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Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul is the only city in the world
that spans two continents. The Bosphorus river separates the Asian side from the European
side of Istanbul. Most sites are on the European side, which is where we focused our
half-day sightseeing speed-walking tour. Istanbul was formerly known as Constantinople and
was the capital of three empires: Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman.
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Istanbul got its name from a repeated answer spoken by droves of migrating country dwellers who were asked where they were going. Their reply was "To the city" or "Istam boulis." |
| The city's skyline boasts three major mosques: St. Sofia (Aya Sofya), the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet), and Suleyman the Magnificent (Suleymaniye) |
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The Blue Mosque is called such because of the color of the ceramic tiles inside of it. When the sun shines on them, they turn a bright greenish blue. After seeing the coastal waters of Turkey and the colored tiles in this mosque, a visiting French dignitary declared that particular color blue "the color of the Turks," or "turquoise." |
| The Blue
Mosque I had to remove my shoes to enter, but we were given plastic bags to carry them. Scarves were not mandatory, probably because of the multitude of tourists. I wore mine anyway. |
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| The Grand Bazaar is the world's largest bazaar, with over 4,000 shops. Built in the 15th century, it can be considered the world's first mall. | |
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| The Egyptian Obelisk is over 3,500 years old! It hasn't moved from its spot where it used to be in the center of an ancient stadium (the Hippodrome). Under Constantine I's rule, it was fetched from Egypt on his orders. The hieroglyphs commemorate a pharaoh's trip across the Euphrates. The obelisk sits in what looks like a well, but is actually a section of 5th century pavement, several layers below. | |
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Muslims are called to pray five times a day: dawn, noon, afternoon, dusk, and nighttime. |
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