Istanbul 2019!

East is East and West is West and never the Twain shall meet.  That is until you get to Istanbul. Kipling was Wrong. 

by M. Hassan - 06/08/19

Historians have established that people have lived in Istanbul for over 3000 years this makes it one of the world's oldest cities.   Istanbul is a city built over and around 7 hills. The name Istanbul means "City of Islam". Istanbul is a city rich in history. Istanbul is a truly unique city in that due to its size it extends into both Asia and Europe. It is the only city in the world that spreads over 2 continents. 

Seeing holiday photos of Istanbul made us all want to come to Istanbul for a short family holiday and experience the allure of Istanbul for ourselves.

Istanbul's history also spans the rise and fall of some of the world's most famous empires….the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire, the Ottoman Empire.  Prior to the Romans establishing their empire in Constantinople (the name of Istanbul during the Roman period) the city was controlled by the Persians in the 6th Century BC and then by Alexander the Great after the 4th century BC.  

I hope you all enjoy reading about our experience of Istanbul.  Over the next pages I will be trying to paint a picture with the help of some photos in recreating our short stay in Istanbul.  I envy painters in that they have a magical quality in telling a story with a single painting. Two weeks before flying out to Istanbul we went to visit the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square and I was totally mesmerized by some of the paintings in how they managed to tell a story.  It's true that a good picture (painting) is worth a thousand words. And here I am writing thousands of words to paint a picture.  

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Istanbul 2019!

by M. Hassan - 07/08/19

Sultan Ahmet

After arriving at our Hotel the Albatross Premier  late last night luckily just before the local restaurants were about to close.  We all had a light meal before retiring for the night in anticipation of the day ahead.  

We decided that we will spend the first day like all tourists...a day of sightseeing.  Walking on the cobbled streets of the Sultan Ahmet area you can't help but notice that Istanbul lives in the the shadow of it's monumental past.  All around you you see the legacy of not just the Ottoman Empire but also the Roman Empire.  

Sultan Ahmet Mosque

Walking around Istanbul you can't help but think that this is culturally a Mediterranean country.  It really looks and feels like a European country. Maybe it's like this in the European side of Istanbul. 

The first place we visited was the Sultan Ahmet Mosque  or as its more commonly known as the "Blue Mosque". It really is a Grand Mosque in all its glory.  With vast prayer areas inside as well as outside. The interior has beautiful blue tiles. As with buildings of this age there constant ongoing repairs.  

The Mosque was built during the reign of Sulatn Ahmet who was the 14th Ottoman Sulatn in 1616.  The area that this Grand mosque and the other places that we visited on our first day are named after him.   There are long queues of people Muslim as well as non Muslim waiting to get inside. The non Muslim women or for that matter the Muslim women who do not have thier hair covered are all given a headscarf to cover thier hair when entering the mosque.  

Hagai Sofia

After finishing of our visit to the Blue Mosque we literally walked across the square to visit the Hagia Sofia.  Many hiatorian's have written that all the Grand Ottoman Mosques found thier inspiration from this historical Monument.  The Hagia Sofia (which means holy wisdom) was originally built as a Greek Orthodox Church has been built 3 times. The first building was destroyed by fire (it was built of timber) while the second which was also built of timber was destroyed by rioters.  The third and current building of the Hagia Sofia was commissioned by the Roman Emperor Justinianos in the year 532 and opened in 537. It took 10.000 people to bulld this Monument.  

I have to say that when you walk in it truly takes your breath away.  You are instantly struck by it's size and magnificence. This is one place where pictures or words simply cannot do it justice.  

The capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453 was significant for a number of reasons. First, the capture of the city made the Ottomans the most important power in southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean and began a long period of expansion for the Empire. It also ended the Eastern Roman Empire.

The Ottomans converted the Hagia Sofia into a mosque.  Six minarets were added . They even changed its name to Aya Sofya although it's meaning remained the same.  Alll around this vast monument you see symbols of Christianity and Islam side by side. After the Ottomans converted the Hagia Sofia into a Mosque they covered all the mosiac images of Jesus, Mary as well as the emperor's with plaster and paint.  As we know Islam does not allow images of people to be portrayed in mosques. However since it was given the status of a museum in 1935 it has over the years carefully tryed to restore as many of the original features i.e. removing the painting to reveal the original Cristian mosiac without totally destroying it's features as a Grand Mosque.  The results are truly "Spectacular". No visit to Istanbul can be complete without a visit to the Hagia Sofia. A truly incredible engineering feet how such a structure of this size was constructed mainly out of stone.  

