One of the good things about Istanbul is that a considerable number of the pre-Ottoman buildings still remain, especially from the Byazantine era. The Ottomans only converted a handful of churches into mosques.
One of the most recognisable structures in the world, the Hagia Sofia was built by Emperor Justinian and was the largest church in the Christian world until the conquest of the Ottomans, who converted it to a mosque. One thing that is striking about the building is its use of the dome. From afar it is a striking building. Up close, however, some might consider it an
ugly building. But this is probably due to its current state -- upkeep and repairs to Turkey's national treasures seem to be low down on the list of priorities of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (though I did notice some works taking place to one side of this building). The use of domes on churches only underlines my own opinion that there is nothing intrinsically "Islamic" about domes on places of worship (we need only see St. Paul's Cathedral in London and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for examples of Christian domes). Maybe mosque architecture in Europe, for example, can evolve out of the seemingly slavish need to copy Indo-Pak mosques? I mean that green dome might look good in Gujranwala. It doesn't neccessarily look good next to that early-Edwardian down a street in London (unless you're doing that post-modern thing). Arab Spain developed its own style of mosques, as did sub-Saharan Africa.
The red minaret one sees to the right of the picture was built upon the initial conversion of the church into a mosque, with the other four following at a later date. When the church was converted into a mosque, the mosaics were covered up because of the total prohibition of iconagraphy in Muslim places of worship. After the creation of the secular Republic, the mosque was changed into a museum on the orders of Ataturk, and the plastering which had covered the mosaics removed. Some of the images are indeed striking, and intricate. I can only imagine the level of detail that would have gone into creating them. There are several images, most notabley: i) Mary holding the baby Jesus above where the Muslims built the mihrab (the niche which faces Makkah); ii) the image of Jesus on a throne on Judgment Day, with Mary to his right and St. John the Baptist to his left of which only about a third remains; and iii) the most famous mosaic, that of Mary holding a baby Jesus, with Emporer Constantine on one side and Emporer Justinian on the other, both giving different artefacts to show their service to Christ: Constantine giving his city, Justinian the Hagia Sofia.

The huge bronze doors on the exit themselves are somewhat of a wonder. They are said to be several hundred years old from Tarsus, the city of St. Paul, most probably from a pagan temple.

During its time as a mosque, the usual features were added: the mihrab (the niche in wall facing the direction of prayer), the minbar (the pulpit from where the imam gives the sermon), plus the usual features of Ottoman mosques: the hunkar mahfili (the private, screened, balcony from where the sultan and his family would prayer, keeping at bay any would-be assassins) and the muezzin mahfili (a raised area, usually a patform on several pillars,
from where the muezzin gives the call to stand for the prayer inside the mosque, plus after the prayer reads various supplications out loud). The mihrab in the Hagia Sofia is located on the east wall, to indicate the direction of Makkah. As with most Ottoman mosques I visited, the inside of the main hall (or in the case of the Hagia Sophia what would have been the main prayer hall), is decorated with not only the names of God and the Prophet (p), but also with the Four 'Rightly-Guided' Caliphs (ra) and the grandsons of the Prophet (p), Hassan and Hussein (ra). This isn't too surprising: sympathy for the grandsons of the Prophet (p) is strong in popular Sunni sentiment, even at the expense of the Ummayds. And the Ottomans regarded themselves, and were regarded as, defenders
of Sunni orthodoxy. The medallions on which the names are painted are so large, that they were built inside the Hagia Sophia; there is simply no door in the church large enough to allow entrance to these medallions from the outside. One thing was quite annoying, if totally understandable: the structural integrity of the dome is unsound, so they have erected a scaffolding to support part of it, and this obscures half of the dome ceiling. A walk up to the balcony of the church, and you can visit the famous Marble Doors, used by participants in the synods to enter and leave councils deciding religious matters.
