Istanbul: Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque & other things

Starting the day with Turkish Breakfast

Hotel breakfasts in Istanbul are a fry cry from the dry toast, boiled egg and stale Danish pastries affairs that I have often had in the US. The morning buffet had bread, croissants, cookies, salads, marmalades of orange, lemons, and cherries, fresh strawberries, cranberries, figs, olives, dates, prunes, sweetened yogurt with muesli, egg and sausage rolls, omelets, cold cuts, cheese, cakes and a glorious view of the Bosporus.  I had breakfast there for 5 days and not once was I short of something new to try. We were staying at the Rast Hotel, a small not-too-fancy-boutique hotel, like hundreds of them in Sultanahmet.

Visting Topkapi Palace

Our walk to Topkapi Palace was short and pleasant. Being a sunny day, the staff of the little cafes that lined the streets was busy putting the finishing touches to the outdoor arrangements. Tiny tables for two decorated with fresh flowers, covered with Anatolian tablecloths, silk cushions on the chairs, and odd man or two sipping Turkish Chai in those lovely curved glasses, completed the movie-like “oriental” image.

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The Topkapi Palace Museum is a must-see for a very valid reason. One cannot imagine the wealth and power that the Ottoman’s commanded without a walk through their residence’s gilded chambers.

In the front courtyard, there appeared to be a miniature Aya Sofya. Named after St. Irene, this church is apparently this only one in the whole of Istanbul that was allowed to remain a church and not converted into a mosque after the Ottomans took over.

The Harem quarters are considered to be the ‘highlight’ of the palace. I believe it is so not only for architectural reasons but also because of the inevitable mystique around them.

The first thing that strikes you as you enter the Antechamber of the Harem Palace is the tile work. From floor to ceiling, the walls are covered in Iznik tiles. These are ceramic tiles with intricate hand-painted work. Each segment of the wall has a different pattern.

As we walked further into the palace complex, each room was grander and I could sense that we were moving towards the power center. The grand finale was, of course, the Sultan’s chambers that had the most expansive tile work, tinted windows, comfortable living arrangements, artistic décor and views of the sea.

The Ottomans were very wealthy and its not just once that I found myself sighing at the opulence and wishing I owned something so lavish. Kapil was quick to point out that being female, I would have had access to this luxury only if I was in the running for the Sultan’s affections and the favor of Valide Sultan, competing with hundreds of women. Even if the Sultan noticed me, I would have to be really lucky to give birth to a crown prince to get myself an independent sea –view room.

 

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Clearly, ambition, luck, and reward of a room-with-a-view have gone hand in hand for a long time. The idea of being part of a harem is detestable to me but I wonder what young girls of those time felt. Separated from their families with their lives dependent on the mood swings of royalty. Palace history is rife with stories of harem girls drowned in the Bosporus on moonless nights.

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The other place in the Topkapi Palace that left quite an impression on me was the view of the Bosporus and Asia from Seraglio Point near Konyali café. Always crowded with tourists trying to get a perfect shot, it’s also an ideal place to sit down and drink chai as you watch the ships go by. Lunch at the adjoining Konyali restaurant is highly recommended, though it can be quite heavy on your pocket.

While we had been oohing and aahing appropriately at the wonders of Topkapi, we were yet to be dazzled into speechlessness. That’s when we stumbled into the Treasury Room. Thrones made of solid gold, turbans lined with diamonds, water jugs embedded with rubies, gilded-covers for Koran and the famous emerald studded Topkapi dagger! I suddenly felt very, very poor and unsatisfied with my life. The grand display also explained the armed guards spotted across the museum property.

It took us a good two to three hours to walk through the Palace and even then we skipped some sections.

Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque is at a walking distance from Topkapi Palace, just across the street. After the intricate and lavish work of Topkapi Palace, I must say we were a little disappointed with the Blue Mosque. While it is probably the most picturesque part of the Istanbul skyline, the interiors do not match the beauty of Aya Sofiya with which it was made to compete with.

This Ottoman structure is lined with blue Iznik tiles, hence the name Blue Mosque. Impressive and beautiful, there is however a sense of antiquity which is missing from the design.

Hippodrome & Basilica Cistern

Outside the Blue Mosque is the large plaza like area which is known as the Hippodrome and it is here the Romans held chariot races over a thousand years ago. Nothing except three pillars remain and it requires much more than an active imagination to visualize a medieval racecourse.

Next to the Hippodrome is the famous Basilica Cistern. I was really looking forward to visiting this.  An underground watery chamber supported with hundreds of ancient pillars, mysterious Medusa heads; just like the Secret Chamber in Hogwarts! Obviously, I was very excited!
The chamber is exactly how it should be. Grand, dark, pillars reaching into nothingness, damp and eerie, well almost. What takes away from the actual experience is the presence of a café, bright lights and really noisy tourists who are not entirely sure what they are doing in an underground water tank!
Yes I know, I am a tourist too but large hordes of people can be annoying.

Evening in Arsata Bazaar

Downhill from At Meydani is the slightly posh Arsata Bazaar. Lined with carpet sellers, tea cafes, restaurants, and ceramic shops this market is great for browsing. It is considered more expensive than Grand Bazaar but with such inflated prices across the city, it’s hard to judge. I was tempted to enter the fancy carpet shops, but the hawkish gaze and the overtly friendly smiles of the storekeepers kept me away. With sunset came an extremely chilly evening and K and I found ourselves grabbing a delicious doner sandwich from a deli and heading to our cozy hotel room for an early night in.

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