A visit to Rustem Pasha . . .

Courtyard, Rustem Pasha (Camp 2004)

As we explored Istanbul, we read of a tiny Ottoman mosque built in 1561, now just above the Strawmat Makers Market.

We walked through the market, planning to return after our visit, found the stairs leading up to the mosque, and suddenly, we were above the bustle of the market in a tiny courtyard, just big enough to walk back and forth, but a courtyard nevertheless with a sense of peace.

Open to the public whenever prayers are not scheduled, we found the mosque quite deserted. We spent about an hour there, admiring the architecture and the famous Iznik tiles in this beautiful house of prayer.

Tree of Life, Iznik Tile (Camp 2004)

Everywhere the famous Iznik tiles greeted us, including a large panel of the Tree of Life and another showing the direction of Mecca. Iznik tiles were everywhere -- on walls, columns, and the minbar itself. Note, the minbar is that raised platform from which the iman speaks to the congregation. Here, at Rustem Pasha, the minbar was heavily carved (see below).

Women's Hall for Prayer (Camp 2004)

One of four domes, Rustem Pasha (Camp 2004)

Minbar, Rustem Pasha (Camp 2004)

Floral and geometric designs
of Iznik tile (Camp 2004)

Elephant columns, Rustem Pasha (Camp 2004)

The sharp contrast between the busy market below and this mosque, light-filled and quiet, a place of prayer, was extraordinary.

I discovered that few foreign tourists visit this mosque because it is a little out of the way, near the perhaps more tempting Spice Market. I also discovered that Rustem Pasha, a grand vizir to Suleiman the Great, was beheaded for intrigue, though he was married to a daughter of the sultan. This beautiful mosque was built after his death.

Read more about the Rustem Pasha on Wikipedia and at A Taste of Travel (really fine pictures here of the architecture and tiles).

NOTE: I'm converting pictures from old CDs to the cloud (and on Flickr), but I lost the CD carrier for about a month. What is lost is sometimes found, so these memories can be shared with you. I will be back with more of Istanbul with my next post.

A little more of Istanbul . . .

Harem, Topkapi Palace (Camp)

Today, we'll take a peek at the Topkapi Palace.

What fascinated me more than the three grand courtyards, each more exclusive than the next that led into the Palace complex, was our short tour of the harem, accessible only through a small gate at the very heart of the Palace.

We entered the harem through the narrowest of halls to discover a tiny, dark courtyard of flagstones and mosaic, and two-three story apartments on each side. Here the least favorite wives and concubines lived.

As we passed through successive halls and gates into the inner sanctum, the courtyards became larger, the decorations more ornate with filigree and the famous Turkish Iznik tiles (brilliant colors in a 'frame and meander' pattern), until we were favored with a stunning view of hanging gardens and the Bosphorous.

Iznik Tiles, Topkapi Palace (Camp)

Our guide confided that the competition for the throne during the Ottoman Empire was so great at one time, that different factions resorted to assassinations to remove potential rulers. So one queen arranged for her son to be put in a 'gilded cage,' a private room he could not leave, located in the very heart of the harem. His mother arranged for every delicacy to be delivered -- music, rich foods, and dancing girls. He remained secluded until he was crowned. The result was disaster.But the room remains, a fascinating blend of opulence and horror.

The prince's 'cage' at Topkapi Palace (Camp)

The prince's cage overlooking Bosphorus (Camp)

Though we spent the day wandering here, I fear I'm not doing justice to the scale of Topkapi or its history of 400 years. It's easy to believe that over 4,000 people once lived here, given this lovely shot from Wikipedia. I would happily return to Istanbul to learn more of this UNESCO World Site.

The Topkapi Palace Complex (Wikipedia)

Did I see a mermaid on our travels? For your viewing pleasure, a Turkish mermaid. I do not know her story -- yet!

Tomorrow, a small, very small corner of the marketplace!

Read a little more:
About Topkapi Palace on Wikipedia
Additional history from the Topkapi Palace Museum

Day Two in Istanbul: Food Alert!

Deniz Bezan takes us on the second day of touring Istanbul. We begin in the Ortaköy neighbourhood. 