The other churches for the tourist in you is Hagia Irene and Sen Piyer Kilisesi
(Church of St. Peter and Paul). The former, a 6th-century church, stands inside the grounds of the first courtyard before the Topkapi palace, and was, somewhat surprisingly, never converted into a mosque. The latter was the new home of the Dominican monks who left their original dwelling (see about the Arap Camii in the previous part of my account) and moved to the location where this church stands. The current building, however, was built in the mid-1800s by Italian-Swiss architects. Ottoman building regulations required that church fronts could not be built directly on roads, so the entrance into the church itself, is via a courtyard. Sadly, it was closed the day we went (note: never visit Istanbul's historical sites on a Tuesday), though I did get a good look at the outside. This church is located underneath the Galata Kulesi (Galata Tower) which rises above the Beyogulu skyline and can be seen from most pther parts of the old city. More on this further down. I mention Kucuk Aya Sofya (lit. 'Little Hagia Sofia') here, even though it is now a mosque, because of its similarity to Hagia Sofia. It used to be a church, and is still sometmies called the Church of St. Sergius and St. Bacchus. Sergius and Bacchus are said to be two Roman soldiers who converted to Christianity and were martyred for their religous beliefs. Then there is Church of St. Stephen of the Bulgars, made totally of cast iron (don't confuse it for stone). Built in Vienna, the entire church was transferred down the Danube in 1871, to fulfill the function as a catherdal church to the newly formed Bulgarian Exarch (Bulgarian Orthodox subjects of the Ottomans complained that the Greek Orthodox patriarch favoured Greeks over them; so the Ottomans allowed them to create their own church).
The Galata Kulesi towers above the Beyogulu district. It can be seen from any good vantage point from across the Golden Horne. Standing at 62m (that's 205ft for Americans), the Tower was fisnihed in1348 and was used by the Genoese (who controlled Beyoglu) as a watchtower. The Ottomans continued this use and recently it has been converted to cater for tourists -- you can get stunning view from the balcony around the top of the tower, where there is also a restaurent. Inside the tower, however, the medieval decor has long vanished.



The Galata area of Beyogulu is also the home of Istanbul's historic Jewish sites (though most of the city's Jewish population live in more affluent parts of the city). Jews have been in the city since Byzantine times, although there was a large influx into the city as an outcome of the Reconquista. The place where Beyazit II met the first Jewish immigrants is now a tourist spot. Security is very tight around synagogues (there are several in the city, all of them in use), as one expects, so sadly we weren't allowed to get close enough to take any decent pictures.
To one side of Sultan Ahmet Camii are remanents of the old Roman Hippodrome, the old centre of the city. The Obelisk of Thothmes III, brought to the city by the emporer Thedosius, stands on a pe
destal that carved at the order of the Roman Emporer. The carving depicts scences of how
the obelisk was raised, and others scenes including his family. The hieroglyphic inscriptions are still clearly visible today, despite being thousands of years old. In between this and another obelisk is the Serpentine Column, donated by the Greek city-states in honour of the victory over the Persians. Originally it was said to have the heads of the three serpents and be 8m in length, with the names of the cities on the column, but now stands at 5m. Opposite the Hippodrome is a former palace of the Ottomans, converted into the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.
Across Hagia Sofia is the entrance to the huge Basilica Cistern. This was built by Emporer Justinian to hold water for the city, and is supported by 336 columns, at 8m each (26ft). The star attractions in this dark cavern are the marble Medusa heads, used to support two of the numerous columns holding up the cistern. These are thought to signify a nymphaeum, a shrine to water nymphs. Legend has it that the Ottomans did not discover this underground cavern until a century after their conquest, when city dwellers were found to be collecting water, and even fish, from their basements. Today we only see two-thirds of the Byzantine original, the other third having been bircked up by the Ottomans in the 19th-century.
Tips and overall thoughts
There's so much more I could have mentioned in my account, like the Rumeli Hisari -- the Fortress of Europe -- or the trip along the Bosphrous. And so much more I never even got to see. Leaving aside the places within the old city, Greater Istanbul is home to many mosques, churches, palaces and villages along the river. I will be returning to this city one day, insha'Allah.
Istanbul is one of the better cities I've visited (and I've visited a lot). Certainly as a holiday destination it ranks as one of my top three of four. And I can see why it is a home for pan-Islamic Romanticists. Apart from the Hijaz, which has never been a centre of Islamic administration or government since the earliest of times, few other cities can be rival Istanbul as the home of the Muslim world (Cairo, Damascus and Baghdad seem to its main rivals, though I would throw in Moghul Delhi). The Ottomans, in case we forget, ruled for six centuries, many of those from Istanbul.
