Exhibition on Istanbul history charts area’s trajectory
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To celebrate Istanbul’s title of 2010 European Capital of Culture, Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum, or SSM, is hosting a new exhibition, “Legendary Istanbul: From Byzantium to Istanbul: 8,000 Years of a Capital.”
The exhibition, which began Saturday and will remain open until Sept. 4, presents the peerless history of Istanbul from its founding until today with more than 500 works, some of which are discoveries from the Yenikapı excavation conducted as part of the Marmaray Project.
The exhibition sheds light on the glorious history of a city that served as the capital city for the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires and charts the area’s trajectory from Byzantium to New Rome, to Constantinople and to Istanbul.
The exhibition also brings together treasures scattered among various countries through trade, gifts and historic events, such as the looting of the fourth Crusade.
At the opening ceremony, exhibition curator and SSM Director Nazan Ölçer said it was one of the largest exhibitions covering Istanbul ever organized in Turkey. “Turkey’s first large exhibition was organized in 1983 under the title ‘Anatolian Civilizations’ and it featured works brought from abroad,” she said.
“From Byzantium to Istanbul: 8,000 Years of a Capital” displays 503 selected works from leading institutions in England, Germany, France, Italy, the Vatican, Hungary, Greece, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Qatar, Portugal and Russia. It also includes works selected from state museums, private museums and collections in Turkey and, for the first time, brings together a range of different pieces chosen from a total of 58 museums, 39 of which are located abroad.
Istanbul’s transformation
The display tells the story of Istanbul’s transformation from a Roman garrison to the capital of the empire after the separation of Rome into eastern and western portions, the stages of growth, stagnation and collapse experienced during the Byzantine Empire, as well as its rebirth after being conquered by the Ottomans in 1453.
The event further presents the times of upheaval and the golden eras in the history of the city which is woven into the tapestry of European history.
The rich tradition created by the diverse religious heritage of the city is also presented. The comprehensive exhibition catalogue, which includes articles from 20 foreign and Turkish academics as well as colorful visuals, serves as a reference for everyone interested in Istanbul as it touches on the socio-political, cultural and historical aspects of the city during different periods.
“As part of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture event calendar, we thought it would be appropriate to remind the 15 million inhabitants of Istanbul and the entire world of Istanbul's 8,000-year-old history and its cosmopolitan identity born of a blend of different cultures with this comprehensive exhibition. I believe that everyone who visits our exhibition will find their desire to discover Istanbul rekindled,” Ölçer said.
She said they were displaying works from museums in Istanbul, including the Fener Greek Patriarchate’s library and the monastery in Heybeliada and added that an exhibition they organized in Paris was an aspect of the current project to promote Istanbul abroad.
Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture agency President Şekip Avdagiç said, “I argue that this is the most comprehensive and successful exhibition ever held in this region.”
Another curator of the exhibition, Boric Micka, said they had succeeded in creating an unforgettable exhibition and that museum directors from all around the country wanted to see it. “This exhibition shows that Istanbul is the capital of Europe and will remain so in the future.”
Discovering Byzantine traces in İstanbul
What is this life if, full of care
We have no time to stand and stare.
These are the opening lines of a poem by William Henry Davies in which he bemoans that we miss so many beautiful things in life because we are rushing.
The Chora Museum is one of the numerous Byzantine sites in İstanbul Robert van den Graven recounts in his book.
Crowds and rush describe Istanbul. You only need to be on one of the mighty suspension bridges spanning the Bosporus during rush hour to see the crowds of people trying to get from one continent to another, often sounding their horns in frustration at the task. Or witness the mighty tide of pedestrians pouring over Galata Bridge to get to work.
The city is full of millions of people who are all in a rush to get the next job done, get to the next appointment or just to get home after an extremely tiring day amongst all the crowds.
We are all so busy that often day after day we pass by familiar landmarks neglecting to look up and admire their beauty. Many passengers on the ferry home to Asia close their eyes and rest after a hard day and miss the view of the İstanbul skyline, which has thrilled and amazed travelers for nearly two millennia.
