26 Aug 22 Istanbul

 

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in August 2022. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.

The Viking Daily newsletter showed today's weather forecast as "Scattered Showers 84° F."

The Viking Sky was scheduled to arrive at Istanbul around 7:00 am.

We woke late, but before the ship docked.

MT Friday, August 26 6:02 AM - Istanbul: view of city skyline as Viking Sky sailed in, at sunrise.

The Viking Daily newsletter described “Istanbul, Turkey” as follows:
“Discover where East meets West in Istanbul. Take time to admire this city that straddles two continents across the Bosphorus [sic! or Bosporus] Istanbul across the water. Enjoy a wealth of religious sites, such as the spectacular Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or ‘Blue Mosque,’ one of Istanbul’s most recognizable sights. Or, sample delicious cuisine for a taste of this fusion, combining Mediterranean fare with spices from the Far East and Asia.”

Istanbul (formerly known as Constantinople) is the largest city in Turkey. It straddles the Bosporus (or Bosphorus) Strait, lying in both Europe and Asia. With a population of over 15 million, it is the most populous European city and the world’s 15th-largest city.
The city was founded as Byzantium around 657 BC by Greek settlers from Megara, naming it for Byzas, the son of the god Poseidon and thought by the Megarians to be one of the founders of the city. In 330 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine made it his imperial capital, naming it after himself. The city grew in size and influence, becoming a beacon of the Silk Road (a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the 2nd century BC until the mid-15th century AD) and one of the most important cities in history.
The city served as an imperial capital for almost 1600 years: during the Roman/Byzantine (330-1204). Latin (1204-1261), late Byzantine (1261-1453), and Ottoman (1453-1922) empires. In 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence, Ankara replaced it as the capital of the newly formed Republic of Turkey.
The name Istanbul is commonly thought to derive from the Medieval Greek phrase εἰς τὴν Πόλιν, pronounced is tim ‘bolin, meaning “to the city,” and is how Constantinople was referred to by the local Greeks. An alternative view is that the name evolved directly from the name Constantinople, with the first and third syllables dropped.

The Golden Horn is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosporus in Istanbul. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosporus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, its waters help define the northern boundary of the peninsula consisting of "Old Istanbul' (ancient Byzantium and Constantinople). This estuarial inlet geographically separates the historic center of Istanbul from the rest of the city and forms a horn-shaped, sheltered harbor that in the course of history protected Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other maritime trade ships for thousands of years.

 

MT 6:11 AM - Istanbul: view of city skyline as Viking Sky sailed in, at sunrise; mosque at left (telephoto 144 mm).

MT 6:12 AM - Istanbul: view of city skyline as Viking Sky sailed in, at sunrise; another mosque (telephoto 144 mm).

6:14 AM - Istanbul: view of city near harbor as Viking Sky sailed in.

6:15 AM - Istanbul: view, to the left, of city near harbor as Viking Sky sailed in, with bit of suspension bridge at far left.

6:16 AM - Istanbul: view of suspension bridge across strait.

6:16 AM - Istanbul: view of suspension bridge across strait (telephoto 79 mm).

This was one of the three suspension bridges crossing the Bosporus Strait. From this photo, it was probably the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge.

 

Istanbul: Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, viewed from the south (By Rolfcosar - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74037577).

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge was initially called the Third Bosporus Bridge, since it was built to the north of two existing suspension bridges in Istanbul and opened in 2016. It is located near the Black Sea entrance of the strait.

 

We ate breakfast at the World Café (on Deck 7) for first time on this cruise.

MT 8:44 AM - Viking Sky: MT's fruit plate at World Café.

MT 8:53 AM - Viking Sky: Don's pancakes at World Café.

11:14 AM - Istanbul: mosque we could see from the cruise ship pier, with dome of a smaller mosque in left background.

11:15 AM - Istanbul: mosque we could see from the cruise ship pier (telephoto 68 mm).

MT 11:16 AM - Istanbul: mosque we could see from the cruise ship pier (telephoto 80 mm).

