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Istanbul, Turkey: City of Ages
Istanbul was founded in antiquity for the same reason it prospers today: its location on the banks of the broad Bosphorous River made it a strategic port linking the continents of Europe and Asia. Today, Istanbul -- Turkey's tiny foothold in Europe -- is a strategic asset in the country's play for European Union membership. A sophisticated but unpolished gem, with a dazzling skyline framed by seven hills, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the world's most intriguing destinations.
European Istanbul encompasses the contemporary heart of the city, the Beyoglu peninsula, and the historic district of Eminonu on the Golden Horn. This glittering bay fed by the Sea of Marmara surrounds the point housing the historic treasures most admired by visitors. Visitors can choose to sleep in Beyoglu's 20th century neighborhoods or within the ancient city walls in the small hostels and inns of Eminonu.
Families with more than three or four days should sample the delights of modern Istanbul, which has evolved from the dark days of "Midnight Express" and James Bond thrillers to become a very hip arts center served by Europe's top low fare carriers. In the quarter called Beyoglu, the Tunel funicular train has given its name to a hilltop cluster of narrow lanes made fashionable by galleries and boutiques.
The Pera District surrounds the classic Orient Express Railway hotel, The Pera Palace, and Taksim is the pre-millennium business hub. The city continues to expand with newly developed neighborhoods, trendy and pricey restaurants, discos, and malls farther north on the European bank of the Bosphorus in the communities of Kabatas, Besiktas, and Ortikoy. As in antiquity, Istanbul's lower priced real estate (and up and coming arts districts) are on the eastern side of the Bosphorous River in Asia, where authentic Turkish culture is more readily apparent.
The Sights of Sultanahmet Square
Sultanahmet Square is the center of the Eminonu historic district in tourist terms: the masterworks of the prolific builder Sultan Ahmed I, plus many other famous ancient monuments dominate the coast and maze of cobblestone streets. In AD305, when the Greek port of Byzantium caught the eye of the growing Roman Empire, its emperor Constantine seized control and renamed the city Constantinople. For more than a millennium, his glorious capital (later to be called Istanbul) controlled the known world's east-west trade routes by land, and others by sea. Among tended gardens and small parks are the legacies of this former wealth, including the Topkapi Palace, Sultan Ahmed's famed Blue Mosque, and the Museum of Hagia Sophia, all within a few minutes' walk of each other.
Starting chronologically, visit the Museum of the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya Mosque), or Church of the Holy Wisdom. This 4th century wooden church was commissioned by the Emperor Constantine after he took power in Constantinople and converted, on his mother's wishes, to Christianity. After several fires, it was rebuilt in stone in AD532 by the ruling Emperor Justinian, with a domed basilica that became a hallmark of Islamic architecture and can still be seen today. After a millennium of decline and the fall of Istanbul to the Ottomans, the new Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror chose to worship in what was already a historic religious structure, and converted the Greek Hagia Sophia into Ayasofya, a mosque. By simply covering the ornate frescoes and vivid mosaics depicting Christ and his followers with a thin layer of plaster, and adding 7½-meter-wide painted camelskin calligraphies depicting the Prophet Mohammed's children, church became mosque. Over the centuries, various sultans added minarets, tombs and medresse (schools) to the holy complex while respecting its basilica plan.
We were very lucky to be assigned a wonderful young guide by the Ayasofya ticket office. Medet Yilmaz (contact him at yilmazmedet@hotmail.com, 90 536/253 88 25), in his jeans and Oakley sunglasses, was the perfect accompaniment to our family's visit. And as only a great guide can, Medet was able to bring the era of the sultans to life, using anecdotes about the ruling family, the architects who modified the altar into a mihrab (niche of the mosque) by just shifting it off center until it faced Mecca, and the building's importance in the city's history.
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