City with an Ageless Soul --- Istanbul

Appeared in The Hindu Business Line


City with an ageless soul ----- Istanbul


It is mid March and we are half a month early from the ‘ideal time’ in visiting Istanbul, the cultural capital of Turkey and the only city in the world that straddles two continents -Asia and Europe. A trifle early because April to October are considered the best months to travel to Istanbul weather-wise when temperatures pleasantly range between 16 –25 degrees Celsius. As our craft cruises gently in descent at the crack of dawn, we press our faces to the window to get a glimpse of this city which has served as the capital of two great empires, the Byzantine and Ottoman. Disappointingly, we are greeted by dense lashes of water, the pre-summer showers, no, downpour!

The Blue Mosque

Obviously, the giant orange is not there on the horizon for us to see, but the “Istanbulians” are already up and about, busy with routine as we see ourselves being speedily cleared through immigration. Oh yes, let me not miss relating the little hitch that we face here for we are carrying common homoeopathic remedies with us to tackle colds, fevers and indigestions. At least half a dozen officials inspect the little white globules with suspicion, sniff them, crush them and finally brave tasting them. Convinced that they are at best harmless sugar pills, they let us pass through with no more fuss. Thanking the stars for their ‘benevolence’, we gingerly step out of the airport building, not in the least dampened by the grey, ominous sky.

We thread our way through the maze of narrow, sloped alleys that define large parts of Istanbul as we later discover. Even as new buildings are redefining its skyline, it is evident that the city immediately charms you with its unique blend of the old and new. A characteristic cultural ambivalence permeates the city and it is not difficult even for the most unobservant of senses or dullest of intellect to realize that there is a frenetic urgency about the place, a desperate rush to tow the line, to catch up with the West!

There is a distinct flavour to the European segment of Istanbul which comprises the New and the Old town as apart from Asiatic Istanbul. A 7 km natural water body, the Golden Horn, separates the New from the Old European Istanbul while the famous Galata Bridge along with two other bridges, links them together. The city of twelve million people stretches along the twin shores of the Bosphorus, linking the Black Sea in the North with the Sea of Marmara in the South.

Palaces, churches, monasteries, monuments and mosques are there at every turn in the city.
These towering buildings create a mystique and an aura over this great Ottoman city quite incomparable to anywhere else. Yet it is very much palpable that Istanbul is not a city living in the past, basking in the glory of eras gone by. It is progressive and future-oriented; a pulsating metropolis where ultra-modern supermarkets, department stores and skyscrapers jostle for space with the old, often dilapidated and crumbling edifices. We delight at the streets resonant with the clip clop of horses’ hoofs as they pull cartfuls of people and are reminded of life moving at a pace from decades past. They are pleasant sounds vis-à-vis the noise made by honking limousines and trundling trams, products of modern living that are fast gripping this cosmopolitan city.

As travel buffs who just love the sheer experience of visiting places and learning about their people and culture, we do a lot of info gathering as an ongoing hobby. Needless to say, drawing from our data bank, we notice that the most appropriate starting point in Istanbul is undoubtedly the Hagia Sophia, around which are sprawled several attractions the city is known for. Here we find ourselves at the epicenter of all Istanbul’s tumultuous life, thronged with visitors, residents and shoppers from the Spice Bazaar and the street markets close by.

The Hagia Sophia is a 6th century Byzantine structure and one of the world’s most important architectural monuments which stands testimony to mankind’s aspiration to transcend time. A church converted to a mosque and now a museum, Hagia Sophia has survived ravages waged by both nature and man. In fact it is believed to be the first church of Constantinople to be converted into a mosque by the Turks.