In our haste to catch the train, to purchase our jeton before the ferry departs, not to miss the bus we race past sites that have been silent witnesses to the journeys of centuries of İstanbulites.
Not only do we not know what hidden treasures lie under our feet, we don’t have time to look up at ancient buildings and walls or peer over fences to see old ruins or explore down hidden alleyways.
In his self-guided tour to Byzantine İstanbul, Robert van den Graven encourages us to take time to explore the amazing history of the city that is easily accessible today to the one who takes the time to find it.
Graven introduces us to İstanbul’s glorious history as Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire for over 1,000 years. The book says of itself, “From the awe-inspiring domed nave of Hagia Sophia to the majestic remains of the fifth-century Theodosian walls, from the exquisite mosaics of Chora Church to dungeons and underground cisterns, from Greek Orthodox churches to sacred springs, the ten walking routes in this book take visitors through every layer of İstanbul’s rich Byzantine past.”
The name Byzantines was invented by 19th century historians. The Byzantines themselves thought of themselves as Romans, citizens of the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. At heart, though, they were Greeks, as they spoke this language, and its learning influenced the church and state. For example, they taught Platonic philosophy.
Some of the sites that van Graven takes us to are well known and open to the public: the Hagia Sophia, the Hippodrome, Çemberlitaş (the Burnt Column), Yerebatan Sarayı (the Underground Cisterns), the Mosaic Museum, Galata Tower, Kariye (Chora Museum) and the walls of the city. Even with the advent of the Müze Kartı, which gives unlimited annual access to museums for a fixed price, the majority of residents of İstanbul have not visited all of these places.
But, even if you have visited them, you may well have missed some of the excellent detail included in this guide. For example, few of us exploring the Hippodrome have gone down a side street at its seeming end and crossed a school playground to see the drop down towards the shore, which was the old wall at the end of the Hippodrome enclosing the spectators’ area. Also it is rare to find a guide that explains the story of each of the frescos of the Chora Museum, including the gallery that shows the life of the Virgin Mary; even the museum doesn’t have this available.
Here is a quick overview of what is covered in each of the walks:
1: Where else could you start but with the Hagia Sophia? Constantinople was the biggest metropolis in the world, and the Hagia Sophia was one of the greatest buildings in the world. The Slavs who came here were so awestruck that “they knew not whether they were in heaven or on earth.”
2: Coming out of the Hagia Sophia you enter the political powerhouse of Constantinople. With the Hagia Sophia, the emperor’s palace and the Hippodrome in the vicinity, this was where the will of the emperor, God and the people could be heard.
3: In Cankurtaran “you find little bits of Byzantine history wherever you go,” whether this is the basement under a carpet shop or going up a few flights of stairs in a building to peer down at excavations that are hidden from sight at street level.
4: The “Mese” was the Byzantine Fifth Avenue, with smart shops and restaurants.
5: Around the Grand Bazaar life seems not to have changed for generations. Twelfth century resident John Tzetzes complained that “workers kept digging up the road so it was impossible for him to get in or out.”
6 &7: Take a walk and train ride around the sea walls. This section has been updated to include the amazing finds during the Marmaray project.
8: Later Byzantine palaces, churches and dungeons! This section contains a transition to the modern day with the Palace of Blachernae over which the Ottoman flag first flew when the city of Constantinople fell to Mehmet the Conqueror.
9: The old districts of Fener and Balat by the Golden Horn contain many treasures that are unknown to those of us who race past on the coast road. Turning aside you can explore such beauties as St. Mary of the Mongols, the Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos (Fethiye Camii), the Church of St. Theodosia (Gül Camii) and the Church of the Pantokrator (Zeyrek Camii). Many of these sites have amazing significance relating to the Ottoman conquest of the city, for some of the fiercest fighting in 1453 was along this stretch of the walls. Gül Camii (Rose Mosque) in fact gets its name from this time. May 29 was St. Theodosia’s feast day. On the day the city was to fall, a large congregation gathered here to pray for deliverance from the hands of the Turks. The church was decorated with garlands of roses for the occasion, and when the Ottoman soldiers stormed in they found these still in place -– hence the Turkish name.