Topkapi Palace

After a short break we were off to see the Topkapi Museum.  After seeing the Hagia Sofia. I did not believe it was possible to be left in "Awe" twice in one day.  However a word of warning please be prepared to wait a long time to get inside the main building of the Topkapi Palace.  The queues are very long.  

Just like the Moguls of India the Ottomans were if nothing else Great builders.  The Topkapi Palace is nominally called a palace but the reality is that it is far greater than that. It was not  just the Palace where the Sultan resideded but also the Administrative centre of the vast Ottoman Empire. The construction of the Topkapi Palace was started by the first of the Great Ottoman Sultans Mehmet the Conquerer.  He was given this title because he defeated the Roman Empire and forced it out of Constantinople in 1453. Over the following decades and centuries successive Sultans expanded the size and scope of the Palace. By the middle of the 19th century the Topkapi Palace could no longer cope with the demands and needs of the empire.  To meet this demand the Dolmabahçe Palace was built nearby on the banks of the Bosporous. I will hopefully write more on this tomorrow as we hope to visit it then.  

Although we had to wait a very long time to get into the main building of the Topkapi Palace the wait was more than worth it.  Inside many of the rooms of this section of this vast Palace they have housed some of the oldest Islamic relics dating back to the time of the prophet (Pbuh).  

Above are some of the sacred relic's that belonged to the prophet (Pbuh) and his companions.  By the way we are not allowed to take pictures of the items in these room so as you can imagine they were taken sneakily.  They also have dress that was worn by Fatema the prophets daughter and a Tobe worn by Hussain the Proohets grandson. I must say looking at the Tobe the prophets grandson was a very big man.  

As I mentioned earlier the palace served many functions.  There are quarters that were exclusively used by the many wives of the reigning Sultan these quarters were known as the Harem.  The Topkapi Palace is situated on top of one of the 7 hills that Istanbul is built upon. And from the back of some of the buildings of the Palace is the Bosporous.  You can imagine the view the Sultan would have seen from the top of his palace. The view really is beautiful.  

Archeological Museum of Istanbul

After exploring as much of the Palace as possible. Believe me there was a lot more to see.  We were all feeling a bit tired of climbing the hills of Istanbul. So we decided to end our tour of this Grandest of Royal Palaces.  On the way out to the right you can see the Archeological Museum of Istanbul on the right hand side and since we bought a combination ticket to see the Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace and the Archeological Museum of Istanbul we decided to visit this place as our last call for the day before calling it a day.

After visiting the Topkapi Palace the Archeological Museum of Istanbul was always going to fall short in any comparison.  The museum houses artifacts that go back to the time of the Roman Empire as well a Egyptian mummies that were found in Anatolia. It also has Islamic artifacts going back hundreds of years.  We were all left a bit underwhelmed not to mention very hungry by the constant climbing up and walking down the hills of Istanbul. We therefore called it a day and headed to a restaurant to have something to eat before resting up in anticipation for our cruise of the Bosporous tomorrow morning/afternoon.  

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Istanbul 2019!

by M. Hassan - 08/08/19

Chora Museum

After a long day there can't be many  better ways to spend the following day with a river cruise of the Bosporous Straight.  After being picked up by our mini bus just before 9.00 we headed for what we thought was the harbour.  However after we reached the harbour we transfered to a bigger mini bus where we linked up with other tourists who were also booked on the cruise and were taken to the Chora museum which was built in the 5th century.  We were intially booked into go to the Dolmabahçe Palace, however the Palace is closed every Monday and Thursday. After visiting the Topkapi Palace yesterday we were looking forward visiting this Grand Palace.  

The Chora Museum shares a similar history with Hagia Sofia in that it was built as a  Greek Orthodox church and then after the Ottomans took control in the 15th century the church was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman era. The Chora church does not have the aura of the Hagia Sofia however it's significance as our very knowledgeable guide explained to us comes from the restored mosaic's on the walls and ceilings of this small church depict not just the life from birth of the prophet Jesus (Pbuh) to his death but also the birth and death of the prophet Jesus's (Pbuh) mother Mary. The mosaic in the picture shows the Prophet Jesus (Pbuh) and his family tree leading all the way to Adam (Pbuh).  If nothing else this trip has made me more appreciative of art and it's meaning.  

Golden Horn

After our short trip to the Chora Museum we were taken by cable car to the top of a Hill, this hill is named after a 19th century French novelist by the name of Pier Loti.  The view from the top of Pier Loti gave us a perfect panoramic view of the Golden Horn which in all intent and purposes looks like a river however our guide repeatedly stressed that "it is not a river but a river Inlet".  The views overlooking the Golden Horn are spectacular. The Golden Horn leads onto the Bosporous which leads to the Black Sea in one direction and the Mediterranean Sea in the opposite direction.