MT 11:17 AM - Istanbul: Don with that mosque (mild telephoto 49 mm).

MT 11:19 AM - Istanbul: MT with that mosque (mild telephoto 49 mm).

MT 11:25 AM - Istanbul: MT and Don with that mosque.

11:15 AM - Istanbul: that mosque and view to right from cruise ship pier.

11:18 AM - Istanbul: another mosque we could see from the cruise ship pier (telephoto 109 mm).

MT 11:23 AM - Istanbul: another mosque we could see from the cruise ship pier (mild telephoto 63 mm).

11:27 AM - Istanbul: view to left from the cruise ship pier, with that mosque just right of center and Galata Tower on horizon in distance.

MT 11:29 AM - Istanbul: view to left from the cruise ship pier, with that mosque just right of center and Galata Tower on horizon at left (mild telephoto 58 mm).

11:27 AM - Istanbul: view to left from the cruise ship pier, of Galata Tower on horizon in distance (telephoto 130 mm).

Istanbul: Galata Tower (By A.Savin - Own work, FAL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92675565).

The Galata Tower dominates the skyline of the medieval Genoese citadel at the north of the Golden Horn. During the Byzantine period, the Emperor Justinian had had a tower erected in what was to become the Galata part of Constantinople. That tower was destroyed during the Fourth Crusade in 1204.
In 1267, a Genoese colony was established in the Galata part of the city. It was surrounded by walls, and the Galata Tower was first built at their highest point as Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) in Romanesque style in 1348, during an expansion of the colony. At the time, it was the tallest building in the city.
After the Turkish Conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Genoese colony was abolished and its walls torn down. However, the stone tower survived and was turned into a prison. From 1717, the Ottomans used the tower to look out for fires. In 1794 and 1831, the tower was damaged and repaired. In 1875, the tower’s conical roof was destroyed during a storm, and it remained without a roof for the rest of the Ottoman period. Many years later, during restoration work in 1965-67, the conical roof was reconstructed. The nine-story tower (11 including the basement, the ground floor, and the mezzanine) is 62.59 m (205.3 ft) tall, excluding the ornament at the top.

MT 12:02 PM - Viking Sky: Don behind wrought iron sculpture of mosque (mild telephoto 43 mm).

At 1:45 pm, we went to the pier to meet out guide and the bus for the shore excursion "Istanbul's Majestic Waterway." The guide's name was Firat (Turkish for Euphrates), and his sister was named for the Tigris.

The My Viking Journey website describes the (included) shore excursion “Istanbul’s Majestic Waterway” as follows:
DURATION: 5 HOURS
EXPLORE THE BOSPHORUS STRAIT AND THE RÜSTEM PASHA MOSQUE
See Istanbul from the waters that divide Europe and Asia, and visit a beautifully tiled, seldom-seen mosque. Join your local guide for a scenic drive along the ancient Walls of Constantinople. You will stop at the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, built in 1561. This is one of the city’s hidden treasures, often ignored in favor of the “Blue Mosque” that towers alongside it. Inside, you will find exquisitely colored İznik tiles of blue, red, green and purple covering the entrance, the pulpit (minbar) and its columns. This is the most richly tiled mosque in Istanbul; its facade is similarly decorated. Nearby, on the bustling and exhilarating banks of the Bosphorus, you will embark a local sightseeing boat. As you ply this famous waterway, you can admire the mansions, mosques and palaces along its shores and the towering Bosphorus Bridge that links the continents.

 

First, we had a "scenic drive" (often Viking called it a "panoramic tour") on a bus.

2:04 PM - Istanbul: view, from bus window, of part of a mosque at right (same as first mosque we had seen from the pier?).

2:10 PM - Istanbul: view, from bus window, of a mosque (definitely same as second mosque we had seen from the pier).

2:35 PM - Istanbul: view, from bus window, of another mosque, with part of a suspension bridge in right background.

2:35 PM - Istanbul: view, from bus window, of a suspension bridge across the strait, as our bus crossed another bridge.

2:36 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus windshield, of the bridge our bus was crossing, with a mosque on the horizon.