All kinds of artists and artisans display their wares along the avenues beside the Ortaköy Mosque, directly on the Bosphorus. You can have breakfast, or brunch if you slept in, at any of the waterfront cafes. Afterwards, you can continue walking along the sea, or hop on a city bus, towards Arnavutköy.

Along the Bosphorus (Bezan)

The Bosphorus ferry leaves from here at scheduled times and stops at a number of neighbourhoods, including Kandilli (famous for its yogurt) and Anadolu Hisarı on the Anatolian side – counterpart to the Rumeli Hisarı on the European side. Both fortresses were built prior to Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror’s siege of Constantinople in 1452.

You can keep going as far as Emirgan, to visit the Sakıp Sabancı Museum, or check a site like www.timeout.com to find other exhibits or events you’d rather see. If your visit falls on a weekend, you could even schedule a full boat cruise of the Bosphorus, either in the morning, the afternoon, or throughout the day, meals included.

Or stop along the way for lunch. If you are not joining a boat tour, then an ideal place for a late lunch is Köfteci Ramiz, in the Levent Carşı neighbourhood. Levent – a once entirely residential district, now featuring bakeries and boutiques circling a public park – is accessible by metro or, if you still have the energy, is about an hour’s walk uphill from Arnavutköy. The view from the top, overlooking the Bosphorus and across to the turreted Military High School on the Anatolian side, is well worth the climb, even on a cloudy day.

Cat keeping an eye on the neighbourhood
Istanbul (Bezan)

The ubiquitous cats and dogs of Istanbul are especially plentiful in this neighbourhood, and gather in groups round the doorways of the houses – and sometimes even appear on the windowsills!

Köfteci Ramiz in Levent is a restaurant devoted entirely to the Turkish köfte, or seasoned meatball, and next door is an ideal place for dessert: Özsüt, featuring rice puddings, chocolate puddings, and various Turkish specialities such as aşure, or Noah’s Pudding. This is one of the oldest desserts of Turkish cuisine and the legend behind it tells when Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat, Noah and his family wanted to hold a celebration to express their gratitude toward God. Their food stores had dwindled, however, so they made a dessert using any and all the remaining ingredients, including chick peas, apricots, figs, raisins, and other fruits and legumes. They’re all mixed up in the pudding, but it tastes great!

Another speciality dessert is tavuk göğsü kazandibi, a type of scalded-milk pudding whose main ingredient is extra thin slivers of cooked chicken breast – much tastier than it sounds!

After all this walking and eating and sightseeing, it is high time for a rest.From Levent, the metro takes you back to Taksim in less than ten minutes.

I don’t mind which cafe I’m in on this street as long as it’s one with rooftop access. I love gazing out over the rooftops of Istanbul toward the Golden Horn, as far as my favourite tower – Leander’s Tower – remembering all those who’ve looked out over this panorama for so many hundreds of years before me.

View of the Golden Horn (Bezan)

Thank you, Deniz, for your guest blog that brings back so many memories of Istanbul and those fabulous palaces along the Bosphorous. Luckily, we have a Greek/Turkish restaurant called The White House Grill, right near Spokane that features those rich rice puddings, köfte and lots of garlic.

Deniz Bevan recently returned to writing romance after a foray into Young Adult and Middle Grade novels. She's currently querying her latest romance, Out of the Water, set in Spain and Turkey in 1492 and editing a second romance set in the same time frame, Rome, Rhymes and Risk. She also has a paranormal romance in the works! 

Deniz writes travel articles and book reviews for the trilingual newspaper Bizim Anadolu and the 100 Romances Blog. Visit her at http://thegirdleofmelian.blogspot.com/

Day One: A Mini-Stop in Istanbul . . .

Today's guest post features Deniz Bevan, a well-traveled and enthusiastic writer I've come to admire. Here is your introduction to Deniz . . . in Istanbul. 

Day One: A Mini-stop in Istanbul! 
by Deniz Bevan

 I always wonder what I’d do if I took a cruise – they seem to spend only a day or two in each port. How could there be time to see everything? But then a few years ago, while visiting family in Turkey, I realized our itinerary had only left us two full days in Istanbul! I had to pack in a lot, and now I can share that itinerary with you!

