Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, is a world-class city. Strategically located, sitting astride two continents, Europe and Asia, it is a historian’s dream, an architect’s delight and a traveller’s wonderland. It consistently punches above its weight as a tourist magnet, holding its own against New York, London and Paris. We’ve visited Istanbul three years in a row.
The city welcomes you with a silhouette of a picture-postcard-perfect skyline of imposing domes and slender minarets. The city has so many attractions that whether you are planning a brief stopover, a short break or a week-long vacation, there will be something for your next visit. Be it Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar or Spice Bazaar, to name a few major attractions. Fortunately, a number of these are situated in the Sultanahmet neighbourhood, within walking distance of one another. Impressively, this city of 14 million harboured over four million tourists last year, aided by its tourist-friendly infrastructure and overall cleanliness and safety, notwithstanding recent turmoil.
Built in the 15 Century, the Topkapi Palace was the seat of the Ottoman Empire for almost 400 years. Artefacts from Roman and Byzantine times — delicate porcelain, silk robes with gold embroidery, shields, armour, gem-stone encrusted daggers and crowns and cradles in gold — leave you wonderstruck. You enter the palace harem listening incredulously to the commentary about the exhibits, on your rented headphones. The main purpose of this sprawling 400-room quarters was the perpetuation of the empire. Politics, favouritism and intrigue were part of this self-contained, self-regulating ‘golden cage,’ where young girls were groomed to please the Sultan. Black eunuchs, the captured and castrated slaves, were entrusted with guarding the harem and watching over the girls. The Queen Mother wielded supreme power, not only over the girls but also, sometimes, influenced the Sultan in political matters.
Based on stories and paintings depicting harems, you conjure up images of a lavish lifestyle, of girls in diaphanous robes cavorting around their ornate and opulent abode, of pomp and pleasure. Walking through the courtyard at Topkapi Palace, we realised that was not wholly true. At the height of its glory, the Ottoman harem had about 800 concubines.
The Hagia Sophia, the largest cathedral built in the sixth Century, is an iconic example of Byzantine architecture. With the fall of Constantinople in 1453, it was converted into a mosque until the father of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, turned it into a museum in 1935. One can see Christian mosaics and frescos plastered over with Islamic inscriptions.
The Blue Mosque, built in the 17th Century, is a magnificent six-minaret architectural triumph, drawing its name from the blue tiles used to decorate the interior walls.
Ever walked through an underground cistern? The Basilica Cistern is a mysterious, dimly-lit place with large carp gliding silently in shallow water beneath, casting eerie shadows, and a seemingly never-ending stretch of sturdy columns. The striking visual impact of this cistern, with its column engravings, especially the one of a teardrop and a couple with the upside down Medusa’s head, is further heightened upon learning that it covers over 1,00,000 square feet of space, supported by 336 columns. Before being converted to a cistern, it was a third-Century basilica.
No visit to Istanbul would be complete without shopping at the 600-year-old Grand Bazaar, the largest covered bazaar, spread over 60 streets with over 5,000 shops.
You are likely to be overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place, with winding alleyways, the mind-boggling variety of wares on offer, the throng of shoppers and the cacophony of their multilingual chatter, and the psychedelic colours of textiles, lamps, carpets and baubles. Merchants adopt unique coaxing styles, luring customers with innovative lines like “How can I help you spend your money?” to greeting us with a “Namaste” and trying to hold our attention by shouting out names of Bollywood stars!
If the Grand Bazaar is overwhelming, wait till you enter the Spice Bazaar, a veritable riot of hues, with mounds of multicoloured spices displayed alongside pine nuts and hazelnuts, honeycombs and herbal teas. Trays of ‘Turkish Delight,’ jelly-like candy made of starch and sugar, are thrust in your face. Even the strong-willed will succumb to this sweet temptation!
The highlight of our last visit to Istanbul was witnessing the whirling dervishes perform. Members of a Sufi order founded by Persian mystic and poet Rumi, they whirl in their flowing robes, as if in a progressive trance and chanting soulful religious hymns — to mesmerising effect!
Istanbul is a cradle of civilisations, where history books come alive, and a crucible of rich cultures and wondrous sights. Here’s a hat tip to the Roman, Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman Empires that fought over the city for centuries and left behind memorable reminders.
