Istanbul

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Istanbul

Fifteen million inhabitants coming from all kinds of races today live in what was once fabulous Byzantium before becoming Constantinople the splendid and now beautiful Istanbul. The outline of its domes, the silhouette of its minarets, the long bridge spanning the Bosphorus – the stretch of water known as the Golden Horn – all join to make this city, unique throughout the world, recognisable, mysterious and magical, built at the meeting place where two continents merge, Europe and Asia, the place where the West meets the East.

A tour of Turkey can only begin here, from this metropolis that has also been the capital of three great empires; the Roman Empire in the East, the Roman Empire of the West and the Ottoman Empire, and also where (like much of Turkey itself) many other civilisations took root. Istanbul is a vibrant and chaotic city with many different facets; it has been destroyed more than once over the centuries and many times rebuilt; struck down to rise again.

Istanbul is split by the Bosphorus (The Pass of the Ox in mythology), a narrow strait connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, the smallest sea in the world which the Turks affectionately call the “sweet sea”. An old Turkish proverb says that whoever drinks the water from the Bosphorus even once will feel thirsty forever.

A boat trip on the Bosphorus is both suggestive and romantic. One can see the banks packed with palaces, luxurious dwellings that once belonged to great dignitaries, viziers and ambassadors, as well as the typical and colourful Yali, early woden Turkish houses constructed on piles over the water.

Ortakoy, a district on the European bank, boasts a fine nineteenth century mosque built directly underneath the bridge over the Bosphorus and its main square is filled with shops, cafes, restaurants and book stalls. It is the intellectuals quarter populated by artists, jugglers and street performers and it resembles Montmartre in Paris in its heyday. Ortakoy’s Sunday market is noisy and cheerful, selling antiques and handicrafts.

Between old Istanbul and the new, the Golden Horn, a stretch of sea water and a natural port in the shape of a horn flows gently by; at dusk it takes on the colour of gold. The Tower of Galata and its legendary bridge tower over it; facing the Golden Horn is the famous Egyptian Bazaar also known as the Spice Market, smelling sweetly of spices. The view of the Horn and of all Istanbul that can be seen frmo the cafe named after the French author Pierre Loti and constructed in perfect Turkish style is enchanting and takes one’s breath away.

Another place of character is the Cicek Pashai or the passageway of flowers, filled with small restaurants where characteristic dishes can be eaten, accompanied by aniseed liqueur, Raki, the national drink. There an old Armenian lady with a permanently lighted cigarette, sings sweet and heart-breaking songs accompanied by an accordion. In this corner of Istanbul, pervaded with dreamy enchantment, one feels that time stands stillor that it has ceased to exist. The history of Istanbul, built on three promontoies; Stanbul (on the point of the Seraglio), Beyoglue and Uskudar, modern Scuteri on the Asian side, began in 650 BC. It was traditionally thought to have been founded by Greek colonists, and in particular a certain Byzas, from whom the name Byzantium derives. Philip of Macedon attempted an invasion, but, according to legend, the goddess Hecate, whose symbols were the crescent moon and the star, saved the besieged Greeks. These same symbols, subsequently adopted by Islam were used on the first coins minted in the city.

In 330 AD the city became the capital of the Roman Empire under Constantine the Great. This was the inception of Byzantine civilisation which was to last for many centuries. Palaces, churches and monuments were built and the streets adorned with statues, columns and fountains. But the city reached the height of its splendour under Justinian. It was then repeatedly invaded by Persians and Arabs, until the city entered a new era of opulence under Constantine Porphyry. The 11th century saw the schism between the Christian Church of the East and the Western Church; in 1204 the Crusaders sacked Constantinople; the Byzantines reconquered the city which one again attained new life. But the Ottoman Turks were not far away; on 1453 the Sultan Mahomet II brought the Byzantine Empire to an end, the city was renamed Istanbul and it became part of the Ottoman Empire. Under Suleyman the Magnificent the architect Sinan enriched it by building monuments, mosques and sumptuous palaces.

In 1923, with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, General Kemal Ataturk decreed the birth of the Turkish Republic, and the capital was moved to Ankara, but Istanbul remains today a centre of great attraction.

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