Istanbul

Yes, the mysterious east! Istanbul, the gateway to Asia.

Mary and I had to cut short our visit with Sarah and her family (it's a long story, but their visit was built around our son-in-law's work trip, which got pushed back) because, months ago, we had booked a tour that we envisioned as the high point of our year in Europe. There have been so many high points, though, that it's hard to tell if this excursion will be remembered as it was planned.

Istanbul skyline

We arrived in Istanbul after dark and used the Metro and tram systems to find our way to our hotel in the Old City. It was easier than we anticipated and we made it in good time.

Tulips bloom everywhere, including Topkapi Palace grounds

The next morning we met our tour group, and our guide took us to Topkapi Palace. For six centuries, this complex was the seat of government for the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the Vizirs who served him.

Hagia Sophia

Topkapi is huge, though certainly not as grand as the palaces of Europe. It is laid out much like an encampment. Our guide explained that the Osmirans had migrated from central Asia as a nomadic people, so they arranged their palace much as they had arranged their nomadic camps. There is no grand, central building in the palace structure, only a periphery of smaller buildings around a large and beautiful garden courtyard.

Christian mosaic reappear from beneath the plaster at Hagia Sophia.

Our next stop was the Hagia Sophia. This structure was built as a grand Cathedral in Byzantine times, on the site of previous churches dating back to Constantine. Some ruins of the earlier structures can be seen around the exterior. It became the “mother church” of the Orthodox tradition after 1051, and was converted to a mosque after the Muslim conquest in 1453.

The Blue Mosque isn't blue outside...

Many beautiful mosaics were plastered over by the Islamic occupants. Some of these are now visible once again, as the plaster is being removed by conservators.

...but there's a blue tint to the inside.

Another interesting feature is that the central point of the chancel has been offset from due east to southeast, toward Mecca. The result is an interesting mix of mosque and church that is presently used only as a cultural exhibit, and no longer as a holy site to either religion.

Hippodrome

After lunch we moved to the Blue Mosque. Our guide spent a lot of time answering questions about Islam from our group. Mary and I commented that our 20-year-old Luther students were more knowledgeable than many of these adult travelers!

The Grand Bazaar seems to go on forever.

Next we walked to the site of the ancient Roman hippodrome, which had once been a huge chariot racing track (think Ben Hur) completely under roof with seating for many thousands of spectators. There’s not much there now but an Egyptian obelisk (brought here in 390 A.D.) and a lot of souvenir hawkers.

Finally, we got on the bus for a short trip to the Grand Bazaar, which is pretty much as one would expect – lots of junk, but also some high-end leather and jewelry, if one dared to trust the quality. It was a long day, but a good first step into a new part of the world for us.