10: It is not just the old city that has Byzantine remains. Galata was called “Sycae” -- the fig orchard -- in Byzantine times, but apart from the tower it does have other buildings and remains. So, too, have various villages along the Bosporus -- for example, Kuruçeşme -- right up to the amazing Byzantine keep above the village of Anadolu Kavağı at the entrance to the Black Sea on the Asian side.
What if you can’t come to İstanbul to explore the back streets, push open gateways, walk down steps to see basement remains and lift up your head to gaze up at tall columns? Van den Graven recommends a fascinating Web site www.byzantium1200.com, which has reconstructions of what the city would have looked like in A.D. 1200. As well as general views of the city, this intriguing site contains pictures of what 66 different buildings would have looked like. Using this site in conjunction with the photos in van den Graven’s book gives you an amazing armchair tour of the old city.
“Byzantine Istanbul,” by Robert van den Graven, published by Çitlembik
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-206326-110-discovering-byzantine-traces-in-istanbul.html
The Divanyolu at Sultanahmet – Hallmark of the Istanbul
Istanbul old city map
Divanyolu (Court Road) has been known to be the pulse of Istanbul for several centuries and was also popular by the name – the Mese- during the Byzantine period. Although, its boundary is not as wide as it used to be during the ancient times, however, it strongly retains several elements of its character even at the present times.
The fact that the Divanyolu was a place full of danger during the earlier times is well proved by Seyh Galib, a famous poet of the Ottoman Turkish literature, in his poem titled ’Husn u Ask’(meaning Beauty and Love). Galib says that the path in his verse is not smooth-sailing but full of dangers as was the case with the Divanyolu.
The Young Turks found the roads and streets of the Divanyolu to be qu
ite narrow and saddening, especially when compared with the big and broad boulevards of several European cities. Hence, they went forward to extend the width of this avenue but did not follow any planning while doing so. The result was a ruthless widening of this city of Turkey. But, despite of it being poorly planned city, it was regarded to be the widest avenue of Istanbul till the 18th century.
The Divanyolu is marked with a number of imperial palaces, mosques, madrasas, mansions of the famous, hans, fountains, baths and coffeehouses in its map. This avenue is a busy thoroughfare full of colorful life and hustle and bustle of the people living there. It has been a witness to not just official functions and ceremonies but a large number of events of special importance including festivals, weddings, feasts and parades that cover every single aspect of the Ottoman life.
The Divanyolu- A vital organ of Istanbul
The Mese (as it was commonly called in the Byzantine period) that extended from the famous Hagia Sophia square to include Edirnekapi in its sphere was named the Divanyolu. And the reason for it being given the name- the Divanyolu- was simple, that is, because a large number of members of the Divan-i-Humayun (the high court) followed this road every Tuesday while going to the Topkapi Palace. The Divan-i-Humayun was held after the morning prayers at the Topkapi Palace on Tuesdays. So, the Divanyolu became to be the vital artery of Istanbul since its origin.
The fact is that this importance of Divanyolu continued to reign supreme even in the Turkish era. However, it certainly has undergone a noticeable change in the present times. And while wading through the streets of this avenue, you will be greeted by lanes of different sizes, some narrow, some wide and some of the narrow lanes or streets becoming suddenly wide giving you a glimpse of a poor or total lack of planning by the young Turks while trying to make it a wide avenue.
The famous Divanyolu witnessed devastation of several of its buildings during a conflagration in the year 1865. And this opportunity to redesign this avenue was immediately seized upon by Kececizade Fuad Pasa, a renowned statesman of the times. He leveled several famous buildings and destroyed many others to make the streets wide.
Janissaries’ cries
The Divanyolu went through several reconstruction projects which denied it of its historical hallmarks in subsequent periods. One such reconstruction project took place in 1934, the year when the City Report was made. This resulted in renaming of the road from Atik Ali Pasa Mosque till Beyazit Square as Yeniceriler Caddesi (Avenue of the Janissaries).
Although, this new name did neither enter in the official records nor was mentioned in the street signs. However, you must be aware of an important link that exists between the Divanyolu and the Janissaries. The cries of the Janissaries can be heard quite clearly when you come close to the walls of any of the old buildings of this avenue. These cries of the Janissaries were their expression to air their grievances while marching from the famous Hippodrome to the Sultanahmet.
