The Hospitality team were off on a student residential trip to Istanbul, accompanying a very amiable group of Hospitality and Aviation Management students. So (naturally)I tagged along…
There was a half-day conference to attend from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the Ministry of Transportation, delivering on the city’s transport strategy and sustainable urban mobility planning projects. Various other projects were to be undertaken by the students but there was plenty of time to explore some of the city’s main attractions.
Bustling on the mighty Bosphorus, Istanbul is Turkey’s most populous city (estimated between 16 and 19 million!) Istanbul straddles both sides of a narrow strait that pushes between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea. On one side of the water is Asia, on the other, Europe.
Istanbul has also been quite partial in the past to its empires and dynasties – Roman, Byzantine, Theodosian, and the odd Ottoman here and there, which has resulted in the city being crammed with ancient monuments and keepsakes.
The city also seems to be obsessed with bridal shops and wedding gown outlets, with several similar premises lining many a street.
Building on the ancient Roman colony of Byzantium, as decreed by Emperor Constantine the Great (known as Connie to his mates) Istanbul was originally the imperial city of Constantinople, pretty much the last remaining outpost of the Roman Empire before being conquered by those pesky Ottomans. Istanbul grew to be a major hub for military campaigns and became the centre of all things commercial, cultural, and political until the First World War put an end to the Ottomans.
The Republic of Turkey came into being in 1923 after the War of Independence, and President Kemal Atatürk moved its capital to the city of Ankara. Istanbul refused to sulk and continued to grow stronger with its ever expanding industry and tourism.
Sultanahmet Square seems to have the lion’s share of cultural and historic monuments surrounding it with the famous Blue Mosque flexing cultural muscles alongside the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern.
Sultanahmet Square was once part of the Hippodrome of Constantinople – a chariot track and horse racing circuit – popular pastimes in the Byzantine Empire.
The Basilica Cistern is the largest of many ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. Built in the 6th century during the reign of the aforementioned Byzantine Empire – and using a mere 7,000 slaves – the cistern originally provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople, and then continued to provide similar for the Topkapi Palace.
It is now a tourist attraction – jazzed up at times with an impressive light show.
Here’s a little two-minute clip from YouTube:
The Blue Mosque is an Ottoman-era imperial mosque attracting large numbers of tourists. Hand-painted blue tiles adorn the mosque’s interior walls, and the mosque becomes even bluer at night as strategically placed lights hit the five main domes and the six minarets.
Before the Blue Mosque came along, the Hagia Sophia was the principal mosque of Istanbul. It is still a major player on the city’s skyline, hugely impressive with a very nice line in chandeliers.
Built in 537 as the patriarchal cathedral of the imperial capital of Constantinople, it was the largest Christian church of the Byzantine Empire. It remained the world’s largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520. It temporarily became a Roman Catholic cathedral before converting back to a mosque after the Fall of Constantinople. The Republic of Turkey then established it as a museum until it was re-converted into a mosque in 2020.
The Topkapı Palace served as the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The complex has four main courtyards, hundreds of rooms and chambers, and many smaller buildings – with female members of the Sultan’s family living in the harem.
In the Imperial Harem and the treasury, the Spoonmaker’s Diamond and the Topkapi Dagger take pride of place. The collection also includes Ottoman clothing, weapons, armour, religious relics, and illuminated manuscripts.
More bustling than the mighty Bosphorus, the Grand Bazaar is a hive of mayhem and madness, drenched in colour and character – and literally buzzing with life. More of an otherworldly experience rather than somewhere to find a bargain rug for the hallway, it is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world.
The Spice Bazaar is equally as colourful as its Grand cousin, with mountains of aromatic spices on sale to assail you – along with a zillion varieties of lokum (that’s Turkish Delight to you).
Two different eateries were sampled for lunchtime epicurean delights: the Pudding Shop, renowned for sweet or savoury treats, was once a famous point on the hippie trail to Kathmandu and, in its hippy heyday, attracted hordes of lank-haired sandal-wearers and flower-strewn poppets to its doors. Equally sumptuous and scrumptious in the foodie stakes – and steaks – was the Hamdi Meat Restaurant…
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