After this short stop overlooking the Golden Horn we thought we were going to go straight to the Cruise Ship however things went from the sublime to the ridiculous.  Our guide took us to a fashion show, show-casing the latest leather jackets made from the finest Turkish lamb. All the guests were given an opportunity to buy some of the leather jackets at "discounted" prices.  I think everyone gave it a miss after seeing the price labels. At this point we were all getting worried that maybe I booked the wrong type of tour.  

We were then taken to a confectionery wholesaler where although we bought a few items it did little to stop us worrying weather the cruise was going to happen or not.  Luckily our worries were laid to rest as our guide notified us that we will now be going to the Ship for the main part of our tour. On our way to the ship we were shown the Roman Wall Fortification's that helped the Romans  stay in control of Constantinople for more than a 1000 years until they were eventually defeated by Mehmet the Conquerer in 1453. We also drove over one of the 3 Big suspension bridges that takes you from Europe into Asia. The Asian side definitely looks a lot more greener than the European side.  

Bosporous Cruise

Buffet lunch was being served as we entered our cruise ship.  After a relaxing lunch we all went to the top floor to enjoy the full view of the Bosporous.  Some of the facts that were given to us by our tour guide was truly amazing. For example during the Ottoman rule only the Sultan could build a mosque with 4 mineret's or more.  Anybody else who wished to build a mosque would have to bulld a mosque with less than 4 minaret's .  

Although we could not visit the Dolmabahçe Palace as it was closed on Thursday we got a glimpse of it on our cruise of the Bosporous.  

The Dolmabahçe Palace architecturally looks very European in design and appearance whilst the Topkapi Palace is Classic Ottoman with wide domes  as you can see from the picture above of the 2 palaces.  

On our tour it was amazing seeing so many palaces and mansions that date back centuries.  One mansion was pointed out to us that cost the owner a rich business man $150 million US Dollars.  There are also still lots of beautiful houses that were made from wood. Although they are now becoming more rare as people tend to build more with concrete and steal.  Wood was used in the construction of houses in the 18th and 19th century as it improved the chances of survival from earthquakes. That's a pity in a sense as the wood constructed nmansions definitely have a lot of character.  

A Church and Mosque that were built side by side were pointed out to highlight the religious tolerenace of the Ottoman period. The Church was built a number of years before the mosque however when the land around the mosque was aquired but a rich nobleman he wished to build a mosque on his land which happened to be the plot right next to the church.  However out of respect to the church the mosque owner designed and built his mosque dome to be a little shorter in height to the Christian Church.  

Although the cruise was very relaxing in hindsight I think it might have been a bit better to have booked a shorter cruise that lasted a few hours rather than one that took up the best part of the whole day.  These are available. 

There are many small ports on the Bosporous amongst them is a port that going back centuries was used as a Hajj port for the pilgrims of Eastern Europe.

The cruise took us all the way to the end of the Bosporous and we turned back at the edge of the Black Sea.  The currents are very rough there as compared to the currents on the Bosporous. On the way back we stopped off for a short break on the Asian side.  We walked around a village called Byazit. After that it was back to the harbour.

Hippodrome at the Sultan Ahmet Square

After finishing our cruise just after 6pm we had to find out designated coach to take us back to the Albatross hotel.  We wanted to go to the Grand Bazaar however after being advised that the shops in the Grand Bazaar will be closing soon we thought let's just spend the rest of the evening exploring other parts of the Sultan Ahmet area.  

We went to an area called the Hippodrome.  The shape of the Hippodrome resembles an athletic track; a long rectangular shape. Back in the time of the Ancient Romans they engaged in sporting activities such as athletics and chariot racing which would take place in arena's called the Hippodrome.   

A number of big structures were placed in the middle.  The most famous of these structures at the Hippodrome in Constantinople was an Obelisk that was taken from Egypt during the reign of the Emperor Constantine to decorate his new capital city of Constantinople.  Approximately 50 yards from the Obelisk is a similar length Column in honour of the Emperor Justinious. Other remnants of the Hippodrome have been placed in the Museum of Islamic and Turkish Art which is nearby.  Hopefully we will be visiting it tomorrow. We would have gone today if it was still open.  

After having Turkish food for the last couple of days we all went in search of No not Rice n Curry but McDonald's.  

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Istanbul 2019!

by M. Hassan - 09/08/19

Basilica Cistern

I have been told off by Jeba a few times that when I talk to the Turkish people for some reason  I am slowing down my speaking speed and it seems that as a consequence I am talking with a bit of an accent which they (the kids) are all finding annoying.   Salim calls it the Steve McLaren affect.  

