruise that (literally) blew me away, we had lunch at old town of Sultanahmet. After lunch, my family bid farewell to the rest of the tour group as they were on their way to another shopping escapade before heading to the airport. My family, on the other hand, had a few more days to explore Istanbul on our own. We checked in our hotel, which coincidentally was just at the street beside the restaurant where we had lunch, rested for a bit, and headed out to explore.

- The afternoon we visited the Suleymaniye Mosque, located a few blocks away from the Bayezit tram stop (the Grand Bazaar stop.) Built in the 1500s by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, this mosque is well-known today as the resting place of Sultan Suleyman, some of his children, and his favorite concubine-turned-legal-wife, Hurrem Sultan. Suleyman the Magnificent is one of the Ottoman Empire's most respected rulers as he was not only the longest-reigning sultan, but also the sultan responsible for further expanding the empire. Hurrem on the other hand was a Crimean girl named Roxelana and was captured by Ottoman soldiers before being sold to the Topkapi Palace. She quickly and surely caught the attention of Suleyman and became his favorite (later bearing the title "Haseki Sultan.") She was given the name Hurrem after converting to Islam from Christianity. Hurrem started an era called the "Sultanate of Women" as she was the first among many strong female figures in the Ottoman dynasty who had significant influence over political decisions which women were not supposed to mind. She was also the first to be legally married to a sultan, as Ottoman sultans were only allowed to have concubines, but not wives. These big changes during the life and times of Suleyman the Magnificent and Hurrem were so controversial and to an extent, inspiring, that their lives were the subject of interest of many films and TV series, including the multi-awarded TV series that I am a big big big fan of, "Magnificent Century" ("Muhtesem Yuzyil,") which aired from 2011 to 2014.

Suleymaniye Mosque.

Dome of the main hall.

Main prayer hall.

Finally, I'm seeing you face to face!! (Or at least, your casket.)

Left to right: Mihrimah Sultan, Sultan Ahmed II, Sultan Suleyman II

Left to right: Hanim Sultan, Prince Mehmed, Hurrem Sultan.

Hurrem Sultan.

View from the hill.

- After descending from the hill where the Suleymaniye Mosque stood, I explored some of the shops around the Grand Bazaar, as the bazaar itself is closed on Sundays. We also had an early dinner to have more time to rest at night after a week of jumping from one Turkish city to another. Since we had more time to explore Istanbul in the coming days, I was excited to see what else this city had to offer!!

- 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 8, Istanbul's Secrets: here

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