City break in Istanbul at Sultanahmet
By any standards, Istanbullus are proud of their city. And since you can hardly walk down a street in Sultanhamet without falling over some Byzantine or Ottoman relic they do have a few things to boast about.
But there’s more to Istanbul than antiquity and I was determined to get to the heart of the reputation of this mighty metropolis. Although I was initially unsure about Istanbul as a family holiday destination, it was the presence of my small daughter that was the key.
Within half an hour of arriving she was being called princess and offered the hand of the waiter’s brother’s son in marriage.
Ancient monuments
In the ancient Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia) she scuttled around on the smooth stone floors and climbed up and down a hundreds-of-years-old wooden platform while we admired the still beautiful frescoes under the might dome.
The Blue Mosque is only a few hundred metres away but quite a contrast in terms of atmosphere and upkeep. The littel one enjoyed the thick carpet, lying on her back and gazing up at the lights and beautiful tiles.
There is a lot to see at the Topkapi Palace and you should allow a whole afternoon. Beyond the spooky harem, the sumptuous apartments, and the eye-popping jewels, the most beautiful structure is the very last you reach after the many courts and gardens. The delicate decoration of the pavilion and romantic views across the Bosphorus to the Galata Tower on the Golden Horn under a dusty apricot sky is matchless.
On Divan Yolu, the main thoroughfare of Sultanhamet, we all enjoyed delicious stuffed aubergine and the ubiquitous bulgher wheat rice salad at Bayan 2 restaurant, before raiding one of the many patisseries for a sweet bite.
Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia in Sultanahmet Istanbul Turkey
Istanbul or Rome?
I wonder if you’ve been travelling too long when you feel compelled to compare every new destination with another place but I did often feel in Beyoglu that I might be wandering the streets of some western European capital.
From the excitement of the youthful population thronging a main drag lined with gem after gem of art nouveau architecture, to the antique tram ding dinging its way down from Taksim square, this district has something for everyone, as well as the most glamorous kebab shops you’ll ever see.
There are pretty arcades with antiques, jewellery and bric a brac, and the regeneration of historic Levantine buildings in the streets off Istikal Caddesi is good to see.
Gulhane Park is a beautiful sight in autumn; kick your feet through the leaves and enjoy a pot of tea and a dish of pistachio ice cream overlooking the Bosphorus in the tea garden below the walls of the Topkapi Palace.
Bazaar ‘til you drop
Near the Grand Bazaar a man sits in the window of his rug shop, completely surrounded by great piles of kilims like an Arabian night. Inside the largest enclosed bazaar in the world it is all glitz and gold and souvenir trinkets but still men sit passing the time of day on low stools; prayer beads dripping from their fingertips and tea delivered in little glasses on a silver tray.
Through the haberdashery quarter porters carry huge loads, bent double with their leather backpacks on the streets leading upward to the Suleymaniye mosque, its interior still shrouded for restoration.
Or head down through the street of Christmas decoration shops to the fragrant delights of the Spice Bazaar. Here you will find scoops of apple tea, towers of nougat, dishes of chestnuts, tubs of Turkish delight, pyramids of spices and baskets of dried flowers.
Across the Golden Horn in Beyoglu join the throngs of young Istanbullus surging down Istikal Caddesi from Taksim square, enjoying the shops, eateries and entertainment.
Crossing continents
Touching down on the Asian side of the Bosphorus is not always on an Istanbul city break schedule but it’s well worth the visit once you get past the noisy traffic of the waterfront. The ferry ride from Eminonu is a pleasure in itself.
The streets are festooned with russet-coloured grapevines in autumn and there’s nothing touristy about a wander through the street markets and funky cafes with the locals.
Turkish shopkeepers take great pride in their displays and in the Kadikoy district you will not fail to be impressed by the carefully-arranged stacks of giant broccoli, shiny shoals of fish and piles of grapevine leaves.