Being the day of Jumma we decided that we will visit a few places that we had still not managed to visit which were close to the Blue Mosque. That way we will all insha Allah be able to  pray Jumma salah at the famous Blue Mosque.  

The first place we visited was the Basilica Cistern.  The Basilica Cistern is another salute to the engineering brilliance of the Ancient Romans.  The Cistern is an Underground water reservoir while the Basilica which was a big Church on top of the Cistern apart from a few remants is no longer there.  However the Cistern is still there. The Basilica Cistern was built during the reign of Justinios during the 6th century. Walking around the Cistern you can't help but be taken aback at this extraordinary feet of engineering.  The Cistern has 336 concrete/marble pillars that have been holding it up for the last 1400+ years. However amongst these pillars are 2 very famous pillars they are the known as "Heads of Medusa". Many ancient Roman temples used to have structures of Medusa (a head that has snakes on it) to head off evil spirits.  

Museum of Islamic and Turkish Art

After our short visit to the Basilica Cistern there was still almost 2 hours to Jumma.  So rather than go back to the hotel we decided to visit the nearby Museum of Islamic and Turkish Art.  The museum used to be the residence of Ibrahim Pasha the second Grand Vizir (Prime Minister) of Sulaiman the Magnificent. And since the 1930's it's been used to house some of the most valuable Islamic and Turkish Art.

It's truly a blessing to visit these places to see some of the very early copies of the Holy Qur'an on display.  The pages of the Qur'an that you see in the picture below are refered to as the "Damascus Documents". These are amongst the very first copies of the Qur'an.  

They have on display other copies of the Qur'an from the Ummayad period, Mamluk period, Abbasid Period and  Fatimid period as well as others periods.

The museum also houses an exhibition of scared relics belonging to the prophet (Pbuh).  After seeing a large number of scared relics at the Topkapi Palace this really came as a surprise as well as a bonus. 

Jumma at the Blue Mosque

Sometimes when you set an iteniary of things to do in a day and try and follow it to a tee you either chase time or have too much time on your hands.  The latter is exactly how it felt today after we left the Islamic Art museum there was still more than an hour to Jumma. Before going into the Mosque we went into the tomb chamber of Sultan Ahmet which is attached to his mosque.  This is something that I noticed later on in the day that the Sultan's were buried in tombs attached to thier mosques or mosques built by thier forebears. Our guide on the Bosporous Cruise the previous day had mentioned that when the Sultan's died they would have a very tall turban placed on thier headstones.  While the women's one would remain plain. When noble men or other male dignitaries died they also had turbans on the headstones of their graves, however they had to be kept shorter than the Sultan's turban. We noticed this when we visited the tomb of Sultan Ahmet and later on in the day when we visited the tomb of Sultan Sulaiman.   

I was worried about weather the Grand Blue Mosque will fill up for Jumma.  The worry came from seeing the small gatherings for some of the other salah's that we prayed in mosques during our stay.  Its a pity that Istanbul the "city of Islam" with more than 3000 mosques struggles to fill thier mosques. Allhumdliah the mosque seemed full.  At full capacity the Blue mosque holds 10.000 worshipers. Although the Blue mosque and all the other Ottoman mosques are open to the tourists free of charge throughout the day.  They do apply restrictions during the times of Salah. During these times the mosque is closed to the tourists (non Muslims). Only the people who want to pray are allowed in.

Grand Bazaar

After Jumma because it was so hot today we decided to go back to the hotel for a bit of a breather rather than go straight to the Grand Bazaar.  Another feature of Istanbul is that it has a tram line. To get to the Grand Bazaar which is in the neighbouring area called Beyazit you have to take a short ride from Sultan Ahmet.  It's only 2 stops. We were told that the Sulemaniye Mosque is on the same stop.  

The Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest indoor markets not only in Istanbul but the world.  It is over 300 years old. Before coming to Istanbul I read that it has more than 4000 shops with visiters numbering between 250.000 to 400.000 people daily.  We went there not as a shopping trip necessarily but to see this ancient market in full flow. In full flow it most certainly was. The Grand Bazaar is designed like a Maze.  So it's advisable to remember the entrance in which you came in. Please be prepared to bargain. The market is full of jewellery shops, leather jacket shops and Confectionery shops.  If you love Turkish Delight this is the place for you. 

Sulemaniye Mosque

The magic of Google maps showed us that the Suleymaniye Mosque was a few minutes walk from the Grand Bazaar however it took us approximately 30 minutes to find it as we did not switch on Google maps during our walking tours to avoid roaming charges.  We just equipped our self with a map and directions from the locals. I think we got a little lost.

