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Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque) Across from Hagia Sophia stands the supremely elegant Imperial Sultanahmet Mosque with six minarets. Built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Mehmct, the building is more familiarly known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior paneling of blue and white lznik tiles. During the summer months an evening light and sound show both entertain and inform visitors. The cascading domes and four slender minarets of the Imperial Suleymaniye Mosque dominate the skyline on the Golden Horns west hank. Considered the most beautiful of all imperial mosques in Istanbul, it was built between 1550 and 1557 by Sinan, the renowned architect of the Ottoman Empire’s golden age Erected on the crest of a hill, the building is conspicuous for its great size, emphasized by the four minarets that rise from each corner of the courtyard. Inside are the mihrab (prayer niche showing the direction to Mecca) and the mimher (pulpit) made of finely carved white marble and exquisite stained-glass windows coloring the incoming streams of light. It was in the gardens of this complex that Suleyman and his svife, Hurrem Sultan (Roxelane), had their mausolea built, and near here also Sinan built his own tomb. The mosque complex also includes four medreses, or theological schools, a school of medicine, a caravanserai, a Turkish bath, and a kitchen and hospice for the poor.
The Basilica of Hagia Sophia The Basilica of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), now called the Ayasofya Museum, is unquestionably one of the finest buildings of all time. Built by Constantine the Great and reconstructed byJustinian in the 6th century, its immense dome rises 55 meters above the ground and its diameter spans 31 meters. Linger here to admire the building’s majestic serenity as well as the fine Byzantine mosaics. (Open every day except Monday).
Yerebatan Palace Near Hagia Sophia is the sixth-century Byzantine cistern known as the Yerebatan Sarrnci. Three hundred and thirty-six massive Corinthian columns support the immense chambers fine brick vaulting. (Open every day except Tuesday)
Topkapi Palace On a finger of land at the confluence of the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara stands the Topkapi Palace, that maze of buildings that was the focal point of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and 19th centuries. In these opulent surroundings the sultans and their court lived and governed. A magnificent wooded garden fills the outer, or first, court. In the second court, on the right, shaded by cypress and plane trees, stand the palace kitchens, which now serve as galleries exhibiting the imperial collections of crystal, silver and Chinese porcelain. To the left is the Harem, the secluded quarters of the wives, concubines, and children of the sultan, charming visitors with echoes of centuries of intrigue. Today the third court holds the Hall of Audience, the Library of Ahmet III, an exhibition of imperial costumes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the treasury and a priceless collection of miniatures from medieval manuscripts. In the center of this innermost sanctuary, the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle enshrines the relics of the Prophet Muhammed brought to Istanbul when the Ottomans assumed the caliphate of Islam. (Open every day except Tuesday).
Grand Bazaar One could visit Istanbul for the shopping alone. The Kapalicarsi, or Grand Bazaar, in the old city is the logical place to start. This labyrinth of streets and passages houses more than 4,000 shops. The names recall the days when each trade had its own quarter: the goldsmiths’ street, the carpet sellers’ street, the street of the skttllcap makers. Still the commercial center of the old city, the bazaar is the original shopping mall with something to suit every taste and pocket. Charming souvenirs and gifts can he selected from among Turkish crabs, the world-renowned carpets, brilliant handpainted ceramics, copperware, hrassware, and meerschaum pipes. The gold jewelry in brilliantly’ lit cases dazzles passersby’. Leather and suede goods of excellent quality make a relatively inexpensive purchase. In the heart of the bazaar, the Old Bedesten offers a curious assortment of antiques. It is worth poking through the clutter of decades in the hope of finding a treasure. |
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