2:36 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of that mosque on the horizon (mild telephoto 68 mm).

2:37 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of (same?) mosque on the horizon, with MT's hand and iPhone in foreground.

2:41 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Bulgarian Orthodox Church of St. Stephen, apse end, with MT's hand and iPhone in foreground.

MT 2:43 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Bulgarian Orthodox Church of St. Stephen, side and apse end.

Istanbul: Bulgarian St. Stephen Church (By A.Savin - Own work, FAL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=116080069).

The Bulgarian St. Stephen Church, also known as the Bulgarian Iron Church, is a Bulgarian Orthodox church in Istanbul. It is famous for being made of prefabricated cast iron elements in the Neo-Byzantine style, with Neo-Baroque influences. The church belongs to the Bulgarian Christian minority in the city. A small wooden church on this site, on the shore of the Golden Horn, initially opened in 1849. After that church was damaged in a fire, the larger current building was constructed in its place. An iron frame was preferred to concrete reinforcement because of the weak ground conditions. An international competition to produce the prefabricated iron parts was won by an Austrian firm. The elements were produced in Vienna in 1893-96 and transported to Istanbul by ship through the Danube and the Black Sea. The church was completed in 1898. Its supporting frame is made entirely of steel, and the outer façade consists of cast-iron plates.

 

2:42 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of old city wall.

The Walls of Constantinople are a series of stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople today Istanbul) since its founding as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine. Initially, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both land and sea. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. The Walls of Blachernae connect the Theodosian Walls with the sea wall of the Golden Horn. With numerous later additions and modifications during their history, they are one of the most complex and elaborate fortification systems ever built. Today’s walls are almost entirely built in Ottoman times and restored by the Republic of Turkey.

 

2:43 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of old city wall.

2:44 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus windshield, of major street.

2:45 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of tower by old city wall.

2:45 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Walls of Blachernae, MT in foreground.

The Walls of Blachernae, also known as the Pterion, consist of a series of walls built after the 5th-century Theodosian Walls were completed. They were built in order to bring forward the walls from the original line of walls to protect the suburb of Blachernai, including the Church of Theotokos Blachernai and later the Palace of Blachernai. These walls extend from the Palace of Porphyrogenitus north to the Golden Horn.

 

2:45 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Walls of Blachernae, MT's hand and iPhone in foreground.

MT 2:47 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Walls of Blachernae, with mosque and minaret behind it (mild telephoto 56 mm).

2:47 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus windshield, down road toward more walls with towers.

2:47 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of those towers, MT's hand and iPhone in foreground.

2:48 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus windshield, down road toward more walls with towers, probably Theodosian Walls.

2:50 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of restored section of Theodosian Walls.

 

Istanbul: Restored section of Theodosian Walls at Selymbria Gate; the Outer Wall and the wall of the moat are visible, with a tower of the Inner Wall in background (By en:User:Bigdaddy1204 - Photograph taken in June 2006 in Istanbul by en:User:Bigdaddy1204. All credits go to him., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=880970).

 
Initially built by Emperor Constantine the Great (ruled 306-337 AD), what is known as the Constantinian Walls surrounded the new city of Constantinople on all sides.
The double Theodosian Walls, located about 2 km west of the old Constantinian Wall, were erected during the reign of Emperor Theodosius II (ruled 402-450 AD), after whom they were named. The work was carried out in two phases.
The first phase, erected during the minority of Theodosius, was finished in 413. An inscription discovered in 1993, however, records that the work lasted for nine years, indicating that construction had already begun ca. 404/405.on the reign of Emperor Arcadius (ruled 383-408), the son of Theodosius I and father of Theodosius II. Theodosius II was proclaimed augustus as an infant and ruled as the eastern Empire’s sole emperor after the death of his father in 408. This initial construction consisted of a single curtain wall with towers, which now forms the inner circuit of the Theodosian Walls.
Both the Constantinian and the original Theodosian walls were severely damaged by earthquakes in 437 and 447. The latter was especially powerful and destroyed large parts of the wall, including 57 towers. Another earthquake in January 448 compounded the damage. Theodosius II ordered repairs, made all the more urgent since the city was threatened by the presence of Atilla the Hun in the Balkans. So the walls were restored in a record 60 days. It is at this date that most scholars believe that the second, outer wall was added, as well as a wide moat opened in front of the walls. However, some scholars believe that the outer wall was an integral part of the original fortification concept.
Throughout their history, the walls were damaged by earthquakes and floods of the Lycus river, and repairs were made on numerous occasions. After the sack of Constantinople of 1204 (the culmination of the Fourth Crusade), the walls fell increasingly into disrepair, and the revived post-1261 Byzantine state lacked the resources to maintain them.
 

