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travel photography > Istanbul, Turkey

Formerly known as Constantinople, Istanbul once was the capital city of the Roman Empire, The Byzantine Empire, the Latin Empire, and The Ottoman Empire. Today Istanbul is considered Europe's most populous city. Divided by the Bosporus Straight, Istanbul lies on both the European and Asian continent. It is split from east and west, new and old. The old Grand Bazaar built during the Ottoman Empire is now surrounded by new brand name boutiques; small narrow cobblestone streets are being replaced with nicely paved wider roads; and Muslim women are embracing new freedoms of the western culture by the refusal to wear the head scarf and even full length clothing. Istanbul is a massive city, busy and fast paced. I think the one day spent there was just enough time to visit its hot spots and get a taste of what it has to offer.

ornate beauty

I landed in Istanbul Sunday afternoon around 2:45 and had a driver take me directly to the Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) where I meet my family (mother, father, sister, and brother), who had already been in Turkey for three days. The Ayasofya was built during the Byzantine Empire to be a basilica but during the Ottoman Empire it was converted into a mosque. The inside is magnificent and is covered from floor to ceiling in detailed patterned tile and mosaics.
golden alter
light and dark

The mosque was lit by these beautiful, large, low hanging chandeliers.
hallway

There were many hallways along the outer edge of the mosque. They had about three to four of these massive chandeliers hanging in them.
the dome
The most famous part of the mosque is the incredible breathtaking dome. What has awed architects for years is the construction of the dome for that time; it is said to be "one of the most advanced and ambitious monuments of late antiquity." Unfortunately they were doing some reconstruction, which is why you can only see half of it. But it was still a site to see.
the upper gallery

There are two floors to the mosque. This photograph is looking up into some of the hallways above. It also shows off more of the intricate mosaics and tile.
the empress's logo

The empress and her ladies would sit in the upper gallery and watch the events happening below. This circle with ancient writing is said to be the logo of the empress.
decorative column
shadowed hallway
madelyn

My sister, who found something on the ground and then made to stay in that position for a photograph. Thanks my little model.
shining through
decorative column II
the Deësis mosaic

This is one of the original mosaics, called The Deësis mosaic, which dates back to 1261. This mosaic was commissioned to mark the end of Roman Catholic and the return to the Orthodox faith. The Virgin Mary and John the Baptist are pictured next to Christ on Judgement Day.
outside Ayasofya
stray cat

The first of many stray cats I would see among the streets in Turkey. It broke my heart to see their tiny flea infested bodies roam around uncared about.
david and cat

My brother and the stray, resting on a hot day.
the magnificent

The Blue Mosque with its six towering minarets sits about a block away from the Ayasofya.
it looks like Disney World
my first dinner

My first night in Istanbul was spent eating a wonderful traditional Turkish meal in a massive hotel ballroom with my father and all the other doctors at the conference. It was a big night for my father (and the family) because he was being introduced to everyone as ISPD's president for 2008. This is my appetizer - hummus with shrimp, stuffed pepper and eggplant, yogurt on a cucumber, and other interesting treats.
siblings

My brother and sister at the dinner for our father.
the rents

Congrats Dad!
the Bosporus Bridge
This large bridge spans across the Bosporus Straight, connecting the European continent to the Asian Continent. I call it Istanbul's Golden Gate Bridge.
The Gate of Salutation (Bâb-üs Selâm)

This is the entrance to the second courtyard Topkapi Palace (Saray), the official residency of the Ottoman Sultans during 1465 – 1853. The Palace consists of many courtyards and small elaborately decorated buildings. When we reached the gate it reminded me of an entrance to a castle; its height was intimidating.
patterned tile

Our first stop was the Imperial Harem (Harem-i Hümayûn) added to the Palace at the end of the 16th century. This was one of the sections of the Sultan's private quarters, where the Sultan's mother, concubines and wives of the Sultan, his family, and servants all lived. This beautiful tile in different hues of blue decorated the majority of the interiors in the complex.
doorway
ancient writings

This is the entrance to the Hall of the Ablution Fountain, one of the main entrance guarded by the Harem eunuchs. It is lavishly decorated with typical Byzantine tile and ancient writings in gold. I love the contrast of intense colors and patterns.
The Courtyard of the Eunuchs

