Thursday, February 28, 2008 Loving Istanbul By Marinneth S. Babao
A BEAUTIFUL sunrise welcomed me as I set foot in Istanbul. The ride to my hotel was breathtaking with the Bosphorus Sea creating a lovely backdrop of the sunrise. I felt that the moment was perfect for a small prayer thanking God for the loveliest things in the world.
Hundreds of seagulls hovering over some edifices and vehicles will rouse you upon entering the center of Istanbul. Saturday mornings are usually quiet. Traffic not visible yet. The Turkish driver somehow felt my self-talk when he blurted out, "traffic does not come 'til after lunch!"
Perfect! Tour must start early. My Brazilian friend, Alexandra, and I took the cultural tour of Istanbul taking us to some of the magnificent places that for me defines beautiful.
Our first stop was the overwhelming Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya. Its rich history should have made it among the Wonders of the World. Hagia Sophia was the biggest church during the Great Constantinople's time (ancient Istanbul during the Great Roman period). When the Ottoman Sultans conquered the city, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque.
From a church to a mosque, now a museum, you will see calligraphic roundels of verses from the Quran blended with church mosaics. In here, these two huge religions coexist peacefully. We were told that, at some point, the church mosaics of saints and Christian figures were covered with plasters due to the Islamic prohibition of imagery but everyone can take photos of them now. Restorations are ongoing, but it's not a bother, as this huge structure will indulge you with so many stories.
On the other side of Hagia Sophia, is the equally popular Sultan Ahmet Camii, also known as the Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque, more of a grayish structure outside, is one of the amazing Ottoman architecture in Istanbul. As we walked up the steps from the huge courtyard, we were directed to the tourist entrance, separate from the one used by local Muslims.
Before we could enter, we were given plastic bags and were asked to take off our shoes. There were shawls hanging outside, too, for women to cover their heads. This was not a "must" though. Inside, I was trying to look for those symbols that made the people from Istanbul decide to call it a Blue mosque.
Alexandra told me that it was because of the blue tiles used in the interiors. I couldn't find enough blue tiles for me to say it's a Blue Mosque. However, the few blue tiles shone more among the yellows and reds when sunlight comes through the windows. I also teased Alexandra that it was a good thing the locals didn't change the name to "the iron chandeliers mosque" as the iron chandelier hanging right at the middle of the mosque from the ceiling was so huge, you can barely see the local Muslims behind it who are doing their noontime prayers.
After a beautiful lunch of traditional Turkish food, we hurriedly went to the Grand Bazaar! I love bazaars! I spark whenever I hear bazaars! But this was a different bazaar. It is not the kind that we go to on a Sunday at a Legaspi Park in Manila.
Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is the popular shopping place of jewelry, hand-painted souvenirs from candleholders to plates and my favorite, bags! There are so many lovely things that will confuse you to choose which one to bring home. Bad thing is when you go there on a tour, you will suffer the pain of leaving with only one bag, one mug (for my collection) and a hand painted oil burner. And that was already pushing it!
We went to the Topkapi Palace through heavy rain and really cold breeze. Topkapi Palace was the home of the Sultans for hundreds of years. I felt warmed only when I saw the huge stones of rubies, emeralds, some jades and the 86-carat diamond!
The Palace is really well preserved. It didn't feel like a museum at all. Each heap of historical items is segregated by large courtyards. If you want to go to the harem, you will have to pay extra euros but my tour group decided to skip it due to heavy rain.
I wanted to tell you the story of how the biggest diamond stone in this Palace called the "Spoonmaker Diamond" landed on the hands of the Sultans but I invite you to go there and hear yourself say...aaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh! Yeah, it felt painful had the beggar been me! Just a piece of advise, never enter the Palace without a tour guide, you will not be able to appreciate the long cue just to view the empty beds and the smallest daggers without hearing their stories.
After the tour, we settled at a cozy Turkish caf‚`. As we watched people pass by feeling the early evening breeze drifting through the sound of the patters of rain on the drenched road, I felt like I want to live here.