The people are very friendly. And I am not just saying this. At first I did think this behaviour was the salesman's ploy to try and get you to enter their eaterie or buy their goods. But there was a geuine friendliness about the way people do approach you (or at least us). When someone would ask where I had come I would reply London. Taking a close look at my skin and hair colour people would than ask where I was really from. A reply that I am of Pakistani origin would have people heaping praise and thanks upon God that someone from their 'brother country' (their words) had visited their country; often this was accompanied with another handshake or two, even a brotherly hug. (This makes a change from having insults poured upon you when people view you as a 'Paki'.) Even the imam of Sultan Ahmet Camii, who I met after `Asr one afternoon, said he was pleased to have met someone who had come from a 'brother country' and one which was working 'for the One God'. And this imam was no older than 35.
We booked the hotel and flights through Expedia, which is my favourite travel site (but you might have your own). We travelled via Swiss Air, which made its customary stop in Zurich for an hour or two (a good opportunity to buy some real Swiss chocolate!). Our hotel was a four star owned by locals situated between Sultanahmet Camii and Hagia Sofia (the four star ranking was very dubious, but it was a clean room). This area is replete with hotels, so it's not a problem finding a good place. If you're on a very tight budget try one of the hostels in this area. You can also find five star hotels, many of them part of well-known hotel chains.
Everyone knows that when in Turkey you are automically a milyon-aire. I managed to find a decent rate of £1 for 2.6 million Turkish Lira (TL). I would advise you carry some USD or UK Sterling too. Many hotels offer sightseeing tours and will offer a reduced rate if you pay in dollars or pound sterling. You can also buy expensive goods, like Turkish carpets, for a better price if paying these currencies.
Food is very cheap, though, as one might expect, restaurents near tourist spots will be more expensive. But all good places to eat were within walking distance of our hotel (though, to me, a reasonable walking distance involves about 30 minutes of walking). I would advise checking some places before eating there, because a few did not look too clean (the same 'good advice' if eating out anywhere). A good evening meal for one seems to cost between 5m TL up to 15m TL. The most expensive meal we had was ~35m TL for two at a relatively expensive place. Lunch -- often a doner of some sort on the go -- was between 750K TL and 1.5m TL. As you're in Turkey you can expect to find a lot of meat on the menu, especially doners, kebabs and beef stews. Adana Kebap is a favourite of mine. Bottles of water (1l) and juice can be purchased from ~500K TL. I would recommend finding a supermarket and purchasing basic essentials and nibbles from there. A bottle of water from a supermarket located off one of the main streets was only 250K TL (that's ~9 pence for a 1.5l bottle of mineral water). Chocolates, crips and fresh fruit can be bought at very cheap prices too. We had a fridge in our hotel room, and made full use of this.
As I mentioned in the second part of this account, souvenirs should be purchased with some caution. You will also find that some shops are very pushy. They will try and railroad you into buying something, especially carpets, which I was surprised to find can cost anywhere from £50 to £1500 or more. In fact, almost every shop I entered, carpets were the first item I was shown! My only advice would be leave a shop if you feel pressured. If you want to buy foodstuffs, like lokum, dried fruit, nuts, spices, teas, caviar (Iranian or Russian) or honey, I would advise that you visit not only the Misri Carsisi but also Beygolu's Istiklal Caddesi.
Travelling around Istanbul can be done on foot or through public transport. The tram, costing 1m TL for a one way ticket, runs along the major tourist sites in the Sultanahmet district down to the Eminonu waterfront. A planned extention is being built to take it across the river into Beyoglu. There is also a city wide Metro and bus service, though we did not make use of this. Taxis are very cheap here, at least compared to London and Paris. When coming from Ataturk Airport to our hotel, we paid ~12m TL for a 35-40 minutes car journey. Night-time taxi rates are ~50% more expensive. You can make use of the ferry to visit the Asian side of the city or simply take a boat-trip along the river, past the boundaries of the old city and beyond Besiktas. These cost ~10m TL.
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