Istanbul: Scheme of the Theodosian Walls (By Glz19 - Walls: File:Teod presek eng.pngEagle: File:Lascaris-Arms.svg, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52112716).

 
The Theodosian Walls consist of the main Inner Wall (“great wall”), separated from the lower Outer Wall (“small wall”) by a terrace (peribolos). Between the Outer Wall and the moat (souda), stretched an outer terrace (parateichion), while a low breastwork (low wall) crowned the moat’s eastern escarpment. The Inner Wall was strengthened with 96 towers, mainly square but also a few octagonal ones and one pentagonal one. Each tower had a battlemented terrace on the top. The Outer Wall featured arched chambers on the level of the peribolos, crowned with a battlemented walkway. The Outer Wall also had towers, situated approximately midway between the Inner Wall’s towers. Only 62 of the Outer Wall’s towers survive. With few exceptions, they are square or crescent-shaped.

2:50 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of restored section of Theodosian Walls.

2:55 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus windshield, of modern sculpture called the Peace and Culture Statue in traffic triangle.

This monument is known (officially) as the Peace and Culture Statue. It is also known as the Belgradkapi Memorial, since it is located opposite the ruins of the Belgrade Gate of the ancient fortress wall. Belgradkapi is a quarter in the Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul; the name of the neighborhood means Belgrade Gate in Turkish; the gate was so named after the Ottoman sultan conquered Belgrade in 1521 and resettled its population in Istanbul. It is sometimes called the Monument to Peace.
The three hands holding up half a globe represent the Turkish, Greek, and Armenian people living in Zeytinburnu. Three olive branches extending from the globe symbolize peace.

 

MT 2:56 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus windshield, of modern sculpture called the Peace and Culture Statue in traffic triangle (mild telephoto 64 mm).

MT 3:04 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of towers in city wall, with Turkish flag (mild telephoto 58 mm).

3:07 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Tower 1 of the Marble Tower complex.

3:07 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Tower 1 of the Marble Tower complex.

MT 3:08 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Tower 1 of the Marble Tower complex (telephoto 91 mm).

3:07 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Tower 1 and Marble Tower.

The Marble Tower, also known as the “Tower of Basil and Constantine,” rises at the juncture of the Theodosian Walls and the sea walls of the Sea of Marmara. This tower, 13 m square at its base and 30 m high, its lower half faced in marble, is unlike any other structure of the whole defense system. The huge four-story tower, an eastern bastion, the curtain wall with parapet-walks, loopholes, two-story casemates in between and cisterns in the court demonstrate that the ruins once belonged to a complex that served both for defense and as a residence. The building was largely destroyed during the construction of the modern coastal road, and the lowermost parts are hidden below ground today.
On their present state, the Theodosian Walls stretch from south to north from the Marble Tower on the Propontis coast to the area of the Palace of Porphyrogenitus in the Blachernae quarter.

 

3:07 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Marble Tower.

3:11 PM - Istanbul: view down major street (Atatürk Boulevard), through bus windshield.

3:21 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Pertevniyal Valide Mosque, which our guide said had Western/European influence.

Istanbul: Pertevniyal Valide Mosque (By A.Savin - Own work, FAL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=116827577).