Turkish Breakfast (Bezan)

The first thing to do when you wake up is to have a quick breakfast – nothing too heavy, because this is Turkey, and you’ll probably be eating all day, especially if you’re visiting family or friends or even newly-met acquaintances!

There’s probably a bakery near your hotel, no matter what neighbourhood you’re in, so grab some tea and a cheese-filled pastry called poğaça. Tea comes piping hot in an hourglass, with sugar if you want it, but no milk. You can always add some of the other tasty bits of a traditional Turkish breakfast – sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, olives, and kaşar cheese – to give yourself energy for the long day ahead.

Start your journey in the neighbourhood of Eminönü, on the southern side of the Galata Bridge, by taking a streetcar to the courtyard across from Istanbul University. On your left is the Beyazid Mosque, built by Sultan Beyazid II in the years 1500-1505; the Sultan himself is buried on the grounds.

Directly before you is the Sahaflar Çarsısı, the second-hand book bazaar attached to the Grand Bazaar, and one of the oldest markets in Istanbul. And just a short walk away is the Mısır Çarsısı, or Egyptian Bazaar, also known as the Spice Bazaar. This bazaar is about two hundred years younger than the oldest parts of the Grand Bazaar.

Back in the 15th Century, Egyptians used to sell their spices here, and the bazaar still features an amazing variety of spices, dried fruits and nuts, teas, sweets, honeycombs and aphrodisiacs from Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and many other countries. A number of booths offer “Turkish Viagra”, a supposedly potent mix of figs and walnuts, and each booth offers free samples. As you tread the twists and turns of the bazaar, you can almost eat a complete meal!

In the neighbourhood of the bazaars are the Aya Sofya Museum, the underground Roman cisterns of the Yerebatan, the Topkapı Palace, and the Blue Mosque, among other historical buildings and monuments.

View of Galata Bridge and Tower (Bezan)

If you take the necessary hours to visit all of these, it’ll be dinnertime when you’re done!

Hurry across the Galata Bridge and then up through the Galata neighbourhood to the Tower. Originally built in 1348 as the Christea Turris or Tower of Christ by the Genoese colony in Constantinople, the Galata Tower was later, during the Ottoman period, used as an observation tower for spotting fires.

Up from Galata is Istiklal Caddesi, a long avenue of many landmarks, including the Galatasaray High School, Saint Anthony’s Church, and the Pera Museum, just one block away on Meşrutiyet Caddesi.

"The Tortoise Trainer"
Osman Hamdi Bey
(Wikipedia)

At the Pera Museum, their permanent, and best, feature is Osman Hamdi Bey’s Kaplumbağa Terbiyecisi, or "The Tortoise Trainer". This stunning 19th Century work, with its rich reds and intricate details, portrays an Ottoman tortoise tamer; some have suggested that the painting symbolizes the difficulty, or slowness, of achieving social change.

Careful of the tramcar as you head back to Istiklal Caddesi! If you find your legs beginning to ache from all the walking, you can always hop on the tram as it makes its way up to Taksim Square. There are lots of restaurants and cafes to choose from, and the area comes alive at night!

A recently popular area for drinks is Küçük Beyoğlu Avenue, which was originally a line of old, collapsing Greek buildings but has since been renovated into a quarter of trendy bars and coffee shops. You could even try kokoreç (seasoned and spiced lamb intestines served with vegetables in a half loaf of bread or pita) – very tasty, I promise!

Deniz Bevan recently returned to writing romance after a foray into Young Adult and Middle Grade novels. She's currently querying my latest romance, Out of the Water, set in Spain and Turkey in 1492 and editing a second romance set in the same time frame, Rome, Rhymes and Risk. She also has a paranormal romance in the works! Deniz writes travel articles and book reviews for the trilingual newspaper Bizim Anadolu and the 100 Romances Blog. Visit her at http://thegirdleofmelian.blogspot.com/

Plan to return tomorrow for Day Two of Deniz' fabulous tour of Istanbul. Later this week, I'll share a few memories of my own of time spent in Istanbul.

If you have traveled to Turkey, what remains unforgettable?