We had a fabulous meal at the fashionable Ciya Sofrasi, which specialises in delicious mounds of baked pilaf fragrant with almonds and raisins; the delicately spiced house kebab; and black mulberry sherbet beverages. For dessert you can’t go past the baked pistachio cream of the Dough Plies or the melt-in-the-mouth Teleme cream figs.
One final mosque
Deep in the back streets of Sultanhamet is a small mosque that is inexplicably missed off many Istanbul itineraries. We had the Sokollu Mehmet Pasa Camii to ourselves, apart from the elderly retainer, and a peaceful sense of spirituality pervades that is missing from the great domes of the city.
The high quality Iznik tiles and original painted wooden ceiling panels complement the graceful dome by Istanbul’s premier historic architect, Mimar Sinan.
The heart of the city
Sitting in the park that separates Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque, long shadows are cast by cypresses across lawns strewn with yellow plane leaves. Rusty chestnuts line the avenue and the cacophony of competing muezzin cries fades.
Passersby stop to chuck the cheeks of my little daughter, smiling as they imitate her baby babble. In the restaurants fellow diners turn to make friends; an old man trying to make her laugh by showing her the sugar cube held between his teeth as he sips his tea.
She danced to traditional Turkish music on a bandstand off Divan Yolu and grinned at the shoe-shine man. And everywhere she was welcome; the centre of attention with both men and women.
Beyond history and culture, today it’s the warmth of her people that make Istanbul great.
Natasha von Geldern
More information:
Natasha stayed at the stylish Midtown Hotel, which is centrally located in a pleasant street just off Taksim Square, at the top of the district of Beyoglu. Midtown Hotel is a member of Special Hotels of the World. For more information or to book please visit the website or call 020 7380 3658.
Pegasus Airlines flies daily from London Stansted to Istanbul's new Sabiha Gokcen airport from £39.99. A shuttle bus runs hourly from the airport to Taksim Square for around £6.
Natasha used Rough Guides’ Istanbul, an erudite, comprehensive guide to the Turkish capital.
(TravelBite.co.uk Tuesday, 15 Dec 2009)
Arasta Bazaar in Sultanahmet
Located just next to the famous Blue Mosque in the small streets of Sultanahmet is the smaller version of the Grand Bazaar called the Arasta Bazaar.
It was built around the same time as the Blue Mosque and was a famous marketplace of Sultanahmet. The rents of the shops in this bazaar contributed towards the upkeep and maintenance of the Blue Mosque. It was known by the name of Sipahiler Bazaar in Ottoman period and was a favorite place for buying cavalry items.
However, later, it came to be used as a house for horses. This bazaar was damaged by fires and remained ignored for a number of years. It was only in 1974 that efforts were made to revamp the area.
At present, the bazaar has nearly 83 shops dealing in textiles and carpets. The shops also exhibit many items bought by tourists as souvenirs and gifts to lure wandering tourists to have a look inside the shops. If you happen to walk through the streets of this bazaar while doing window shopping, do not forget to take a break to enjoy the walkway.
While strolling along the walkway of the bazaar, you will notice several pieces of tiles and mosaics visible between the stones. These mosaics and tiles are the remnants of Byzantium’s Great Palace built by Constantine the Great. The design of this palace was originally made by Emperor Constantine I. The huge structure included a large number of state buildings, churches, libraries, fountains, assembly halls, stadiums, chapels, audience rooms, thermal baths and numerous courtyards.
However, over the years, the huge complex was ravaged by natural calamities including fires and earthquakes and remained neglected. If you want to have a look at the remnant mosaics from this palace, visit the Mosaic Museum located just next to the Bazaar (Arasta Bazaar). After you finish seeing the designer artworks of the palace and reach the exit point, you will be brought at the heart of this bazaar once again.
The Arasta Bazaar, with its laid-back atmosphere, happens to be the best bet for shopping carpets as compared to the Grand Bazaar. As the tourist season approaches, all the shopkeepers can be seen out in the bazaar to lure more and more customers into their shops with handful of tea glasses.