The Pertevniyal Valide Mosque, also known as the Aksaray Valide Mosque, is a grand Ottoman imperial mosque located at the intersection of Ordu Street and Atatürk Boulevard in the Aksary neighborhood of the Fatih district in Istanbul. One of the last mosques built in Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire, it was created in 1871 by the order of Sultana Pertevniyal, wife of Sultan Mahmud II and mother of Sultan Abdülaziz. (Valide Sultan was the title of the mother of a reigning sultan.) The mosque’s location was important to the Valide Sultan and royal family, since Aksaray was a vital commercial center during the Ottoman period. The building is an example of Turkish Rococo with dollops of classical Ottoman, Turkish, Gothic, Renaissance, and Empire styles. The use of different stylistic elements shoes the influence of the eclectic viewpoint common in the late Ottoman era. The design also seems to draw influences from Indian, North African, and Andalusian architecture.

 

3:23 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus windshield, of Aqueduct of Valens as it passes over Atatürk Boulevard.

The Aqueduct of Valens was a Roman aqueduct system built in the late 4th century AD, named for Eastern Roman emperor Valens (born c. 328—died 378). It remained in use for many centuries. It was extended and maintained by the Byzantines and the Ottomans. The 4th-century first phase was 167 miles long. A second, 5th-century phase added a further 280 miles of conduits. The final and most visible aqueduct bridge in the system survives in the Fatih district of Istanbul and passes over Atatürk Boulevard. Named in Turkish Bozdogan Kermi (meaning Aqueduct of the Grey Falcon) it is an important landmark in the city.

 

MT 3:24 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, of Aqueduct of Valens.

3:33 PM - Istanbul: view, through bus window, down Atatürk Boulevard toward Rüstem Pasha Mosque (telephoto 79 mm).

Istanbul:  Rüstem Pasha Mosque, with Blue Mosque behind it (By User:Simm - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2772183).

The Rüstem Pasha Mosque is an Ottoman mosque located in the Hasircilar Carsisi (Strawmat Weavers Market) in the Tahtakale neighborhood of the Fatih district of Istanbul. It is named after Rüstem Pasha, who served as Grand Visier (comparable to a European prime minister) of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Suleiman I. It was commissioned by the sultan after the death of Rüstem Pasha in 1561 and completed around 1563. It was reopened in 2021 after extensive restoration. This is one of the city’s hidden treasures, often ignored in favor of the “Blue Mosque” that towers alongside it.
This small mosque was built on a high terrace over a complex of vaulted shops, whose rents were intended to support the mosque complex. Its elevation makes it a more visible component of the city’s skyline.
This mosque marked a substantial deviation from the traditional Ottoman architecture, as it relied heavily on Íznik tilting is place of a more sparce interior. The Anatolian town of Íznik  was the heart of the Ottoman ceramics industry, which became a central component of the Ottoman Empire’s artistic production after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The mosque is famous for its large quantities of Íznik tiles in a wide variety of floral and geometric designs, which cover not only the façade porch but also the interior walls. There are approximately 2,300 tiles arranged in around 80 different patterns.

 

3:43 PM - Istanbul: street with market shops on the way to Rüstem Pasha Mosque.

MT 3:45 PM - Istanbul: street with market shops on the way to Rüstem Pasha Mosque.

3:47 PM - Istanbul: Rüstem Pasha Mosque - MT in interior with scarf supplied for mandatory head covering; cubby holes for shoes in left background.

3:47 PM - Istanbul: Rüstem Pasha Mosque - interior with Íznik tiling and chandelier.

MT 3:51 PM - Istanbul: Rüstem Pasha Mosque - interior with Íznik tiling and chandelier.

3:48 PM - Istanbul: Rüstem Pasha Mosque - view up into dome.

3:49 PM - Istanbul: Rüstem Pasha Mosque - mihrab (at left) and minbar to its right.

A mihrab is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca toward which Muslims should face when praying.
A minbar is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons. While minbars are roughly similar to church pulpits, they have a function and position more similar to that of a church lectern, being used instead by the imam for a wide range of readings and prayers. The minbar is located to the right of the mihrab. It is usually shaped like a small tower with a seat or kiosk-like structure at its top and a staircase leading up to it. The bottom of the staircase often has a doorway or portal.

