Istanbul: City of Contrasts

Last night we met our group;  travelling companions for the next 14 days. So far, so good. It's a small group, only 14 in all. They seem like an amiable bunch and our guide Murat is a charming young fellow with a beaming, radiant smile. Most of us ate dinner together at a typical Anatolian restaurant.

This morning Murat leads us on a tour of two important sites; the Blue Mosque and the Ayasofya Müzesi. It’s a pleasant walk along the now familiar main road with trams, colourful shops and streams of pedestrians, with Murat pointing out interesting sites along the way. We pass the Grand Bazaar which is closed today, along the street of the Old Book Bazaar and through the ancient Hippodrome, a sports and social centre of Constantinople and passed the obelisk of Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmosis III.  It is amazing how many obelisks have found their way to cities far from the Egyptian soil where they were originally proud homage to the kings of Ancient Egypt.

It's hard to miss the Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmet Camii in Turkish, with its six stately minarets and nine domes.This is a holy place for Muslims, and a must-see stop on any traveller's itinerary.  It's not prayer time, so we join a short line up, slip off our shoes, which we carry with us in plastic bags (provided) and the women in the group drape scarves over their heads before entering. It is a vast space, with beautiful tiles and rich red carpet. Despite the number of visitors, sound is hushed. The lights are dim and although we are allowed to take photos, its not easy to capture this space properly by camera.We crane our necks to  get the best views of the domes and windows. 

Murat gives us our first lesson in Islamic religious practices - there will be more to follow as the tour continues.

The lovely Ayasofya Museum is a short walk away. This was first a Christian Church, converted to a mosque, but by decree it is now a museum where the icons of both Christianity and Islam live side by side. While the Blue Mosque was pristine in every way, there is a faded glory to the old and  scarred interior of the Ayasofya. It has a messy history of building first as a Christian Church, fires, rebuilding, destruction, re-building, damage, intrigue, converion to a mosque and now a museum. To add to its woes, the whole structure shifts over time causing further damage.

The names of the Prophet and Caliphs hang in juxtopositian to the fresco of Mary. Beautiful gold mosaics are visible, but only as broken remnants of the glorious time of their installation. Plaster is broken and wood is chipped, and yet there is something haunting and lovely and reverent.  I find it a warm and welcoming space. Does that even make sense?

The peeling plaster reveals hidden mosaics and other art of the earlier Christian era. A very large scoffold stretches up to the lofty domes. Apparently this restoration process has been in process for a very long time, with no signs of activity at the moment. But the former glory of the space is easy to see even in this state.

It's time for a break. Mural leads us to the Ottoman Kitchen. To order, you simply point out your choice from the yummy display in the window. They are careful to explain the prices; TL8 for veggie dishes and TL9 for meat and more for the doner being prepared outside the front door.