After resting a couple of days after the long day of travel and getting used to the time change and the early call to prayer wake-ups, we set out to see what Istanbul is all about.
On weekends, everything looks boarded up except for the many skewered meat stands, a few restaurants, grocery stores and Turkish Delight shops. Istanbul has local lockdowns on weekends meaning the locals must stay home except to pick-up takeout food or shop for groceries until 5 pm. On the other hand, tourists are free to roam about anywhere, all day long. It's very common for restaurants to have a man standing outside who, trying to boost his business profits for the day, invites tourists to secretly dine inside. We've eaten out twice and both times we were silently seated behind a roped-off area in their back dining area. The lights are turned off to look as though their restaurant is not open inside. They are lit by candles at night and by the little light that creeps through a distant window during the day. It's like eating in a speakeasy!
It feels awkward being able to freely move about as the locals are locked in. There are more tourists here than you would think, but not enough to combat the empty feeling you get while walking down the desolate streets. I've never seen such a police presence in a city though. Police cars, vans and officers walking around with assault rifles are everywhere, every day.
But fast-forward to Monday and the streets come alive!! We didn't know what would be open mid-week for in most of the cities we have visited, 10-75% of businesses are open on a given day due to COVID. While the weekends are ghostly in Istanbul, the weekdays explode! Everything is open and people are out in abundance. We skipped the shops and headed straight to Istanbul's most renowned monuments, the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque.
What an fascinating experience it was! The Hagia Sophia's bright turquoise carpet (which was super soft to walk on, BTW!) in contrast with its divine, gold chandeliers, moody dark walls and black and gold calligraphic roundels were spectacular. If Wes Anderson were to design a mosque, I think it would look just like this! The windows surrounding the dome illuminated the dimly lit mosque with heavenly rays of light. I could have sat on the that comfortable carpet all day in awe of this place's history and beauty.
The Hagia Sophia was originally built in 537 AD as a cathedral in the center of Christianity—Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire's capital, now Istanbul. In 1453, the Byzantine Empire crumbled with Constantinople falling to Mehmed II, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The Christian cathedral made a strong impression on the new Ottoman ruler and he decided to convert it into a mosque. The alter, bells and sacred relics of the Hagia Sophia were removed, but the Sultan surprisingly protected the numerous Christian frescoes and mosaics. They have continued to be safeguarded under a layer of plaster ever since until more recent restoration. A greater threat to the mosaics over the centuries has been earthquakes. The Hagia Sophia is built on a fault line making it extra vulnerable to destruction. It has been rebuilt eight times due to earthquakes, poor dome construction, fire, riots and invaders. In its 1,400 year life-span, Hagia Sophia has served as a Greek Orthodox church, cathedral, mosque, a museum and now back to a mosque as of July 2021 (hence the new turquoise carpet!). The amount of history in this place is absolutely incredible!
Upon entering all mosques, women must cover their heads and knees and everyone must remove their shoes. They are free and open to visitors except during the daily prayer times.
The style of Hagia Sophia's dome, would go on to influence Ottoman architecture, most notably, the Blue Mosque—our next stop on our mosque tour. We had heard wonderful things about this mosque, but it was under construction during our visit. We were able to go inside, but the famous dome and columns were all hidden by scaffolding so it was a very quick visit.
FUN FACT: The French word "turquoise" came from ‘Turkey‘ for it introduced the turquoise gem to Europe along the Silk Road.
If the prayer niche looks off centered it's because it is! The original Christian altar faced Jerusalem and the prayer niche that replaced it was moved to be in align with Mecca.
Dining in the Turkish speakeasy by candle light.
Streets on weekends when they are only open to tourists.
Streets on weekdays when everything is open. BTW - There are multiple Zara stores in every single city we have visited in Europe, as well as H&Ms and Sephoras.
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