 

MT 3:47 PM - Istanbul: Rüstem Pasha Mosque - interior with mihrab (at left) and minbar to its right.

MT 3:49 PM - Istanbul: Rüstem Pasha Mosque - MT still wearing head scarf.

MT 4:09 PM - Istanbul: Rüstem Pasha Mosque - sign with rules for head wear in mosque.

Our guide Firat demonstrated how he would go to prayer here.

Then our group headed toward the New Mosque.

4:14 PM - Istanbul:  approaching New Mosque with its two minarets, across square.

Istanbul: New Mosque (By HALUK COMERTEL, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52788280).

The New Mosque (Turkish: Yeni Cami), originally named the Valide Sultan Mosque and later New Valide Sultan Mosque after its partial reconstruction and completion between 1660 and 1665, is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Eminöün quarter of the Fatih district. It is situated on the Golden Horn. Its construction began in 1597, ordered by Safiye Sultan, who was the wife of Sultan Murad III and later Valide Sultan (Queen Mother) of Sultan Mehmed III, hence the original formal name Valide Sultan Mosque. The construction took more than half a century and was completed by another Valide Sultan, Turhan Sultan, mother of Sultan Mehmed IV. After 1603, the partially constructed structure fell into ruins and was severely damaged by a fire in 1660. Later that year Turhan Sultan decided to complete the work and construction of the mosque resumed. She also ordered the construction of the nearby Spice Bazaar. The mosque was finally completed in 1663 and inaugurated in 1665. It was renamed the New Valide Sultan Mosque, which was informally shortened to New Mosque.
The exterior of the mosque boasts 66 domes and semi-domes in a pyramidal arrangement, as well as two minarets. As with other imperial mosques in Istanbul, this mosque is preceded by a monumental courtyard on its west side. The courtyard is bordered on its inner side by a colonnaded peristyle covered by 24 small domes.

  

MT 4:16 PM - Istanbul: approaching New Mosque with its two minarets, across square, partially hidden behind forecourt building (left) and red Spice Bazaar building (right); our Guide Firat in right foreground.

4:15 PM - Istanbul: approaching New Mosque with its two minarets, mostly hidden behind its forecourt building, with our guide Firat in left foreground with red paddle for "Viking Sky 28" tour group; at right is the Spice Bazaar building with market shops.

4:17 PM - Istanbul:  entrance to Spice Bazaar, with sign for "Misir Carsisi (1664)."

The Spice Bazaar (Turkish: Misir Carsisi, meaning Egyptian Bazaar) is one of the largest bazaars in Istanbul. Located in the Eminöün quarter of the Fatih district, it is the most famous covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar. The bazaar got the name “Egyptian Bazaar” because it was built with the revenues from the Ottoman eyalet of Egypt in 1660. (Eyalets were the primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire.) The L-shaped building is part of the külliye (complex) of the New Mosque. The revenues from the rented shops inside the bazaar building are used for upkeeping the mosque. The bazaar was (and is still) the center for spice trade in Istanbul, although in recent years shops of other types are gradually replacing the sellers of spices.

 

4:20 PM - Istanbul:  Spice Bazaar - shop where MT tried to buy saffron.

MT 4:20 PM - Istanbul:  Spice Bazaar - Don in that shop.

MT 4:21 PM - Istanbul:  Spice Bazaar - shelves in that shop.

MT 4:34 PM - Istanbul:  Spice Bazaar - MT with a shopkeeper in main corridor.

MT 4:35 PM - Istanbul:  Spice Bazaar - jewelry on shelves in corridor (mild telephoto 46 mm).

4:36 PM - Istanbul:  Spice Bazaar - another shop, with MT and shop clerk/proprietor; at right is a photo of Martha Stewart's visit here.

4:38 PM - Istanbul:  Spice Bazaar - plates for sale at shop no. 35 in corridor.

