Jewel on the Bosphorus

Istanbul, the capital of three successive empires, the East Roman, Byzantine and Imperial Ottoman, is a melting pot of European and Oriental cultures, writes Ranjita Biswas 


Situated on the cusp of Asia and Europe, Istanbul is a city with dual personality

Sitting at the cusp of Asia and Europe, Istanbul is a city with a long history. As I stepped out from the gleaming Ataturk airport, named after the architect of modern Turkey, it looked like a city with dual personality. On the right was the blue Marmara Sea, its banks full of picnickers.

Mosques with slim minarets rise amidst the maze of glass and chrome modern buildings. It brings to mind Yeats’s Sailing to Byzantium: "And therefore I have sailed the seas and come/To the holy city of Byzantium.

Yes, Istanbul has been the melting pot where kings, invaders, Crusaders in the Middle Ages, traders and common people from across the continents have come together since centuries. This aura of various cultures, including European and Oriental, still clings to Istanbul making it such an interesting city.

Strategically situated and having a natural harbour, Istanbul flourished under different regimes — Persians, Greeks, and the Romans. Constantine the Great, who embraced Christianity, named it Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. In the Middle Ages the Turks invaded and took over the city and named it Istanbul, the jewel in the crown of their Ottoman empire.

In the older part, around the Hippodrome where horses raced during Roman times, the most important architectural icons of the ancient city can be found. There is another famous landmark, the pink-painted Sirkeci station, the last stop of the legendary Orient Express, which carried the rich and famous across the continent from Paris, made famous by Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.

But murder mysteries made a hasty retreat in the serene surrounding of the nearby Blue Mosque — the locals call it Sultan Ahmet Mosque — built in the 17th century. A magnificent example of Ottoman architecture, the mosque is unique having six minarets. Inside sunlight filters through the stained glasses of 260 windows. The walls of the mosque are adorned with more than 20,000 blue Iznik tiles (which are blue in colour), a specialty of the land. Hence the nomenclature: Blue Mosque.

Just across the road is the magnificent Hagia Sophia (Saint Sophia) with its gigantic dome. Built in the Byzantine era, it served as a church for 900 years. During the Ottoman rule, it served as a mosque and the Christian religious motifs were covered with lime but Mustafa Kemal Ataturk had them removed to bring out the beauty of the Basilica. Today, it is a museum of great cultural value.

A tour of the Topkapi Palace, the administrative heart of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years, is a must. Spread over 70 acres, it is like a town by itself with wide avenues, a maze of inner and outer quarters and richly decorated harems. The museums here display hundreds of delicate porcelains (said to be the third largest collection in the world) from the royal kitchen and other artefacts. The bejewelled thrones and intricate jewellery in the Imperial Treasury rooms are astounding. The famous Spoonmakerdiamond and the Topkapi dagger can also be seen here.

Dolmahce palace museum on the Bosphorus is another beauty worth visiting. The vast Baroque-style building was built in the 19th century as the Sultan wanted a modern palace to live in. You have to again cover your shoes with plastic wrapper so as not to sully the wall-to-wall Hereke luxury carpets. Suffice it to say that it cost the equivalent of 35 tonnes of gold to build and decorate the great hall and 285 rooms. There is even a staircase of ruby and crystals!

A boat cruise on the Bosphorus is mandatory. The ferry leaves from Eminonu and one can enjoy the sights on the bank sipping Turkish coffee, including the Rumeli Fort and the Bosphorus Bridge, one of the largest suspension bridges in the world.

Near Eminonu is the Egyptian Spice Market. The aroma of saffron and myriad other spices, stuffed apricots, nuts, boxes of candies wink from every corner reminiscent of our bazaars. But the grandest, as the name implies, is the Grand Bazaar called Kapali Carsi in local lingo, which has thrived through its 550-year-old history. The largest covered market in the world actually started out as a gold and trading centre during the Byzantine era. It’s a shopper’s paradise, literally. Take your pick from rugs called kilims, hookahs, cezve (copper pots for brewing Turkish coffee), ceramic tiles in the famed Byzantine style, chinaware, glassware, handmade embroidery- even belly-dancing costumes.

There are so many images of Istanbul to store in one’s memory box. A Roman aqua-duct rising gracefully in the heart of the city; the breathtaking view from the Golden Horn; walking down Istiklal Caddesi, the main avenue with its quaint tram track leading from the Taksim Square, the heart of the city. The avenue has numerous outlets lining the street, not expensive designer labels but affordable ones. Street vendors sell sesame-topped Simit, fast-food joint owners beckon to enjoy their Durum- like our kathi rolls, or melt-in-the mouth Borek- flaky pastry with your choice filling. For those with a sweet tooth there is a huge variety of sweets, some dry, some syrupy. Turkish Delights (apparently first made by a royal chef) greet one at every corner.

A walk around Istiklal Caddesi in the afternoon provides magic shows and musicians suddenly showing up; the sarai-khanas full of people lazily sip apple tea — chai — as they call it.

It’s hard not be affected by Istanbul. It makes you yearn to explore more, go deeper into its history and yet enjoy the hustle and bustle of the modern city.

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