Istanbul's Culture and the Sea

I've had three fascinating days in Istanbul. It has been on my "must visit" list since I began traveling on my own 20 years ago. I've always enjoyed reading the histories of Greek civilization, Byzantine, Constantinople, The Roman Empire, The Ottoman Empire, the Crusades and other ancient eras.  I wanted to see and feel this history here, and for the most part, I did. 

Istanbul is both an ancient and modern city. The city’s architecture mixes Western and Eastern styles. There are a few surviving Roman relics, such as the Hippodrome, Basilica Cistern and Column of Constantine. However, it is the Byzantine and Ottoman buildings which define the city. Perhaps the most notable Byzantine one is the Hagia Sophia, which stood as the world’s largest cathedral for a thousand years, before being turned into a mosque under Ottoman rule. The many great Ottoman buildings include the Topkapi Palace – for centuries the residence and administrative centre of the Ottoman sultans, and the Blue and Süleymaniye Mosques. The international significance of many of the sites is recognised by their inclusion in UNESCO’s ‘Historic Areas of Istanbul’ World Heritage Site. 

Visiting the mosques and palaces have strongly brought Islamic and Ottoman cultures to the forefront. This city is mainly Muslim and male dominated from my perspective. 

The Topkapi palace was interesting, especially the harems. They had only a few couches here and there, amongst the otherwise barren rooms, but I could still imagine the opulence. The wall tiles were Dutch delft and typical Turkish with floral and abstract designs. Lots of painted gold accents and mother of pearl inlaid in the dark wood doors. The politics in here must have been ferocious with 200-300 women. Brought here as small children, the most beautiful were educated and trained in music. Only the most talented would become concubines. Only the concubines who produced sons would become wives. Their pecking order determined by the Sultan's favors. 

There were lots of treasures to be seen, from magnificent jewels to swords (even a couple from Prophet Mohammed). Many more artifacts were relics and remains of prophets. One such wonder was Prophet Joseph's turban from 10,000 BC, according to the plaque. No pictures were allowed in any of the treasury rooms or mosque. 

The landscape was pretty for fall, some roses still blooming and the view of the city both old, new and Asian was phenomenal.

 Istanbul is a city with a strong relationship to the sea. The Golden Horn separating New and Old Istanbul is its natural harbour. The Bosphorus strait links Turkey's own Marmara Sea with the Black Sea. Yesterday I had taken a Bosphorus to the Black Sea Cruise and was disappointed that I had not "really" reached the Black Sea. Staying along Istanbul's shorelines the entire cruise, we reached the tiny fishing village of Anadolu Kavağı, the last harbor before the Black Sea. 

Surrounded by a military complex, it felt forced and nationalistic. While trying to take a peaceful walk, I was given a stern lecture, of which I understood not a word, but seemed to indicate from the finger pointing that I had to stay within the village. From the boat we were told, "There, beyond the third bridge linking these two continents lies the Black Sea."  

With FORBIDDEN signs and barbed wire blocking my path, walking there seemed out of the question. So I hung around that machine gunned entrance with NO PICTURE signs and took them anyway. 

Still disappointed, I tried to take in some different parts of the village culture. The street dogs made a very cute sight! 

The Turkish handcrafts displaying USA and EU relations was... Interesting. 

 

And the "sea" was beautiful filled with fishing boats and jellyfish. 

Determined to see more of Istanbul and its seas. I took a ferry over to the Asian side. One third of Istanbul's population live here. I arrived in the neighborhood of Kadiköy and was amazed at how much more western and relaxed it felt. The Cold Stone Creamery and Starbucks next to the mosque helped. 

There was a long boardwalk along the coast of the Marmara Sea, that had green space, parks and exercise places. It was very peaceful to walk. The homes here are much more middle to upper class. I found a place suggested on line, Moda Park, and had a yummy lunch of sea bass salad while overlooking the sea. It was only after my dish arrived that I realized with all the street cats around, it was not a good choice. And indeed I had to fight off several to keep my lunch!  

 Full and relaxed, I meandered back towards the main center and looked at a few shops and the fresh markets. It was so refreshing not to be badgered and surrounded by pushy salesmen. An ice cream from Cold Stone added to my peace and provided a taste of the home I'm missing. 

After taking the ferry back, I decided to continue exploring this culture and maybe some more of that relaxing feeling. An authentic Turkish Bath is what came immediately to mind!! I braved a march through the Grand Bazaar trenches to find Cemberlitas Hamam, built in the 16th century by the famous imperial architect Sinan. Although it has undergone changes and restoration, the work is clearly Sinan with its exploratory architecture. The domes over the baths are circular but placed in a square creating a twelve sided polygon. Windows placed in the dome are circular and star shaped and are numerous in number to let as much light in as possible. Upon arrival, I selected my desired treatment (a traditional Hamam is done by an attendant) and received my chip and clothing - After undressing and putting on their one size fits all black panty, I wrapped myself in the "pestsmal" and headed down to the bathing area. Lying on a heated marble slab, the attendent douses you with warm water as you sweat out impurities. After 20 minutes of intense sweating, she scrubs you head to toe with an exfoliating cloth, removing dead skin. Then she begins the bubble bath sans bathtub, massaging and cleansing you with oily, soapy bubbles. What an experience!! You're doused again and then the attendent washes your hair (another mini massage). Just remember to breathe BETWEEN dousings or it'll feel a bit like water boarding. You return to the stone to lie as long as you want before cooling down in the next room. I stayed about an hour. A towel, shower, hairdryer and beauty products are all provided to make you presentable again. Feeling very good, I went in search of the pomegranate and orange juice they squeeze fresh here on the streets. Yum!! 

Turkish culture is old and new. Istanbul is historic, chaotic, draining, relaxing, and beautiful. I'm glad I was able to experience it all. It has been a trip worth taking!