Our first day in Turkey was a whirlwind of sightseeing. We began in the old quarter of Istanbul city and visited the Hippodrome, where chariot races were once held. Right next to the site is the Blue Mosque, named for the beautiful blue tiles that line its interior walls. They had gorgeous shades of aquamarine, turquoise, royal and navy blues and many different designs including tulips and carnations (the national flowers).
Then we moved on to Hagia Sofia Museum, a church that was converted to a mosque that was converted to a museum! It had some stunning gold mosaics of Christian saints that were being uncovered from the plaster walls and ceilings, where the Muslims had covered them 600 years ago. There was also evidence of Christian symbols in the stonework, but many of these were also defaced.
The next stop was the famous Topkapi Palace, home to the Ottoman sultans. Much of the artifacts collected there were royal gifts, spoils of war and Muslim relics. We’ve seen the rod of Moses, David’s sword, Joseph’s turban and Mohammed’s cast footprint!
By far, the most interesting exhibits were the clothes and furnishings that had survived, and a collection of Ming Dynasty china that included green-glazed dishes that apparently turned red and cracked if the food contained poison – very popular with the sultans for some reason!
After lunch we were taken to the Grand Bazaar, a rabbit warren of shops selling jewellery, leather goods, souvenirs, sparkly fabric (no patchwork cotton, unfortunately), clothes, and apple tea. We had seen a similar bazaar in Kusadasi so we got off lightly, only buying a pair of Turkish slippers!
Our afternoon was enriched by a cruise along the Bosphorus, our guide pointing out Ottoman palaces, a fortress and bridges that spanned between the European and Asian continents. Our evening was topped off with a dinner and belly-dancing show. The food was delicious and the entertainment hilarious.
Then we moved on to Hagia Sofia Museum, a church that was converted to a mosque that was converted to a museum! It had some stunning gold mosaics of Christian saints that were being uncovered from the plaster walls and ceilings, where the Muslims had covered them 600 years ago. There was also evidence of Christian symbols in the stonework, but many of these were also defaced.The next stop was the famous Topkapi Palace, home to the Ottoman sultans. Much of the artifacts collected there were royal gifts, spoils of war and Muslim relics. We’ve seen the rod of Moses, David’s sword, Joseph’s turban and Mohammed’s cast footprint!
By far, the most interesting exhibits were the clothes and furnishings that had survived, and a collection of Ming Dynasty china that included green-glazed dishes that apparently turned red and cracked if the food contained poison – very popular with the sultans for some reason!After lunch we were taken to the Grand Bazaar, a rabbit warren of shops selling jewellery, leather goods, souvenirs, sparkly fabric (no patchwork cotton, unfortunately), clothes, and apple tea. We had seen a similar bazaar in Kusadasi so we got off lightly, only buying a pair of Turkish slippers!
Our afternoon was enriched by a cruise along the Bosphorus, our guide pointing out Ottoman palaces, a fortress and bridges that spanned between the European and Asian continents. Our evening was topped off with a dinner and belly-dancing show. The food was delicious and the entertainment hilarious.
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