First few Istanbul days....

Right so in my first instalment I didn’t really fill you in on the details of where we have been and what we have done. I can tell you straight of that it has been a beautiful stay in Istanbul nd I will definitely be coming again if I can.

Wednesday 24^th November 2010

Our first day in the city was spent mainly at home, visiting each apartment and so doing the family rounds. It was lovely to meet them all and put faces and personalities to names I had been hearing since I was younger. My first and only visit to Istanbul and Turkey was when I was about 7 years old and I really don’t remember much and definitely didn’t remember most of the family. We were fed repeatedly and also fought over in terms of who would be feeding us dinner next! Ahhh.... feels good to be loved! J

On that first evening we went up to Buyuk Çamlica, which is like a viewing point on top of a hill, one of the highest points in Istanbul I think. The view from up there was truly breathtaking. You could see the whole of Istanbul lit up, the mosques and bridges at night are illuminated too and make for a stunning city view. We had a coffee (well, I had a VERY sweet hot chocolate up there in a pretty Ottoman style coffee house and chatted with the kids.

Afterwards we made our way down to the banks of the Bosphorus near the main city bridge which once again made for great views and c hance to watch some of the many hobby fishermen night fishing along the banks.

That night we returned home to a fish feast. If some of you do not know this already, I recently turned ermmm..... pescatarian?! Basically I don’t eat meat so most of my stay was spent consuming fish of some kind. They had cooked us some fresh Hamsi ( alittle fish that you can basically eat whole) cooked in breadcrumbs- I think- and it was YUMMY! The great thing is that the Turks always serve you a great salad so all my meals seemed pretty healthy. Then again they also love their bread and seem to eat a loaf each at every meal, but since I wasn’t doing this, no problem!

Also had lovely fresh Baklava with homemade yoghurt- if you’ve never had this, you are truly missing out on one of the yummiest, most lush desserts EVER! Ahhhhhh.... craving!

Thursday 25^th November 2010-12-03

Our second day was the beginning of our tourist run. We visited the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, which is also known as the Blue mosque or Suleymaniye. I may start using this word too much but I see no other way of describing it- it was beautiful! This is how mosques should be and we need more like this in the UK I think. Mosques in Turkey and in the rest of the world generally (where I have been anyway) make Britain’s mosque look truly uninspired! The mosaic work, doors, lighting, carpet- everything is always beautiful. This mosque is obviously an inspiration for the many that came after it and you can see the style copied throughout Istanbul. It was built to outdo the Hagia Sofia and I think it does in terms of beauty. The Hagia Sofia is more impressive in terms of being imposing and commanding but I found the Suleymania more uplifting. I could pray in masjids like that all my life- they seem to bring peace to your heart.

After taking A LOT of photos we made our way to the Turkish and Islamic Art museum behind the masjid. There was a free Qur’an exhibition on with samples dating from the early Ummayyads through the Seljuks to the Ottomans. They were all intricately detailed and exquisite examples of the handiwork and artistic capabilities that Muslims possessed at the time and how they led the way in the Arts at one time. Accompanying the exhibition were details of Islamic history in both Turkish and English which I really appreciated.

The rest of the museum was dedicated to art taken from much of the Ottoman Empire ranging from lovely rose water sprinklers to the door of a mosque to some magnificent carpets. There is so much history in this country. It constantly reminded me of how little I know of Islamic History and how much I yet need to learn. SubhanAllah.

Next we visited the Hagia Sofia- this is still under renovation and though impressive in size and architecture, honestly, I didn’t find it overly moving or exciting. There were some wonderful mosaics that had been uncovered from the time when it was a cathedral but other than that it just seemed.... empty! Maybe it will hold more interest once it is fully renovated.

We also visited the Basilica Cistern. An underground cavern of sorts which, I believe, served as the water supply to the Topkapi palace at one time. It is quite imposing an stunning in how grand it looks. Lots of tall columns, some carved, many just tall stone blocks. There really isn’t much to see except stone and water and some mighty big fish but it is still enchanting. There are 2 stone carved heads of Medusa at the bottom of 2 columns right at the back- although the story behind these seems unclear and I truly wouldn’t have even thought they were Medusa heads if it hadn’t said so!

I have to say I was very surprised at how high the prices for the museums were in Istanbul. Each place cost about 20 TL which is just under £10. I think that’s crazy but that is probably also because I am used to paying nothing for most museums and galleries in the UK! But, fortunately or unfortunately we were the benefactors of the old Turkish tradition of not letting visitors pay for anything. Now when I say anything I mean ANYTHING. Not food, not entrance fees, not travel....not even little gifts I did not use a penny of my money until the last few days of this trip- the family wouldn’t even let us near a bank or exchange place. J Bless them. May Allah reward them for all their help, generosity and warmth. Thank you.