The Black Eunuchs all had windows and rooms that looking into this courtyard.
father and sister

Part of the family resting in one of the first courtyards.
nature tiles
courtyard corner
symmetry
grandiose

These mirrors which reside in the entry way dividing the Eunuchs quarters from the Concubines and family, date back to the 18th century.
Courtyard of the Concubines

This is the smallest courtyard in the Harem and is surrounded by baths, a laundry room, dormitories and the apartments of the stewardesses.
ornate fireplace

A tiled fireplace in one of the Sultan's consorts room which overlooks the Golden Horn.
Baroque dome

Some areas of the Harem were later redecorated in the Italian-inspired Ottoman Baroque style, as seen here in the dome.
royalties' bathes

This bath was used by the Queen mother and the Sultan. There are two rooms, both decorated in Rococo Style with the same layout consisting of a caldarium (room with hot plunge bath) , a tepidarium (the warm bathroom), and a frigidarium (large cool pool.
sultan's throne

This room is called the Imperial Hall which contains the Sultan's throne, a large beautiful chandelier, and the biggest dome in the Palace. It served as the official reception and entertainment hall for the Sultan, his concubines, and family.
ornate ceiling

The ceiling in the Imperial Hall is fully decorated with tile and mosaics in intense colors. It also shows the contrast between the two styles, the Byzantine and Ottoman, and the later redecorated style of the Italian-inspired Ottoman Baroque period.
seating area
Privy Chamber

This is the Privy Chamber of Murat III. It is the most preserved room(was never redecorated) and has one of the finest door in the Harem. The gilded baldachin beds date from the 18th century.
The Fruit Room

This lovely small room decorated with panels of floral designs and bowls of fruit might have been used for dining purposes. Since we didn't have a guide and there were no signs we thought it was a dressing room for the Queen Mother; I guess it helps to have a guide sometimes.
seating area 2
stained glass beauty
stained glass beauty 2
detail is everywhere

In the Courtyard of Favorites I found the best roof overhang I have ever seen. I was amazed at how the decorators covered just about everything with intricate, lovely tiles.
Twin Kiosk

This is view of the Twin Kiosk (apartments of the Crown Prince) seen from the Courtyard of the Favorites. Both these areas overlook a large pool and the Boxwood Gardens.
outside the Harem
three women
These three women walked past us while we were sitting, resting, and I just had to capture them. They intrigued me with their floral skirts, scarf-covered heads, and there lovely old womanly bodies.
the palace view

The Palace grounds are built in a semi-circle on a hillside over looking the Bosporus. They view was incredible and the breeze was soothing (it was about 95 degrees and no place had ac - spoiled americans).
the Princes' Islands
lunch time

After walking through almost the entire Palace we decided it was time to grab a bit of food. We walked down the winding cobblestone street, into a couple stores, and then sat down at a little cafe. We shared a tavuk kepap (chicken kebab) with vegetables and rested in the cool shade before continuing our journey.
my drink of choice

For some reason throughout my entire turkey trip my beverage of choice was an orange Fanta.
corn!

On the streets there were many different food vendors. A popular amongst locals and tourists was the hot corn on the cob seller.
The Blue Mosque
We finished lunch and walked past the Ayasofya and headed through a park to the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque), its towering minarets breaking into the sky. The mosque was built between 1609 and 1616 and like many mosque during that time it has the tomb of its founder.
waiting

Women waiting outside the entrance into the grounds of the mosque.
hats. hats for sale.

A man outside the mosque was knitting little hats and selling them by shouting "hats. hats for sale."
black and white
the domes

The architecture is both Ottoman mosque and Byzantine church style. The Blue Mosque is considered to be the last greatest mosque of the classical period. The mosque is massive, and the domes with their golden ornaments create a nice color balance with the sky and trees.
washing feet

Around the outside of the mosque there are little inset coves with faucets and tiny benches. It is Muslim tradition that before offering the prayer one must wash the parts of the body that are exposed daily to dirt. I noticed that only men went to these areas to wash themselves. I wondered whether a woman didn't need to participate in this ritual since she remained covered by her clothing, unexposed to dirt.
stained glass

There are more than 200 stained glass windows that decorate the upper gallery in the Blue Mosque. They let in very little light, making the mosque a dark and spiritual place with their random rays of sun falling across the floor.