Even after going through numerous episodes of natural and man-made disasters as well as reconstructions including earthquakes, fires and uprisings, the fact is that in terms of historical importance, the Divanyolu still is regarded to be one of the riches areas of Istanbul.
Beginning point of all roads
While taking a stroll from the famous Hagia Sophia to the Beyazit, you will reach the Million Column, known during the Byzantine Era to be the beginning point of not just the Divanyolu but of various roads. And the next destinations that you will reach on your way will be the Water Tower followed by the Besir Aga Mosque. Of course, your next destination ought to be two mad Judas trees in a place which looks like a small park with a pool.
For those of you feeling hungry while walking, no need to despair because the historic Sultanahmet Koftecisi just on your right side will offer you an inviting and mouth watering meal of Turkish kofte (meatballs) served with garnishing of onion salad. And, you will also relish eating semolina halvah here to satiate your sweet taste buds. Once having your full with eating; now you can head for your next destination which lies just adjacent to the place where you had your sumptuous lunch.
It is the Cevri Kalfa Primary School which was commissioned for a female slave by Sultan Mahmud II who had saved the Sultan from the claws of death. Just a short distance away on the opposite side is the first mosque made by Turks in the city of Istanbul called the Firuzaga Mosque. Although this mosque, built in 1491 on the Mese, is quite small in size, however, still, it happens to be one of the finest examples of classical proportion successfully symbolizing the aesthetics of the urbanites and the beginning of new era.
When turning to the right, the next destination that lies not far away happens to be Hoca Rustem Sokak. This street has a famous work by Mimar Sinan (an architect of the Ottoman times), the Madrasa of White Eunuch Mehmed Aga. And as you continue move on a further few steps towards the right, you will be greeted by an Ottoman ‘pantheon’. This happens to be walled space that is surrounded by a school building, a fountain, a public drinking fountain and a mausoleum (built for Mahmud II). This famous mausoleum was made by an architect Sarkis Amira Balyan and marked the starting of modern era on the avenue of Divanyolu. Another famous building that lies next on the same street happens to be the Darulfunun (university) built in 1860s although it is another fact that it was seldom used as a university and more used for other means. At present, it functions as the Museum of the Press.
New names---
The mausoleum which once had a small yet an elegant mosque, a huge han and the Koprulu Library in its neighborhood, now only has the library as the other two have been replaced by concrete buildings.
Another exquisite and distinct classical piece of architecture from the hands of Mimar Sinan happens to be the Cemberlitas Bath that is just adjacent to the Museum of the Press. This bath is indeed a beautiful example of the typical hamam architecture and now resembles a bird as it was deprived of its cooling section during the widening of the street that took place in the year 1865. A part of the Koprulu Library was also demolished in the same year to make the street wide.
At the intersection of the Babiali Caddesi, the Divanyolu assumes a new name of Klodfarer Caddesi which it got from the works of the two famous French writers, namely Claude Farrere and Pierre Loti. These French writers made the Divanyolu avenue immortal through their works. Pierre Loti was a friend of the Turks and his house can be still be seen in the avenue of the Divanyolu.
Moving on, your next destination ought to be the Forum of Constantine, which is regarded as the most popular square of Byzantium. Constantine, the founder of the city, erected a column in the Ottoman period named Tavukpazari (Chicken Market). However, falling prey to natural calamities like earthquakes and fire, this column has been provided support with iron hoops, hence, it is known by the new name ‘hooped column’.
Earlier in the Ottoman times, a big double-storeyed han that was the residence of envoys to the Ottoman capital was located just opposite this column. However, the fire of 1865 rendered severe damage to this han which became a part of the mosque of the Atik Ali Pasa.
Turning towards the right, we meet Corlulu madrasa and the Sinan Pasa madrasa at Carsikapi. Nearly all the madrasas on the Divanyolu function as charitable foundations to preserve the Ottoman-Turkish culture.
To conclude, we can say that with its busy streets, colorful crowd and historic structures, the Divanyolu is, indeed, the heart of Istanbul.
