Turkey June 2018

ISTANBUL

At last! I was so excited to finally get to Istanbul. Meeting up with friends Delphi and Jacques from South Africa, we spent a day and a half in this amazing city. Not nearly enough time to see everything but enough to give a taste. Even though it was early summer, it was already well into the early 30 degrees C. Too hot for me actually, I would go back in Spring or Autumn.

First things first, we stayed at the Empress Theodora Hotel just down the road from the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, so it was easy to walk everywhere though the tram station was a 2 minute walk from the hotel.

In the process of being renovated, the hotel is clean and comfortable and the breakfasts were amazing. For accommodation I would definitely recommend them, not least for the centrality of the location.

Breakfast ... mediterranean, fresh, tasty and halva to finish off ... yum!

Ναός της Αγίας του Θεού Σοφίας; Shrine of the Holy Wisdom of God; Hagia Sophia.

In its various incarnations, an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Cathedral,  a Mosque and from 1931, after being secularised, a museum, the most visited site in Turkey.

It is breathtakingly awesome in the true sense of the word.  Built in 537 AD for a thousand years it was the world's largest Cathedral until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520.

This cat owned the place! She posed for this photograph and was completely unpreturbed by the hoards of tourists. 

Istanbul lies on the North Anatolian fault line and has experienced many earthquakes in it's long history.  There is much evidence in the Hagia Sophia of shoring up and supporting of columns. It is said that the original building was designed by a physicist, a mathamatician and a scientist - no computers..

Big brother is watching you....

Out into the glorious sunshine, hey Jacques and Delphi!  In the background the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque). Imposing.

A totally different atmosphere though. Not very welcoming.  Most women, unless they were already in hijab were requested to don this really strange outfit. I was actually wearing a black knee length dress with sleeves with a scarf, but apparently that wouldn't do.

Interesting, but I would go back to Hagia Sophia anytime.

Moving on. A quick walk around the Hippodrome - an arena historically used for horse and chariot racing and other entertainment. The original Hippodrome was built in AD 230 and was the centre of the city's social life. 

Midday, and really hot. We found the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.  Initially it was the airconditioning which attracted us, but it was actually a very interesting place, and not many tourists. Well worth a visit.

No photographs allowed so only a couple of surreptitious snaps happened.

The cats (and dogs) of Turkey are a thing. You see them everywhere. They generally don't belong to anyone but are fed by the locals.

a 2017 article in The Economist:

Turkey is not unique among predominately Muslim countries for honouring its cats, which are considered ritually clean animals in Islam. In the hadith, the collected sayings and actions of Muhammad, there are numerous examples of the Prophet’s fondness for cats. By one account, Muhammad cut off his sleeve when he had to rise for prayers so as to not disturb a feline that had curled up on his robe for a nap. In another tale, the pet cat of Abu Hurayrah (literally “father of the kitten”) saved Muhammad from an attack by a deadly serpent. Muhammad purportedly blessed the cat in gratitude, giving cats the ability to always land on their feet. Cats were considered guardians in other respects for the Islamic world: they defended libraries from destruction by mice and may have helped protect city populations from rat-borne plagues.

They are often not in the best of condition but in 2017 a law was introduced that would make it a crime punishable by jail time to mistreat, torture or leave animals without food or water.

At last, time for lunch - every meal in Turkey was a taste sensation. And beer!

In the afternoon, the guys opted for the Topkapi Palace but I was blasted by the heat so after a nap (how ancient do I sound! Just think of it as a siesta), I wandered down the road to the Gülhane Parkı Çeşmesi, a park right next to the Topkapi Palace actually. It was still too hot to do more than wander around and hang out next to the fountains.

Once the sun had set we headed into the old quarter to find dinner. The evenings are fantastic, relatively cool. We were there during Ramadan so everyone was out and about, including the cats. What a fabulous day.