our destination today: Hagia Sophia
...but we did as we did...
wander, eat, wander
repeat until time for bed
we walked (of course!),
crossing the Galata Bridge -
the one we ate under the first night
& from whence - it seems 24/7 -
fishermen (and an occasional fisherwoman)
cast their hooks
down.down.down.down.down
to the Marmara Sea,
catching thousands of these ^^^
wee fishies...sardines?
the fishermen completely lined the bridge on both sides,
& i'm sure they each mostly had "their spot."
i wondered to whom they sold their catch?
they weren't reeling in industry-size hauls,
but it was certainly more than for personal consumption!
we got quite a bit better at selfies as the trip progressed
(i like to think...)
i confess i did little prep work in terms of places to see
& relied on my intrepid husband (who lived in Turkey long ago
& is, also, much more well-read than i am)
...so many times when - to me - it felt as if
we stumbled upon things,
he was quite aware of the history of the spaces.
for example, this one...
the Egyptian or Spice Bazaar!
we happened upon it on a Friday, just before midday prayers
on our winding way up to Hagia Sophia
it was quite the tourist destination
(but we were early in our trip, so that didn't really register
as i didn't have much comparison)
and we bought some bookmarks, blue eyes,
and refrigerator magnets
from a vendor desperately attempting to close shop
so they could make it to the prayers in time
(we caught on late to that situation, too)
here i am ^^^ in the shirt i wore once
& the scarf i wore every single day
- both purchased in the Kadikoy Market -
(in a disappointing discovery,
the shirt was made in Italy not Turkey)
on a side note,
here's a photo of me
buying the shirt
but, back to the Spice Bazaar!
a tea for absolutely whatever ails you!
blue eyes abound (they ward off evil!)
on the other side of the Spice Bazaar building
is an incredibly packed, busy, and overwhelming
Grand Bazaar area
again, to me, we stumbled upon this...
but i think other people knew it was there
so, we were winding our way UP to Hagia Sophia
(as you recall, Istanbul is VERY HILLY)
and most everything beyond the very busy Grand Bazaar
had shuttered for midday prayers
we certainly could hear the call to prayer
& saw some men rushing by
to get there in time.
we rounded a corner, & the mosque
had overflowed to the street,
there were so many men!
obviously, i did not take a photo -
but it was quite amazing to see a street full of men
lined up and engaged in their prayer ritual,
(which involves standing, bending, kneeling,
and praying with your forehead on the ground)
all together & in response to the Imam
(imam = prayer leader)
we did finally make it up to the top of the hill
& to the area around Hagia Sophia,
at which point we required
sustenance
Turkish meals in restaurants can take a really long time
(well, it can feel like a really long time
if you're an american...),
but we were able to get some "to go" sandwiches
(that consisted almost entirely of banana peppers
and sausage of some sort)
and sit in the park with all the other tourists
p.s. i tried Ayran & it wasn't bad
p.p.s. to give you another gauge on the exchange rate,
the huge sandwich + yogurt drink cost 50TL...about $2.50
here we are with Hagia Sophia
in the background.
this was probably our most sunny day.
before we stood in line for Hagia Sophia,
we popped into the Tomb of Sultan Ahmed I
(shoes off / my head covered)
we saw several of these tombs
during our stay.
the colors and patterns and general visual "busy-ness"
were ever so satisfying to me...
just beautiful!
even the WINDOWS! just amazing!
^^^surely some Iznik Tiles!^^^
hubby spied two green parrots...do you?
it was a long line to get into Hagia Sophia...but OH SO WORTH IT!
here i am, moving so quickly the photo blurred
(hahaha...not really)
pictures simply do not
do it justice...it is absolutely STUNNING!
Hagia Sophia ("Holy Wisdom") was built as a cathedral
of the Eastern Orthodox Church
in 360AD (original structure),
with the current structure built in 532-535AD -
and remained a church until the Ottoman Turks
conquered Constantinople in 1435.
so, this amazing place was a church
for more than a thousand years.
...it is VAST...
as is the shoe depository.
here is a photo of me taking a photo
so i can remember where
i put my shoes
As of 2020, Hagia Sophia is (again) a functioning mosque
(it was a museum from 1935-2020),
so women are only permitted along the sides
and towards the back (where you enter),
although women can go into the center area
some of the time (if not near prayer time)
(photo below from my vantage point
behind the barrier)
here's the side of the mosque
where the women are permitted to
engage in prayer.
while still a beautiful space,
you cannot see
(nor can you be seen from)
the primary sacred space
(it seems to me, with my western eyes...)
on the one hand,
i could see the appeal of a women's space.
on the other...
i was intrigued by this FACE
within wings -
which is apparently called a
& is a six-winged angel
so surprising that it hasn't been covered
(other Christian figures in Hagia Sophia have been)
since Islam might consider this idolatry
this (below) is just outside the main entrance to Hagia Sophia,
called the Imperial Gate Mosaic
in which the emperor Leo VI is bowing down before Christ -
the medallion on the left is the Virgin Mary
& on the right is the Archangel Gabriel.
you can see the white cloth below it & the diagonal pulleys,
ready to cover this up if needed.
the mosaic below is especially lovely.
it is the Southwestern Entrance Mosaic
& depicts the Virgin Mary with Christ Child on her lap.
to our left is emperor Justinian I
offering a model of the Hagia Sophia;
to our right is emperor Constantine I
offering a model of Constantinople.
there is little to call your attention
to these beautiful Christian mosaics
(we only saw the one above because
we happened to turn around as we were exiting!),
and the upper galleries are now closed
for apparent renovation...
they hold the most impressive
of the Christian mosaics...
exterior view of the Blue Mosque,
named for the blue INTERIOR tiles,
not the blue(ish) domes you see here
the Blue Mosque interior is undergoing
major renovation, with scaffolding obscuring
most of the view...
but you can still look UP!
a view of Hagia Sophia from a portal of the Blue Mosque
these two photos - below - were taken
before we entered Hagia Sophia...
it is the impressive Blue Mosque
(Sultanahmet Camii - that is,
the mosque built under the direction of
Sultan Ahmed I, who did not engage in
the practice of royal fratricide
when he became Sultan in 1603 at the age of 13).
we couldn't not wander!
plus, we needed to find some adana kebab
as my transportation freak-out the night before
had negated partaking of this on the Asian side of Istanbul...
(found delicious adana kebab)
on our stroll towards
the Suleymaniye Mosque,
which appeared to be closed
(quite unusual for a large mosque)
- seriously, we tried every single entrance! -
(as did a German couple, whom we
- in quite a coincidence -
ran into a number of days later
back at the same mosque,
which was open this time)
in any case, we enjoyed the incredible VIEW
from its courtyard, looking back towards
the Galata Tower (a little left of center) -
even though the Galata Tower was quite near our airbnb,
we didn't spend a lot of time in its vicinity...
but we did end up walking by it on our way
"home" this night
another brilliant day in Istanbul!