The Blue Mosque its presence felt throughout Istanbul

Originally built by Constantine the Great, the Hagia, also known as the Church of the Divine Wisdom was rebuilt by Justinian in the 6th century. The domes Basilica of St,Sophia rises 55m above the ground and measures 31m in diameter. The apse or mihrap was added by Mehmet the Conqueror and the two gargantuan candles that flank the mihrap was donated by Suleyman the Magnificent. Our guide Ahmad tells us that the round marble pitches on either sides of the main entrance to Hagia had perhaps been brought from Pergamum (Greece), to be used as fresh water fountains. There is an upper gallery to which entry is prohibited. But there is a picture gallery where mosaics of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary are displayed and we enter this by getting separate tickets.

We walk a few yards from the grounds of the Hagia through the Hippodrome park to come face-to-face with another imposing monument in Istanbul – the Blue Mosque, so called because its interiors are made of the blue iznik tiles. It is also known as the Sultan Ahmet Mosque since it was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I. As in all mosques, we remove our footwear and cover our heads with sari pallavs or duppattas (ladies) to enter its portals. The mosque, we are told, is unique, having six minarets, surpassed only by Kaba’s seven minarets in Mecca. The interior is impressive with crystal chandeliers and intricate mosaics of ceramic, portraying a range of motifs from flowers to animals and sailing boats. The main sanctum leads to a huge courtyard having thirty domes which are supported by twenty six granite columns with stalactite capitals.

Five minutes’ walk from here brings us to another landmark that dots the Istanbul skyline - the Topkapi Palace, the symbolic and political centre of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and 19th centuries. The architecture here is distinctly Middle Eastern in nature. The gardens are impressive and display rooms exhibit attires donned by the Sultans and various articles of use including a mind blowing collection of jewelry made from precious and semi precious stones, Chinese porcelain and armoury.

The Lue Mosque, just another view

For the first time since entering Istanbul, at Topkapi’s specialty restaurant we taste cuisine that comes close to satisfying our vegetarian palate. We have something that tastes in-between the Tamilian tamarind rice and vegetable-bereft pulao. Of course, this is not served as a rice dish; it appears like spring rolls, but instead of fried in batter, it is rolled in slightly sauted lettuce and cabbage leaves!

Talking of cuisines, the place has a lot to offer for the non-vegetarians as happens in most European and South East Asian countries. But when we order vegetarian macaroni, pasta or pizza, the waiters, even chefs look a little puzzled but helpfully enough try to remove the meaty ingredients from the preparations and serve it to us as vegetarian! So most of the times during our stay we often decide to go dry with sandwiches which we generously top up with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and capsicums and occasionally with a few shreds of cheese, all available fresh and in plenty.

Much as we are fascinated by the Asiatic region of Istanbul, we tear ourselves to visit the other side of the city, the European segment. To our surprise we find this portion a little less cleaner than its Asiatic counterpart. The most compelling structure here is the 19th century ornate Dolmabache Palace, along the coast of the Bosphorus. An exercise in luxury, the palace walls and ceilings are bedecked in gold and European art from the period is at once evident. There are silk and woolen carpets of top quality in every palace room besides hand crafted artifacts.

No trip to any new place is complete without a bit of shopping, at least souvenir-shopping. Istanbul is indeed a shopper’s paradise, involving all the five senses. It has bazaars that cater to all ranges of tastes and pockets. Some of them are the covered ones with workshops that continue ancient traditions while others are arcades and plazas offering the most hi-tech stuff. Walking through Kapaali Carsi or the Grand Bazaar is a shopping experience rich in itself. The huge area was built in the 15th century with lofty domes and colonnaded mezzanine galleries. In keeping with the times, today, this bazaar is air-conditioned and here you get to see original Turkish carpets besides gold and silver wares.

We sadly come to the end of our trip to Istanbul with a leisurely cruise on the Bosphorus even as we watch the hurried pace of life on the 1560m long suspension bridge over it. You cannot help likening Istanbul to an intricately woven carpet that is a rich, yet subtle amalgam of eastern and western cultures. Despite its turbulent history, consequent and subsequent changes wrought by a multitude of destructive elements, its soul seems ageless as it continues to retains it character and spirit! Perhaps, this alone is the tug that draws tourists to it by the millions, year after year.

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