We did a lot of reading and planning for our days in Istanbul. Shortly before we left, Real Simple had a column about best travel tips. One of them was to create a spreadsheet with a list of the places you wanted to visit, the fees, the address, and the hours it was open. We made one, and it really helped us plan our days. Fortunately many of the top sites in Sultanahmet are very close to one another.
Visiting the Aya Sofya was top on our list.
Built as a Byzantine church by Emperor Justinian in 537, it was converted to a mosque in 1453 by Mehmet the Conqueror, and turned into a museum by Ataturk in 1935. Walking into the Aya Sofya, you are first struck by its immensity. How was it possible to construct such a place in 537? The light in the Aya Sofya is so dim that capturing good photos without a tripod was nearly impossible.
The Byzantine church was noted for it’s beautiful mosaics which were plastered over when it became a mosque. Fortunately, many have been partially recovered.
After lunch, we visited the Basilica Cistern, the largest surviving cistern built by the Byzantines in 532. There are 336 columns, many of which the Byzantines salvaged from ruined temples. The water was delivered from a series of aqueducts from a reservoir near the Black Sea. (More amazing feats of construction!)
Two of the most interesting columns feature Medusa as a base. There are a variety of myths and stories around these, but one holds that the face was placed sideways to negate the effect of the gaze.
Our next stop was the Blue Mosque, seen here from the plaza separating it from the Aya Sofya.
Like all the mosques we visited, the Blue Mosque is a functioning mosque. Tourists enter by a separate door. You must remove your shoes, and your head, knees, and shoulders must be covered.
The Blue Mosque was built by Sutan Ahmet 1 who hoped that it would rival or surpass the beauty of the Aya Sofya. The mosque is named for the fabulous blue Iznik tiles that adorn the interior.
From the Blue Mosque, we walked to the Hippodrome. The views of the Blue Mosque from here were wonderful.
The Hippodrome is even older than the Aya Sofya. Built in 203 and renovated in the 320’s, it was used as a venue for chariot racing and sporting events. It’s also been the site of protests, massacres, and the downfall of several sultans.
Sarah and Matt gave me an Olloclip for my iPhone before we left. I didn’t have an opportunity to play with it very often, but I love this fisheye view of the Hippodrome.
We also visited a bazaar and had a fabulous meal at Hayat’s with Rachel and Juan, but I’ll save those for another day.
