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
Eat your way around Turkey — Without ever leaving İstanbul
Over the last 20 years İstanbul has grown enormously. A city that had at the time of the Ottoman conquest in 1453 a population of around 60,000 is now bursting at the seams under the strain of perhaps 16 million residents, with its furthest reaches now sprawling almost all the way to Tekirdağ on the European side and Kocaeli (İzmit) on the Anatolian side.
Flooding in the western suburbs last year highlighted some of the problems this speedy growth has created, but there are also undoubted benefits, one of which is that now more than ever it's possible to eat your way around Turkey without ever leaving the metropolis as more and more new restaurants open to dish up mother's cooking to the homesick.
Some parts of the city have a particularly heavy local character reflected in their eateries. Typical examples include “Little Siirt” in the shadow of the Aqueduct of Valens, and “Little Urfa” around the Aksaray transport interchange. There's also a strong Hatay presence around Aksaray, while Fener and Balat have many residents whose families originally hailed from Kastamonu and the Black Sea. So here, without further ado, are just a few of the tasty regional treats awaiting you on a culinary tour of İstanbul.
Siirt -- büryan kebab and perde pilav: Twenty years ago it was a grungy area known for a livestock market and some rather dicey butchers' shops. Now the Kadınlar Pazarı, otherwise known as Little Siirt, immediately in front of the Aqueduct of Valens as you head up Atatürk Bulvarı from the Golden Horn, is the best place in town to eat büryan kebab, one of a set of pit-baked meats (think tandir kebab and kuyu kebab) that are always delectably tasty. In Little Siirt they fire up the ovens early, and you're best advised to head there around lunchtime when the meat is at its best -- avoid Fridays when so many people flock in after prayers that you'll be pushed to find a table.
Büryan kebab is served on a bed of pide and washed down with foaming fresh ayran (yoghurt drink). The best accompaniment is a helping of crispy perde pilav (“veiled rice”), which is baked in a fez-shaped container and comes out shot through with shredded chicken, currants and almonds.
Incidentally, the Kadınlar Pazarı is also a great place to shop for such culinary curiosities as tandir ekmeği (doughnuts of dried bread that need rehydrating before eating), Van otlu peyniri, a white cheese speckled with herbs, and lots and lots of super-fresh honey.
Siirt Şeref, İtfaiye Caddesi No. 4, Tel: 0212-635 8085, www.serefburyan.com
Hatay -- tuzda pilav and künefe: The cuisine of the Hatay corner of Turkey is influenced by Syria and the Middle East, so if you visit the Hatay restaurants around Aksaray you'll be in for some great surprises including warm humus topped with slithers of pastırma (pastrami). At the Hatay Akdeniz Sofrası the biggest treat has to be chicken or lamb cooked inside a case of salt which is sliced open at the table with great ceremony. Be warned that it's a treat that must be ordered in advance -- two hours ahead in the case of chicken, a day ahead in the case of lamb. You also need a group of three diners for chicken, even more for lamb.
Hatay's other great gift to Turkish cuisine is künefe, the mouth-watering dessert made up of crispy grilled shredded wheat wrapped round a melt-in-the-mouth helping of soft cheese, with copious quantities of syrup dribbled over the top. Eat it with cream at the Khorasani Restaurant, and you'll be in seventh heaven.
Hatay Akdeniz Sofrası, Ahmediye Caddesi No. 44/A, Vatan Hastanesi Karşısı, Aksaray, Tel: 0212-531 3333
Khorasani Restaurant, Ticarethane Sokak No. 39-41, Tel: 0212-519 5959, www.khorasanirestaurant.com
Şanlıurfa and Diyarbakır -- ciğer and mırra kahvesi: If Hatay food is not your scene, Aksaray is also a great place to dine Şanlıurfa and Diyarbakır style. On summer nights in Urfa the main drag is lined with low tables and tiny wooden stools on which sit local men tucking into generous helpings of freshly grilled ciğer (lamb's liver) served on skewers with lashings of greenery. There are plenty of places to emulate the experience in Aksaray, although Canım Ciğerim in Beyoğlu is also renowned for its liver -- watch out for the skewers with neat lamb's fat that come bundled up with it.
