Istanbul

Welcome to Istanbul! Or Hoşgeldiniz! That is the Turkish version. Istanbul is the city I recently visited. So we start first with it. Should I write in which country it is? Ok, maybe there are people who don’t know. It is in Turkey. Ahhh! I guess you had already guessed when I wrote the Turkish version of “Welcome”.

It is a nice but a huge city. Around 13 million people live there. I want to give you a very important tip. Don’t use the name of Constantinople for Istanbul. The Turkish people don’t like it. Or don’t tell as well Istambul or Istambol. They are all wrong. Just Is-tan-bul.  Read as it is written. In Turkish every word is read as it is written. You don’t need to think how you read when -t after- s comes or when –a after -e comes. Just simple. Read what you see. It will be very helpful when you want to ask about something or somewhere in Turkish.

When somebody visits a city for the first time, the first stop is usually the historical places. Let’s follow the rule and learn about the famous places to see...

Topkapi Palace (Topkapı Sarayı)

A view of the palace

                                       
It was built in 1478 by Fatih Mehmet Sultan. He is the conqueror of Istanbul as well. Then the Ottoman sultans and their families lived there hundreds of years long.

I like mostly the jewelry part in the palace. As a woman it is normal that they attract me. The shiny diamonds, emeralds, pearls… Especially The Spoonmaker's Diamond (Kaşıkçı Elması) is the most interesting piece. It is an 86 carats (17 g) pear-shaped diamond. To take a photo was forbidden. So I can’t show you a photo. But when you want to see you can look at it in the internet. By the way, yes in some parts especially in treasury part, it is forbidden to use cameras.

There the Sultan met the other people

The tourists and even the Turkish people find Harem part as the most interesting part. There Sultan’s family and the concubines lived. They were also in a way like Sultan’s wives. But I guessed the number was very high. There just lived the women. No man was allowed to enter.

A view from Harem

It is enough about the palace for now. Let's visit somewhere else.

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)

It is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica. After the conquer it was turned into a mosque and now it is a museum.

Hagia Sophia

 Inside you can see features that represent both Christianity and Moslem.

Inside Hagia Sophia

Dolmabahce Palace (Dolmabahçe Sarayı)

That is another famous palace in Istanbul. There also lived some Ottoman sultans. But what is most important for the Turkish people is that Atatürk, the founder of Turkish republic, lived there also for a while and died there.

Dolmabahce Palace

                                          
The palace garden is very big. There are also some other small museums inside. For instance the Clock Museum. There are very precious clocks that were sent from France or some other European countries at the time of the Ottoman Empire. And there is also a place where birds live. Don't forget. The ticket you bought for the Dolmabahce Palace is also valid for the other museums in the garden. Mostly the tour guides forget about telling it. But it is written on the ticket.

That is the naughty cat that watches the birds in the palace. But he just watches!

Ortaköy

The next stop was Ortaköy. Literally it means the middle village in Turkish. There are many street sellers and nice cafes in that part. You can sit in a café and watch the Bosphorus while you drink your hot coffee or your cold cola. The Ortaköy Mosque, which has a Neo-Baroque style and which borders the waters of the Bosphorus is also one of the tourist attractions.

Ortaköy Mosque

And the street shops...

You can also feed the birds and...

... catch fish!

The Maiden Tower (Kız Kulesi)

I would like to suggest you not to leave Istanbul without seeing the Maiden Tower as well. It is a tower in the middle of the sea. You can go there in a few minutes with a boat from Üsküdar. You can go up the tower and watch Istanbul in the middle of the sea. You can as well eat or during something in the tower.

Maiden Tower

                              
Nobody knows a hundred percent sure why that tower was built but of course there are many mystical stories. The one which affects me is so: There was a princess in the old times. When she was born, an enchanter told the King that the princess would die of a snake bite. He didn’t want his daughter die. And he built that tower in the middle of the sea. Because he thought no snake could go till there. From time to time the soldiers of the King were bringing food for the princess. And one day in a basket full of grapes there was an unwanted visitor as well. A snake! He bit the princess when she put her hand into the basket to get grapes. And she died. The tower in the middle of a sea even couldn’t change her fate.

A view from the tower

And lastly, try passing over the Bosphorus Bridge as well. You can't walk there but pass by car or by bus and can see Istanbul from the top. If you are lucky there is so much traffic so you can stay more on the bridge. Nights are nicer.

Bosphorus Bridge

                               
Shopping

So much history is enough. Let's go shopping now. That part is for women. Of course for the men also who like shopping. But since such men are so rare in the world, I said “for women”! Istanbul is a city of shopping centers paradise. They are open till 22:00 each day. Yes each day! Even on Sundays. Not like in Europe where you cannot even find bread on Sundays.

                                                           
It is possible to find a shopping center in each part of Istanbul. I write here the most famous ones: Cevahir, Metrocity, Akmerkez, Capitol, Carousel, Atrium, Tepe Nautilus, Mayadrom, Profilo, Kanyon and İstinye Park. These are the biggest ones. There are also many outlet shops and arcades.
 

Taksim

                     
The districts Besiktas and Taksim have many arcades and shops in the street. Especially Taksim is very popular with its cafes, shops and restaurants. By the way you never get hungry in Istanbul because in each edge of Istanbul there are restaurants.

The Grand Bazaar

                                        
For those who want to buy souvenirs, I suggest The Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı). The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. It has 58 streets and more than 4000 shops. You can find it in Eminönü district. In the bazaar, souvenirs from porcelain or glass, each kind of jewellry especially gold, carpets and some other textiles are sold. And close to it there is Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı). There you can find also many souvenirs, spices, Turkish delight, coffee and even belly dancer dresses. And don't forget bargaining in the Spice Bazaar. But that is not possible in big shopping centers. By the way in Turkey to able to shop you need Turkish Lira.

The last word (Son söz)

Yes, till now I tried to introduce you a fraction of Istanbul. It is not possible to see each part of the city even in a month I believe. But these are the most visited parts. If you have questions, I am happy to inform you more.

If you visit Istanbul, I wish you a very nice journey from now on… Our next stop will be Venice.

Greetings from Istanbul