MT 4:39 PM - Istanbul:  Spice Bazaar - plates for sale in corridor (mild telephoto 60 mm).

MT 4:41 PM - Istanbul:  Spice Bazaar - MT in corridor in front of ceramics shop.

MT 4:44 PM - Istanbul:  Spice Bazaar - shopkeeper in front of  shop (stall no. 44 in "Egyptian Old Bazaar") with candies and cookies along with other food items.

4:49 PM - Istanbul:  Spice Bazaar - view down to far end of main corridor (or back to entrance); MT in foreground.

From the Spice Bazaar, our tour group went to a nearby dock to board our cruise boat  for the rest of our excursion on the Bosporus.

5:06 PM - Istanbul: our tour group waiting the the cruise boat to dock; Galata Tower on horizon at left.

5:15 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - view of the west (European) side of the Bosporus; Galata Tower on horizon.

5:15 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - view of the west (European) side of the Bosporus; Galata Tower on horizon (telephoto 93 mm).

5:16 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - view back to two mosques on horizon.

5:17 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - another view back of Galata Tower on horizon.

MT 5:17 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - another view back of Galata Tower on horizon (mild telephoto 51 mm).

5:17 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - view back to two mosques on horizon.

MT 5:17 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - modern buildings near water (mild telephoto 45 mm).

5:19 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - passing the Viking Sky at the cruise port.

5:22 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - mosque on horizon.

MT 5:24 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - mosque on horizon (mild telephoto 42 mm).

5:22 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - mosque on horizon (mild telephoto 68 mm).

5:26 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - similar mosque at water level.

5:26 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - that mosque at water level (mild telephoto 58 mm).\

5:27 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - that mosque at water level (mild telephoto 79 mm).

5:27 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - part of Dolmabahçe Palace complex.

5:27 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - part of Dolmabahçe Palace complex (mild telephoto 68 mm).

5:28 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - main part of Dolmabahçe Palace.

The Dolmabahçe Palace, on the European coast of the Bosporus strait, was built between 1843 and 1856. It served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922. It was home to six sultans from 1856, when it was first inhabited, up until the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey, used the palace as a presidential residence during summers, and he died here in 1938.
This is the largest palace in Turkey. The design contains eclectic elements from the Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical styles, blended with traditional Ottoman architecture. The exterior, in particular the view from the Bosporus, shows classical European two-wing arrangement which is divided by a large avant-corps (porch or pavilion that juts out from the central building) with two side avant-corps.

 

5:28 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - Dolmabahçe Palace, left end of complex with gate.

MT 5:29 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - Dolmabahçe Palace.

5:29 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - looking back at Dolmabahçe Palace, from right end of complex.

5:30 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - looking back at Dolmabahçe Palace, with more of right end of complex visible.

5:31 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - view ahead toward suspension bridge.

5:34 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - view of Çiraǧan Palace.

The Çiraǧan Palace, a former Ottoman palace, is now a five-star hotel. It is located on the European shore of the Bosporus. It was built between 1863 and 1867, during a period in which all Ottoman sultans built their own palaces rather than using those of their ancestors; Çiraǧan Palace is the last example of this tradition. In 1910, a great fire destroyed the palace, leaving only the outer walls intact. For many years, its garden served as a soccer field. In 1987, the ruined palace was bought by a Japanese corporation, which restored it and added a modern hotel complex next to it in its garden. The modern hotel building opened in 1990, and the restored palace building opened in 1992. Today, it serves as luxury suites for the five-star hotel.
The palace was renovated again in 2007, now resembling the authentic palace with its Baroque style and colors.

 

5:35 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - Çiraǧan Palace, with staff setting up for an outdoor  dinner with music.

5:38 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - large Turkish flag on hill near suspension bridge and another mosque.

5:39 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - large Turkish flag on hill near suspension bridge and mosque (mild telephoto 42 mm).

MT 5:40 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat -  mosque near suspension bridge (mild telephoto 46 mm).

MT 5:41 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat -  mosque near suspension bridge (mild telephoto 51 mm).