To say that the Sulemaniye Mosque is breathtaking is an Understatement.  You are captivated by it's beauty as soon as you see it. The mosque is truly a work of Art. This Imperial mosque sits on top of one of the 7 hills of Istanbul overlooking the Golden Horn. It's as if it's the Crown on Top of the Hill.   In my opinion along with the Masjid Al Nabi in Madina this is the most beautiful mosque I have seen. It truly is spell binding. Of all the places that we visited this was the place that Jeba did not want to leave. She was saying let's stay s little longer so that we can soak in the atmosphere of  this beautiful mosque a little longer. We all just sat there spellbound bby the beauty of this Mosque.

The Sulemaniye Mosque is not just a mosque but just as the tourist board describes it,it is a social complex.  Within this huge complex you have a traditional madressa, as well as a separate madressa for students of Hifths and also a medical center.  Suleman the Magnificent really was thinking of everything. From cradle to the grave.  

Mimar Sinan who was  simply known as "Sinan the Architect" was the chief architect during the reign of Sulaiman the Magnificent.  During the course of his career he built more than 150 mosques, nearly a 100 of those were Grand Mosques. The Centre piece being the Sulaimaniye Mosque.  Sinan also built the tomb that houses Sulaiman's grave as well as the graves of some of the Sultan's other family members. This Imperial mosque was built in 1558.  

There are 7 Imperial mosques in Istanbul.  Built for the family of the Sultan's of the time.  On this trip we have had the privilege of visiting and praying in 3 of them.  It was our intention to read Asr salah at the Sulaimaniye Mosque however as we could not find it in time.  We luckily spotted another Grand mosque on the way. It was infact one of the 7 Imperial mosques of Istanbul.  This one was the Sutan Beyazit Mosque. The tomb of the Sultan is adjoined to the side of his Mosque. Currently this mosque is undergoing renovation and restoration work.  We have seen from a distance or have been very close to the other 4 Imperial mosques without realising it. Otherwise we would have visited them as well. 

Our  guide on the Bosporous tour mentioned that Istanbul has more than 3000 mosques the vast majority of which were built before 1923 (end of the Ottoman Empire) . On this trip we have truly seen some beautiful mosques however in our opinion the Sulemaniye Mosque surpasses everything that we have seen.  It seems we left the best till last. The Sulemaniye Mosque truly is a Masterpiece. The Beauty, Splendor and Magnificence of this Mosque will live long in the memory.

Whirling Dervish

After we got back from the Sulaimaniye Mosque we decided to linger around Sultan Ahmet Square one final time until Magrib salah so that we can read the salah  at the Blue Mosque. After that we decided to have our last meal at a restaurant in Arasta Bazaar. The Mesale Cafe. Everytime we would walk to Sultan Ahmet Square we would walk past this outdoor restaurant where we would be greeted by one of thier waiters with a broad welcoming smile.  The restaurant has live music for it's customers usually it's traditional Turkish songs being played. However on this occasion they were singing Nashids.  

Just before our food arrived a gentleman dressed in  a long white robe walked onto the stage. As a Nashids was being sung he started to whirl on the stage.  He was in fact a "Whirling Dervish". The Whirling Dervishes practice a form of physical meditation to please Allah.  They belong to a Sufi sect known as the Mevlevi order whose most famous scholar was Mevlana/Mowlana Muhammad Jalal Uddin Rumi.  Who is known simply as Rumi. Rumi was a 13th Century Islamic scholar as well as a poet who spent most of his life in Turkey. He is buried in a place called Konya, which is not too far from Istanbul.

Memories of Istanbul

As the sun sets on our family trip to Istanbul there were still a few other places that I had on my list of places that we wanted to visit on this short trip.  However time defeated us once again. Salim was happy it did as he was totally knackered. At one point today when we were looking for the Sulaimaniye Mosque he was joking with his siblings that "Aba will not give up until he finds the Sulaimaniye Mosque".  I suppose l was seeking these places with the zeal of a convert having previously not gone on a proper holiday abroad. I was trying to make up for lost time. Previous to this I would often see the world through books. Travel the world without moving an inch.  

Jeba, Nazia and Salim would often tease Yusuf saying that the only reason Aba bought us to Istanbul to visit all these museum's is to inspire you to do your best in Latin. I strongly recommend coming to Istanbul to experience this unique history.  The people are friendly and hospitable. I feel so privileged and blessed by Allah that I was able to do this with the family. I apologise to you all if it seemed like a school trip at times. That was never the intention. The intention was always to make it fun with an element of education in the mix in order to pique your interest and curiousity into the history of Islam. Insha Allah we won't leave it so long to have another family holiday.  

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