However, there is no persistence to buy anything as is common in other shopping areas of Sultanahmet. Moreover, the visitors to this bazaar are serious shoppers who are clear about what they want and where to shop for.
If you want to shop for collectable textiles, the best place in the Arasta Bazaar happens to be Mehmet Cetinkaya’s Maison du Tapis d’Orient. This shop was opened in 1986 and is quite famous the world over for buying reasonably priced Turkish textiles.
Another famous shopping place in this bazaar is Cocoon that was established by Mustafa Demir and Seref Ozen in 1995. This shop is known for affordable and quality goods. It is famous store for buying Turkmen embroideries and rugs from Central Asia.
Just at the beginning of the Arasta Bazaar, a small café stages a show called ‘whirling dervish show’ for tourists at night. If you don’t have a liking for touristy performances, then you must miss this show. However, for those wanting to witness a whirling dervish ceremony, the best thing is to visit Sirkeci train station or Galata Mevlevi Han.
A refreshing and instant snack meal can be enjoyed at the café located at the end of this shopping area near the Blue Mosque. You will not just get a perfect view of the Blue Mosque from this café but also see people having lunch, sipping tea and taking a puff of a nargile.
For those who want to enjoy a real sumptuous meal, the Mavi Ev Hotel situated across the street from this bazaar is the best bet. While enjoying meal at this restaurant, watch the exotic views of some of the famous places of Sultanahmet from the rooftop terrace of this restaurant.
Whether you want to refresh yourself after a hectic day of shopping and sightseeing or just want to gear up for a big shopping spree, a visit to the famous Java Studio for having the best coffee with delicious pastry is a must.
Misir Carsisi (Spice or Egyptian Bazaar) – Every Visitor’s Delight
Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar in Eminonu Istanbul
When visiting Istanbul, one cannot think of missing a visit to the famous markets of the city, including the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. An advantage of visiting the Spice Market of Istanbul is that it happens to be more organized and less crowded market as compared to the big Grand Bazaar or the Kapalicarsi.
The Spice Market or the Misir Carsisi is a heaven for getting acquainted with some of the best Turkish delights. You can taste any of the varieties of the spices available in the market.
Talking about its location, it is quite easily reachable. It’s located just behind Yeni Camii or the New Mosque in Eminonu. You can get a tramway to reach this place if you are putting your stay in Sultanahmet. You would notice clearly the Turkish name of the market Misir Carsisi mentioned along with its familiar name Spice Market on the various sign boards in the tram.
If you happen to be first time visitor to the Spice Market, we would like to inform you that you need to pay TYL 1.50 as tram fare and you also need to get tokens before you board the tram. After reaching your destination, you need to walk across the road through the underpass for reaching the New Mosque. Continue walking along the wall of the Mosque to enter the market of spices, that is, the Spice Market.
The Spice Market has just three alleys as compared to the crowded Grand Bazaar having more than 100 alleys. It is a place for spices of almost all the varieties and some sweets too. The variety of spices is really amazing and available in different colors to allure your smelling and seeing power. You can hear vendors calling the visitors in traditional manner and praising their particular spices. You will even notice some vendors asking the passer-bys to try the spices for testing their quality.
You may enter the Spice Market of Istanbul with a pre-conceived notion that it is a place for enjoying ‘lokum’, the famous sweet Turkish delight made of rose water, sugar and starch. But, the fact is that the Spice Market of Istanbul is a place for you to try varieties of Turkish delights, not just the ‘lokum.’ Moreover, you will find fruit juice in place of rose water in lokum along with pieces of fruits including banana, orange, kiwi and any other fruit and nuts.
Yet another inviting and mouth watering Turkish delight available in the Misir Carsisi is figs, either fresh or dried. They are usually available with walnut stuffing and honey or sugar for a sweet taste. Don’t be amazed to hear the vendors calling you to try the Turkish Viagra as figs are often called the by this name in Istanbul.
For those who have a taste for cheeses, you will find sheep and goat cheese served with pistachio in the Spice Market. You can even taste the sample before you find it irresistible to be missed.