5:39 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - looking back at that mosque near suspension bridge, with large Turkish flag on hill behind.

5:57 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - view toward another suspension bridge farther ahead, across a narrower gap.

At this point, the cruise boat turned around and headed back along the east (Asian) shore of the Bosporus, where our guide said there were many houses of rich people.

5:58 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - houses on hillside on east shore.

6:00 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - houses on hillside and down near water on east shore.

6:01 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - approaching Kuleli Military High School; our guide said this was a military school "like West Point, where all the generals went," with another large Turkish flag on the hill.

6:01 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - Kuleli Military High School.

The Kuleli Military High School (or Academy) was the oldest military high school in Turkey, located in the Çengelköy neighborhood of the Üsküdar district of Istanbul, on the Asian shore of the Bosporus Strait, where many mansions were built in the Ottoman period. It was founded in 1845. After the 2016 Turkish coup d état attempt, Kuleli Military High School, along with other military high schools, was closed and turned into a museum.

 

6:03 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - more houses on east shore.

6:04 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - more houses on east shore and first view of strange-shaped tower on horizon.

6:04 PM (Cropped) - Istanbul: cruise boat - view of strange-shaped tower on horizon.

Istanbul: Çamlica Tower from the highway (By Metuboy - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128282036).

The Küçük Çamlica TV Radio Tower, shortly Çamlica Tower. Is a telecommunications tower with observation decks and restaurants on Little Çamlica Hill in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul. It is 1,211 ft tall, 725 ft of which is a 49-story reinforced concrete structure with 59 ft below ground. The height of the tower’s steel antenna is 551 ft. With a total height of 1,926 ft above sea level, it is the highest structure in Istanbul. Its cross section has an elliptical form with the main axes of 43 and 52 ft, which becomes smaller toward the top. Construction started in 2016 and finished in 2020. It was inaugurated in 2021.

 

6:07 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - more houses on east shore and mosque by water; Çamlica Tower on horizon.

MT 6:08 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - that mosque by water; Çamlica Tower on horizon (telephoto 112 mm).

6:08 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - more houses on east shore, with another large Turkish flag near water; Çamlica Tower on horizon.

6:07 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - Beylerbeyi Palace on east shore, near Bosporus Bridge; Çamlica Tower on horizon just behind left side of palace.

Istanbul: Beylerbeyi Palace, view from the Bosporus with Bosporus Bridge in background (By User:Roweromaniak - Archiwum "Roweromaniaka wielkopolskiego" No_B17-35, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1757875).

The Beylerbeyi Palace (literally meaning the palace of the bey or beys*) is located in the Beylerbeyi neighborhood of the Üsküdar district of Istanbul, on the Asian side of the Bosporus. An Imperial Ottoman summer residence built between 1861 and 1865, it is now situated immediately north of the Bosporus Bridge. Designed in the Second Empire style, it seems fairly restrained compared to the excesses of the Dolmabahçe Palace. It looks its most attractive from the Bosporus, from where its two bathing pavilions, one for the harem (women only) and one for the selamik** (men only) can best be seen.
*Bey is a title for a chieftain, and an honorific, traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in the Turkish kingdoms, emirates, sultanates and empires.
**The selamik was a portion of an Ottoman palace reserved for men. The harem is the portion for the family.

 

6:09 PM - Istanbul: cruise boat - view back to Beylerbeyi Palace on east shore.

We got back to the Viking Sky late, after 6 pm.

We went to dinner at The Restaurant (Deck 2) and had a long conversation with the couple at the next table; he was the resident historian (Dr. Edward H. Judge) and had been on this ship since Barcelona.

We finished packing, sine we had to put our luggage outside our stateroom by 10 pm. We were advised to put things we would need the next morning in a carry-on bag (which we did not have). So we asked our steward if he could find some bag for us. Then we went to the Spa Shop (Deck 1), and the clerk gave us two of their shopping bags. Back in our stateroom, we found two of the same bags that the steward bad brought. So we doubled the bags to carry our pajamas and morning toiletries.