Istanbul- 04\11/2019
I stayed at my hostel long enough to shower, shave and change clothes before inflicting the streets of Istanbul with my wanderlust. I spent a happy hour getting lost in the winding streets of Galata, watching a youth dance act, and attempting to pat some of the famous cats of Istanbul, before starting to make my way to Sultanahmet. This is where things started going awary- The hostel manager inforrmed me that a marathon was on today, and much of the tram network had been shut down. This lead to what should have been a ten minute tram ride into a forty minute walk, much of which was along the marathon route.
Which was more interesting than a tram ride. There seemed to be quite an international contingent , who seemed to take it more seriously than many of the Turks. I good time was being had by all, with bands, people cheering on and encouragement via loudspeaker. It was also interesting to note how many Turkish women ran with full headscarfs, managing to look quite glamorous.
Once in Sultanahmet I went straight to the Basilica Cistern, the largest of hundreds of underground cisterns that stored water for Constantinople, built in the 6th century CE. The base of two columns feature medusa heads thought to have been reused from late Roman temples.
But my favourite part is the view down rows of columns.
When I visited in 2008, they kept a few feet of water in the cistern, complete with frolicking carp, and a cafe, where a small child stole my sprite. For the movie buffs, scenes from the James Bond movie From Russia with Love were filmed here, amongst others.
Due to the marathon, I spent half an hour trying to travel the few hundred metres to Hagia Sophia. Eventually I retreated to a nearby cafe. While consuming tiny cups of Turkish coffee I discussed life with the cafe owner, as well discussing my favourite Turkish dish, a type of stew cooked in a earthenware jar, and served, still sealed, with a hammer and chisel for your convenience.
By the time I consumed enough coffee to kill a lesser backpacker, the marathon had began to wind up, and machine pistol-wielding police started to let people through, so I made my way to Hagia Sophia with only mildly bruised ribs for refusing to get out of the way for a Chinese matron.
I feel Hagia Sophia is the perfect example of the layered history so common in Turkey. built in the year 360 CE as a Greek Orthodox cathedral, after the Ottoman Empire took control of Constantinople it was converted into a mosque, then turned into a museum. When originally built it was the largest single building known.
A ramp leads to the upper gallery, which was traditionally reserved for the Empress and her court.
Apart the incredible architecture , the old Christian mosaics, with typical Turkish pragmatism, were plastered d over rather than destroyed. Many of them now have been partially uncovered and restored.
This is probably where I should sum up Hagia Sophia, but you don’t get a lot of poetry from me when I am jetlagged, so please accept a few more photos instead.
Adrian's Got The Moose 