Turkey June 7 - Istanbul - by David (aka Dad)

Today, we again had a lovely breakfast on the upper veranda overlooking the Marmara Sea. Then we were off to the underground cistern. This is a large cistern built by the Romans when they occupied this region. It was just discovered in the late 1900s, and opened to the public in 1987. It was so well built that, though badly in need of repair, it still did not leak water.





Next up was Aya Sofya. This huge edifice was originally built around 550 A.D. as a Catholic Cathedral. When the Ottoman’s conquered Constantinople, they converted it to a Mosque. Finally, after Turkey became a republic in 1922, it was made into a museum. During its fascinating history, the original mosaics of personages and icons, sparklingly rich in color, were, during a period called the iconoclastic period, covered in plaster and painted with designs. Then, after the iconoclasts were ousted, Christian iconography was again affixed to the walls, only to be removed by the Muslims who affixed huge circular placards with the names of Allah, Muhammed, and four caliphs inscribed thereon. Currently, you can see many of the mosaics which have been restored, evidence of icons removed and the huge Islamic placards. It is quite an impressive building with a rich religious and secular history.









Okay, that was long, but it really was fascinating. From there we headed to the Suleymaniye Mosque. This huge mosque, bigger even than the Blue Mosque, is also very striking in its architecture and detail.







From there, we headed to, and strolled through, the Grand Bazaar, a gigantic indoor market of goods and wares. From colorful dishware and copper goods to leather goods and furs, to cheap t-shirts and socks, you could spend hours, if not days in here haggling for just about anything you night never need.





Completely beat from walking and sight-seeing, we had dinner atop the Ambassador Hotel which provided marvelous evening views of the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, Bosphorus River, Marmara Sea and the Asian side of Istanbul on the other side of the Bosphorus and Marmara. That was followed by a very relaxing massage and Turkish bath at that same hotel.