We sailed farther up the Bosphorus to our temporary anchorage, while awaiting our berth. I was able to get on the first tender around 3:30 and found my guide waiting for me by the Galata Bridge. Melike and Hassan, the driver, whisked me off to see as much as possible in the few hours before dinner.
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, the second largest metropolitan area in Europe, and the fourth larger city in the world with some 13-16 million people (no one is quite sure!) It is the only metropolis in the world to straddle two continents...Thrace in Europe and Anatolia on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. In its long history, Istanbul has served as the capital city of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Latin Empire and the Ottoman Empire.
Ankara is the capital of modern Turkey. The original name for the city was Byzantium, the Greek name for the colony established by King Byzas. Emperor Constantine the Great made it his capital in 306 AD and it was renamed Constantinople, the name by which the world knew it until 1930, even though the name Istanbul had also been used over the centuries. Istanbul is also known as the " City on Seven Hills".
Today, Turkey is a thriving secular democracy, thanks to Mustafa Kemal, known as Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI, he became the national leader, becoming the new republic's first president in 1923. Not only did he abolish the Sultanate, he also abolished the Caliphate, effectively separating state and religion. By law, Turkish men may have no more than one wife. No laws require women to cover themselves with any form of garb. Some women choose to wear hijabs ( and very posh ones, too, i.e. Coach!) and some choose to wear long drab raincoats and hijabs. Very few, mainly older women from more religious families, choose to wear a full burka, but even these are not as all-encompassing as those of Saudi Arabia. It is very common to see a young woman in the latest western fashions arm in arm with a friend wearing a hijab, or a raincoat.....or families wearing all three styles of dress. What predominates, however, is western dress. And.....western customs. Marike is expecting her first child in February and she knows it is a boy. So, when we visited the circumcision room in Topkapi Palace, I asked her about circumcision in Turkey. Traditionally, in Islam, boys are circumcised between the ages of 3 and 10. But modern Turkish families have it done right away, in the hospital, by the doctor. For those who do chose the religions ceremony later, the clothing for the boy is elaborate. We passed several shops selling the outfits....white satin or velvet pants, elaborate traditional Turkish jackets with marabou trim and turbanswith elaborate trimming and feathers. Our visit started in the Hippodrome, once the track for Roman chariot races and capable of holding 100,000 spectators. The actual track is now below street level and covered by a modern square. There is one third of a Karnak obelisk (1500 BCE) resting on a carved block depicting Emperor Theodosius and his family. Also in the square is the Serpent Column from Delphi. Both spoils of conquest. We then visited the Blue Mosque, built in the 17th century. It's real name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, but the stunning blue Iznik tiles provide it's familiar name. Islamic tradition does not allow depictions of humans and rarely of animals, so their artists turned to geometric and floral designs, which are incredibly diverse and beautiful. Each Sultan designed his own calligraphic seal; these are works of art in their own right.
Our next stop was the highlight for me. The great Byzantine Hagia Sophia, also known as the Sancta Sophia. This Church of the Holy Wisdom was built by Justinian from 532 to 537 AD. It took 10,000 men to build it with ivory from Asia, marble from Egypt and columns from the ruins of Ephesus. Even though the Turks converted it to a mosque when they conquered Constantinople and they plastered or painted over many of the extraordinary gilt mosaics, much was left untouched, including the magnificent vast dome. The mosque became a museum in 1935. And the mosaics and paintings have been restored to their former glory. In some cases, the layers of plaster have been left in place to show the history. In actual fact, the plaster layers helped to preserve the magnificent mosaics. They are breathtaking. I must admit that I was never really drawn to Byzantine art during Art 11 (!!!!!) in college. The faces seemed expressionless. But, close up, the expressions are varied and intense....the artists conveyed feelings in the eyes. I was so struck by one large wall mosaic of Mary, Jesus and John the Baptist. The face of John in particular is riveting. There is far too much information about this incredible edefice for this blog. Suffice it to say that it is truly awesome.
Marike dropped me off at the ship so that I could freshen up before the evening's activities. We sent to a large nightclub for dinner and a show....the Kervansaray. Yes, definitely touristy, it the only way to see the top belly dancers, which is what I had requested. And it did not disappoint. The food was very good...especially the meze plate (appetizers) and the eggplant puree. The local red wine was very nice. The show consisted of four belly dancers, each one exhibiting a different style, and folk dances from various regions. I was really in luck. The most famous belly dancer in Turkey was the final act. Asina. She is gorgeous and wears very very high heels, something I have not seen before. And she performed part of her dance on one leg....and another part almost on her knees. Unbelievable watching all those amazing moves - the entire torso rippling while on one leg atop 4-5 in heels. Remarkable!
I returned to the ship well after 11 pm with the rest of the tour booked to start at 8:45 am tomorrow...in time the opening of the Topkapi Palace.
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