Istanbul Day 4 - 15th October 2007

After a tiring day at Dolmabahce, we started day 4 early as the weather was so nice. No raining anymore! As usual we have our breakfast and snapped a few pictures from the dining lounge which is located at the top floor of the hotel. From here you can see the beautiful buidling near to it...

Blue Mosque

St. Sophia

After breakfast we started the day by visiting the Blue Mosque. Upon arrival to the place both the kids were hungry so we stopped for their milk. We then walked into the magnificent mosque.

Me & the kids - Blue Mosque

Hubby & Ehsan - Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque), is the most splendid mosque in Istanbul. It was constructed by the 14th Ottoman Sultan Ahmet 1. The mosque consists of a madrasah, a hospital, Arasta Bazaar, a school, a mausoleum, a caravansary and a fountain. Eventhough there are many other mosques built after this one, none of it managed to reach its size and elegance.

It is the only mosque with 6 minarets in Istanbul and in Turkey! This maybe because according to legend, when Sultan Ahmet 1 asked from the architect a mosque with golden minarets, the architect misunderstood the request (coz the turkish pronounciation for 'gold' sounds like 'Six'!)

Since no strollers were allowed inside the mosque, I had to look after the kids while hubby went alone to fully utililised his 'pro-camera'. We waited near the exit staircase. FYI, the mosque is open for tourists all day except during prayer times.

Interior views of the BlueMosque.

We finished the tour within 30 minutes and headed to the Arasta Bazaar. It is a small bazaar beside the Blue Mosque. It was small compared to Spice bazaar or Grand bazaar but when we arrived the crowds were nowhere to be seen. Later we discovered the area had no electricity! But we managed to go into a carpet shop just to have a look. Hubby talked to the dealer and later hubby asked me to go with him to their main carpet shop at the end of the road.

We spent nearly 2 and a half hours inside the shop looking at the various design of kilim rugs and hereke carpets! It was so d*** beautiful and expensive! We know we can't afford to buy one but there is no harm just to appreciate the view of it. Look at the pictures and you can see how beautiful the hereke are. Question is, What happened next??? - Hanya mereka dan keluarga mereka yang tahu.......

Me & kids - along the Arasta bazaar aisle

Few designs of hereke

Umar (carpet seller) & hubby having a chat

After the carpet shop, we had a nice walk back to Sultanahmet thru the Hippodrome (Sultanahmet Square). It was 1 of the biggest hippodromes of the antique world after Circus Maximus in Rome (watch Gladiator!). This place was used as a stage for riots, public entertainments, royal appearances, wedding ceremonies and bazaars. Walking thru the hippodrome, we looked at 3 monuments brought from all over the ancient and Egyptian world.

The Egyptian Obelisk is the Istanbul's oldest monument, and it was taken from Egypt. There are similar ones in Egypt and many other cities in Europe. Although in every 100 years or so there are earthquakes in Istanbul, it has been standing for the past 1600 years without getting any damage!

Hubby & Ehsan - The Egyptian Obelisque

The second oldest monument in the hippodrome is the Serpentine Column brought from the Appollon Temple in Delphi, Greece. It symbolized the the victory of the Greek States against Persians in Palatea and its original consists of a giant golden trophy. Looking at the picture the column is missing something - It was supposed to have a set of heads of 3 snakes wrapped around each other but it was lost and the head were broken into stones. One of the head is in the Archeological Museum of Istanbul and the other, in the British Museum in London.

Serpentine Column

The last column was the Column of Constantine but there is no picture of it :(. But this column was constructed for the memory of Emporer Constantine VII's grandfather, Basileus. It was covered with embroidered copper and brass plates but these plates were removed during the Latin invasion. It was once heavily damaged by the earthquake but was restored recently.

Finally, the German Fountain was presented by the German Emperor who was impressed by the hospitality he experienced in Istanbul on his 2nd trip. He then prepared the project himself and sent to Istanbul by train and was reassembled in the Hippodrome with its present name - Atmeydani.

Hubby & Ehsan - German Fountain

After a brief stop at the hotel, we then took a cab to Eminonu to catch a ferry for the Bosphorus tour. When we arrived it was 2.05 p.m; and we just missed a boat... so we had to wait another hour for the next tour. So we decided to buy some lunch and have it inside the waiting ferry - At least we could chose a nice view to seat and have a nice lunch peacefully! The tour of 1 half hours started at 3.00 p.m. Actually, the Bosphorus Strait separates Asia and Europe and you can see nice palaces and mansions along the straits.

Hubby & Ehsan - Uskudar Ferry Station

Me & kids - View of Bosphorus Sea

My Love & Life - Inside the ferry

The Bosphorus name was derived from mythology. Zeus, transforms his lover, Io, into a cow in order to protect her from his jealous wife Hera. When Hera discovered the fact, she sent a fly to bother Io - she then crossed this waterline in order to get away! Thus, this waterline is called 'the Cow (Bous) Gate (Phoros)'.

Dolmabahce Palace

The Palace of Curagan

The Mosque of Ortakoy & Bosphorus Bridge

The mosque was constructed by Nikogos Balyan with the order of Sultan Abdulmecit Khan. When the Sultans were living in the Beylerbeyi Palace, they used to sail with the sultanate 'caiques' for prayers. In the background, we can see The Bhosphorus Bridge - being the 1st suspansion bridge connecting Europe and Asia. Looks like a grey San Fransisco bay bridge!

Throughout the cruise, Ehsan was a charming boy - especially since we shared our place with a local family who had a daughter. Ehsan kept playing with her and have fun - even though both didn't understand each other! But I guess it is how kids communicate and they find it easy to make friends with anybody their age. Erica on the other hand, was the attraction for that family. They kept holding her and taking her picture - until she got restless and fell asleep!

Ehsan with his 'Istanbul flame!'

Me & kids with the family

We arrived back at the shore around 4.30 p.m and decided to head to the Spice Bazaar. We had to start shopping for souvenirs and t-shirts to bring back for our families. The bazaar is also known as the Egyptian Bazaar, as the spices were brought in from Egypt. Many types of spices and healing herbs can be found. It can be brought back in ready made packs or by weight. Besides spices, the bazaar is known for its cheese, dried meat, jam, nuts, Turkish delight, natural sponge for bathing, oriental perfumes are among the specialities.

We bought some nice t-shirts for us and the kids, some nice handy made purse for souveniers for the families, nuts, Turkish tea and Kilim bags; which is a bag covered in a carpet made of wool. They cut the kilim into the required size to make bag, cushion or even chair. Hubby was so nice that he bought me a nice hand luggage kilim and handbag kilim. By the time we finished our shopping it was already 6.30 p.m. We headed back to our hotel by cab and arrived 30 minutes later as it was really heavy traffic.

Hubby & Ehsan - the shore

Me & kids - Spice Bazaar

Me heading out from one of the souveneir shop

Us with the Kilim's shop owner.

Although we were both excited and exhausted with our shopping that day, we immediately put the kids into the t-shirts that we bought for them . We also had matching designs! It was red in color and had the Turkish Crescent in front. The kids were happy to wear it! Just look at their faces!

Ehsan & Erica with their new t-shirts