Afterwards you can round off the evening with a gulp of mırra kahvesi (mırra coffee), an Urfa and Mardin super-strong take on Turkish coffee that is brewed and rebrewed before being served with elaborate ceremony. Down it in three sips but don't put the cup on the table afterwards, or you might find yourself expected to pay a forfeit -- a cup's worth of gold, or the cost of the waiter's wedding.
Mırra Urfa Sofrası, Muratpaşa Sokak No. 29, Yusufpaşa, Tel: 0212-532 7432
Canım Ciğerim, Minare Sokak No. 1, Asmalımescit, Tel: 0212-252 6060
Ehli Kebap ve Ciğer Diyarbakır, Simitçi Şakır Sokak No. 32, Aksaray, Tel: 0212-631 3700
Mersin -- tantuni and şalgam: Everyone is familiar with döner kebab in all its assorted manifestations. Tantuni, however, tends to get less of a look in, although around Mersin and Adana it's the snack food of choice. Finely chopped snippets of beef are stir-fried with water, oil, onions, tomatoes and herbs, then stuffed into a half loaf of bread or wrapped in paper-thin lavaş. Ideally you down it with bitter şalgam, the turnip-juice taste sensation that can be acquired from the pickle stalls down on the Eminönü waterfront.
Emine Ana Sofrası, Sıraselviler Caddesi, Billurcu Sokak No. 5/A, Beyoğlu, Tel: 0212-292 8430
Bursa -- İskender kebab: It's so ubiquitous that it's easy to forget that İskender kebap was in origin a Bursa specialty, supposedly created when the eponymous İskender stabbed his sword into the ground, then loaded it with meat so that he could grill it while slowly revolving it and so reduce the risk of charring. After adding a dollop of yoghurt plus tomato sauce and a hot butter sauce, and laying slithers of the meat on pide bread, he had the makings of a dish that is now one of the greatest pleasures of Turkish cuisine. Try it at branches of Konak on İstiklal Caddesi or at the Süslü Karakol in Beşiktaş for the authentic Bursa experience.
Konak, İstiklal Caddesi No. 259, Galatasaray, Tel: 0212-244 4281
Kebapçı İskender, Süslü Karakol, Yıldız Yolu No. 6, Ihlamur, Beşiktaş, Tel: 0212-236 5571
Rize -- karalahana çorbası and hamsi: Fewer places in İstanbul serve the cabbage-heavy cuisine of the eastern Black Sea region, but in Cibali, as it merges into Fener, the Kömür Lokantası has been serving up stuffed cabbage leaves and cabbage soup since the late 1980s. This is also a great place to come to eat crispy, crunchy hamsi tava (fried anchovies), a wonderful winter treat.
Kömür Lokantası, Müstantik Sokak No. 33, Küçükmustafapaşa, Tel: 0212-631 0192
Kayseri -- mantı: If you want to make a lonely Kayserili's eyes water, just mutter the word mantı to them. These tiny pasta packets enclosing minuscule morsels of meat are usually doused in a garlicky yoghurt sauce or a thick homemade tomato sauce. They're often called the Turkish ravioli, although you could as easily describe them as Turkish dumplings. Really, they're a dish unto themselves.
Hala, İstiklal Caddesi No 137/A, Beyoğlu, Tel: 0212-292 7004
Gaziantep -- pistachio baklava: Whatever your choice of starter and main course, you're bound to want to finish up your meal with a helping of baklava, the cigarette paper-thin, multi-layered pastry that reaches its apotheosis when stuffed with some of the pistachios for which Antep in the Southeast is famed. Most restaurants worth their salt serve baklava, but for the finest of all, head straight for Güllüoğlu in Karaköy, where they still use a recipe dating back to the 1870s.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu, Rıhtım Caddesi, Tel: 0212- 293 0910, www.karakoygulluoglu.com
Michael Palin is at Turkish baths (hamams) in Istanbul – BBC
Palin receives the complete treatment in one of the oldest Turkish baths in the world. Free video clip from the BBC – Michael Palins Pole to Pole adventure.