1. The Basilica Cistern
This was only rediscovered during sewer works during the 1980's and eventually cleaned up and opened to the public. There are walkways so that it is safe to explore, and it is certainly one of the weirdest attractions anywhere. There's something very mysterious about the place partly due to the piped music, (which is thankfully appropriate and not too intrusive), the sounds of dripping water. The cistern was built by the Romans (naturally) under Justinian in the 6th century to ensure a water supply in case of drought or invasion (the usual supplies of water were from outside the city walls), but once Rome fell, they were ignored for centuries except for by some local people who quietly dropped lines to collect water and fish through a couple of holes in the roof which they accessed through their basements. This is the most impressive of many cisterns known to exist in Istanbul.
We waited outside to be the first in at 9am, since the Istanbul of today is flooded by busloads of tourists, often from the cruise ships, and we wanted to get a head start. Of course, this only works for one site. The hoardes caught up with us at our next stop.
Anyway, to give an idea of what this cistern is like: there are 336 columns of 8m height holding up the roof, so it's pretty massive. Only some of the columns are lit up. At the far end is access to some of the bases which support the columns, noteable because they are pieces of stone taken from the ruins of Didyma, which we visited earlier this week. They are faces of Medusa, one being on its side and the other upside down. Poor Medusa, a relic of pagan times, and a perfect size on which to balance tons of marble.
The recycling of stone is a noble and honourable pastime of history, and the principle is certainly put to good use in this part of the world. The stones and ruins of all the places along the coast where cities once stood proud but fell into decay (Militus, Ephesus, Antalya, Didyma etc) had been taken and reused in other buildings.
2. Grand Bazaar
This place was like so much in Istanbul made on a smaller trading courtyard which existed beforehand. It was covered over with arches and domes after Mehmet II in the 16th Century and now extends over a huge area. You can see the Roman 'beehive' domed ceiling in one part. It connects to a separate Spice Bazaar. It's a labrinthe.
For those who, like me, are fans of Bond, James Bond, 'Skyfall' had Bond and the baddie chasing around on the rooftops of the Grand Bazaar - there is an ongoing court case about the damage this filming caused and whatever the vast sums paid, it evidently didn't cover the fallout. All the airconditioning failed and rooves began to leak afterwards....not really surprising when you see the scenes.....
Although there is some quality there, quantity aimed squarely at tourists is the order of the day. Also, millions of dollars are traded in the gold section....
3. Hagia Sophia
This is a great example of the hauteur of mankind. Constantinople became a Christian centre and this grand church was built on the foundations of two earlier churches. Justinian inaugurated it in the 6th century. It is absolutely VAST. Apparently it's the earliest dome of its sort in existence. For 1000 years it was a mother church, containing stunningly beautiful friezes and glass mosaics, many of which survive in good condition due to the fact that they were plastered over by the Ottomans when they entered and took over the city in the 16th century.
As I was in Istanbul with Simon a few years ago, I didn't take so many photos here, trying not to repeat what I photographed before.
I was also pretty tired out, as we all are, finding out that this sort of trip is fulfilling but exhausting. After our lunch, which was in the Pudding Shop just around the corner from the Basilica Cistern and the Hagia Sophia, I bowed out, deciding to give Topkapi Palace a miss. As it turned out, the planned visit to the Blue Mosque didn't go according to plan as it was prayer time, and when the group finally made it inside the Imam was holding forth about the evils of women. This went down like a lead balloon particularly with Nahide, and they made a pretty hasty exit.
Meanwhile I downloaded my photos, finished my book (The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shahif, which is excellent and very appropriate for the location....), and went to sleep for an hour. Bliss.
For the first time, dinner (at the Blue House on the terrace, which is a lovely spot for a view of the Blue Mosque) was distinctly underwhelming. We weren't even sure what the main course was meant to be. Some sort of mashed potato with mashed aubergines, which came looking like a cowpat of creamy sludge, and was cold, to boot. I gave it a miss.
Anyway, early to bed.
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