Basilica Cisterns

The next day we were back at the Blue Mosque but with a different guide. Outside the Mosque is an area known as the Hippodrome of Constantinople. By way of compensation for the lack of any evidence of a hippodrome, there are three obelisks. The Obelisk of Theodosius is a massive granite monument originally from the Temple of Karnak in Egypt. It was originally erected by Pharaoh Thutmose III in the 15^th century BC. Several conquests later, it was transported to Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius I in 390 AD. This was a serious technical undertaking. They needed to build a ship especially to carry it. The other two obelisks looked far less interesting. They were smaller and did not have hieroglyphics carved into them.

We moved on to the Hagia Sofia. Possibly the most famous Mosque in the world and certainly a cultural centrepiece of Istanbul. Originally built as a church in the 6^th century it became the world’s largest interior space and among the first to employ a fully pendentive dome. Often considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture, it is said to have “changed the history of architecture”. After over a thousand years as the world’s largest cathedral, the Hagia Sophia was designated a mosque following the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The minarets were built shortly afterwards. In 1935 it became a museum and in 2020 a mosque again. Today it is a little of each. Visitors can access the first floor, for a fee. The ground floor is reserved for religious activity. Elements of the Christian history are still visible. Several mosaics remain and also a picture of the Mother Mary in the main dome. This is hidden behind a veil – no pictures of faces allowed in mosques.

The Sultans palace and museum were next and very conveniently located next door. The Ottoman sultans were revered as God-like figures and led a strangely cloistered existence. The museums started to give me brain fog although the weapons section (no photographs allowed) had some great swords.

Last visit of the day was to the Grand Bazaar. One of the largest covered bazaars on the planet boasting over 4,000 shops. Up to 400,000 visitors daily. In 2014, it was listed first among the world’s most-visited tourist attractions with 91,250,000 annual visitors. I don’t enjoy shopping and I don’t like crowds. The notion of spending a happy hour jostling with thousands of people to look at things you do not want to buy makes little sense to me. Fortunately, Diane is of a similar mindset. So, a quick look round and we escaped for a breath of fresh air.

Done with sightseeing for the day, we wandered off and found a machine for feeding cats. There are an awful lot of cats in Istanbul but, for the most part, they are well cared for. A government program neuters and vaccinates them. If you want to feed the cats you can put some cash in the machine which then deposits some kibble into a dish at the bottom. We also encountered a crowd of Liverpool football fans. They were here for a match at the main Istanbul stadium. There was a lot of drinking and singing going on. We gave this a wide berth although I was quite intrigued by the juxtaposition of the call to prayer with a rowdy rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

In the evening, we went off looking for dinner. As you attempt to walk past most restaurants in Istanbul, someone with a menu will leap in front of you and attempt to entice you in. This is fine but on this occasion, we were specifically looking for some pede. Traditional fresh, flatbread stuffed with cheese and vegetables. The restaurant offered wine but no pede. No problem, they explained. Pede would be fetched for us from the pede specialist baker across the road (who did not serve wine). And so, it was. Drinks and starters directly from the restaurant, pedes, still hot, brought by our waiter running across the road.

Next day we looked at some colourful houses, small streets and churches. Then we dived into the Spice Bazaar. Small by comparison to the Grand Bazaar but still very crowded. I like spices. In fact, I’d even say, I was quite interested in them. Also, the displays of spices and herbs were colourful and artistically laid out. This made for some interesting photographic opportunities. Despite this, I had no intention of buying anything, so my attention was held for less than five minutes. I think I would prefer my spices in sealed jars rather than large containers that invite fingers, flies and anything else. Not to mention the fact that much of this stuff will lose its flavour if left out in the open too long.

A boat trip along the Bosphorus was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. The weather was nice and we were washed by a cool breeze while sat on the top deck. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental boundaries between Asia and Europe. It also divides Turkey by separating Asia Minor from Thrace. It is the world’s narrowest strait used for international navigation. Most of the shores are heavily populated. In Greek mythology, colossal floating rocks known as the Symplegades guarded both sides of the Bosporus destroying any ship that attempted to pass. They were finally overcome by the Argonaut hero Jason who passed between them unscathed. The rocks became fixed, opening Greek access to the Black Sea. It amused me that some of the tourist buses advertised themselves as BusForUs.

We sailed along the European side up to the second bridge. The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge built in 1988. Then we crossed to the Asian side and came back. Along the way we saw elaborate homes built for sultans and modern homes with panoramic windows built for rich businessmen. We saw a very flashy looking hotel and also a couple of cruise liners, each packing 4,000 or so guests.

Last item of the day was the Basilica Cistern. This is something I have wanted to visit for a while. It is a vast underground water tank. This does not sound very exciting. It was built in the 6^th century underneath a site where a large Roman basilica (multipurpose building) had stood. This remarkable engineering feat was completed when London was just a little village by a river. 360 columns were requisitioned from old Roman buildings and temples. 7,000 slaves were used in the construction. I have pondered how they did this. My best guess is in digging holes and sliding the columns in. Then the roof is built, the surplus soil is removed and finally you can build the walls. The cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill. After the Ottoman conquest in 1453 it was mostly forgotten about and only used by locals. They used to fish in it. In 1985 the first major restoration began but not before being used by James Bond in 1963 for the classic “From Russia with love”. He uses the cistern to paddle under the Russian embassy – spoiler, the embassy is not really there, or anywhere close. The last restoration and earthquake proofing was completed in 2022. This included safe flooring and some nice lighting. The result is quite spectacular. Give me a interesting hole in the ground over a crowded ancient mall any day.

Back at our hotel, we went up to the rooftop bar to take photographs. The bar was closed but the views were still pretty good. In the distance we could see the busy Bosphorus. Closer were masses of small flats interspersed with mosques. Apparently there are over 8,000 mosques in Istanbul. The essential story behind many of them involved a rich person attempting to guarantee a good personal outcome in the afterlife.

In the evening we looked at a tower and a tram. Then we drifted aimlessly for a short while before finding a place for dinner. Next morning we would be flying to Cairo.