Venice and Istanbul during Ottoman times | sultanahmet1.com
Istanbul During the Ottoman Period: Love by Any Other Name' is at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum
Istanbul's Sakıp Sabancı Museum welcomes the exhibition 'Venice and Istanbul during the Ottoman Period: Love by Any Other Name,' which opened Wednesday as part of the Italian president's official visit to Turkey. .As the first activity in the celebration of Istanbul's status as 2010 European Capital of Culture, the exhibit is intended to familiarize visitors with the mutual influences and historical synergy between the two cities in a period extending from the 15th to the 20th century
Istanbul’s first official activity as 2010 European Capital of Culture, the exhibition “Istanbul during the Ottoman Period: Love by Any Other Name,” opened Wednesday with a cocktail party at the Sakip Sabanci Museum.
“This exhibition is an event that crowns our eternal and endless friendship,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in his opening speech, calling the museum show the most meaningful event held as part of Italian President Giorgio Napolitano’s official visit to Turkey..
“Diplomatic relations and strategic talks are maintained by political will. But events like this reflect a 400-year-old richness” in cultural relations, Davutoglu said. “Istanbul and Venice are sibling cities. Both express the love of water with nature and history, as this exhibition shows. There are no two other cities where water is used in city culture in such a magnificent way.”"
According to Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, the exhibition has clarified the friendship between Turkey and Italy once again.
Organized in collaboration by the Venice and Sakip Sabanci museums, with contributions from Sabancı Holding, the exhibit is the first in a series of events that will be held in 2010 under the theme “Italy in Turkey.”
“The exhibition displays more 160 significant works that have been brought from museums in Venice and Istanbul. Among them are paintings, maps, ceramics, glasses and fabrics,” Frattini said. “These cultural pieces show the dense economic and cultural relations between Turkey and Italy, especially between the Ottoman Empire and Venice, for 400 years. Italy wants Turkey to join the European Union. We place great importance on our relations with Turkey.”
‘They trusted us’
According to Güler Sabancı, the president of the Sabancı University Board of Trustees, the exhibition focuses on the historical relation between Venice and Istanbul from the 15th to the 20th century..
“What makes me happy and proud about this exhibition is that the Venice city museums trusted us and sent priceless pieces to the Sakıp Sabancı Museum,” Sabancı said. “In the same way, Turkey’s leading museums, such as Topkapı Palace and the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, delivered valuable pieces from their collections. [The subtitle] ‘Love by Any Other Name’ expresses this exciting exhibition very well because Venice and Istanbul have learned from each other, inspired each other and helped each other throughout history. Trade was always maintained between them.”
As part of her remarks, Sabancı also thanked the sponsors of the exhibition, the officials of the Italian Culture Center and Sakıp Sabancı Museum Director Nazan Ölçer and her team.
First activity to celebrate Istanbul 2010.
Since the exhibition is the first activity in the celebration of Istanbul’s status as 2010 European Capital of Culture, it is intended to familiarize visitors with the mutual influences and historical synergy between the two cities in a period extending from the 15th to the 20th century.
Along with selected works of art from the museums of Venice, objects such as manuscripts, portraits, caftans, carpets, coins and ceramics chosen from the collections of the Topkapı Palace Museum, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, the Pera Museum and the Yapı Kredi Vedat Nedim Tör Museum are on display in the exhibition.
Works chosen from the Turkish museums come from the same period in Istanbul as the works from Venice and represent the shared past and deep historical, social and commercial relationships between the two cities. The exhibition thus provides a panorama of their close diplomatic, military, commercial and artistic relations, along with their deeply intertwined reciprocal influence. The expression used in the exhibit’s subtitle was adopted to connote a love affair in the bilateral relations that have lasted for centuries between Istanbul and Venice.
Special events during the exhibit.
Curated by Sakıp Sabancı Museum Director Ölçer, Musei Civici Veneziani Director Giandomenico Romanelli, Ca’Foscari University Professor Giampiero Bellingeri and the Museo Correr’s Dr. Camillo Tonini, the exhibit will be supplemented by special events such as neighbor-day activities, gallery talks, conferences and educational programs designed for children.
“The commercial and political relations of the Ottomans vis-à-vis the Venetian city-states date back to the 15th century,” Ölçer said in a press statement. “In 2003, when our museum was celebrating its first year, we organized an exhibition titled ‘From the Medicis to the Savoias, Ottoman Splendor in Florentine Collections.’ This exhibition was inaugurated in collaboration with the distinguished works of art collected from the Italian museums. Right now, we are hosting another exhibition in conjunction with the state visit of Napolitano to Turkey.”
“'Venice and Istanbul during the Ottoman Period: Love by Any Other Name” will be on view at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum through Feb. 28, 2010.
(Hurriyet Daily News 19 Nov 2009)
Turkey- Where the Old Blends with the New
Turkey is a city where the old and the new blend together harmoniously to make it one of the most fascinating place in the world. It can be easily said that Turkey, which is located between Europe and Asia, celebrates the amalgamation of not just these two continents but also both the eras, that is the old and the new.
Blue Mosque and Obelisk in Sultanahmet Istanbul Old City
While the history and the origin of this ancient city dates back to nearly 4000 years ago, its freshness and beauty is not only still retained but is unmatched. The city was once the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire and saw many wars. But, it does not have any wounds of any wars.
The Bosphorus divides the European and the Asian part of Istanbul. Taking a voyage, you will discover the beauty of the Dolmabahce and the Topkapi palaces, and the Bosphorus bridge as well as the Golden Horn bridge adorning the European side of Istanbul. On the Asian side lies the ancient Anadoluhisari fort. The road facing the ocean is a hot summer spot where you can enjoy your favorite food at any of the eating places situated there.
The Sultanahmet area in Istanbul happens to be the most happening place which is always bustling with activity. The best thing about this area is that it is centrally located and one can just walk to any of the nearby historical sites and monuments easily. A number of shops welcome you as you walk by, selling just about everything from carpets to even the tickets of the Sufi shows.
The first tourist stop visited by us was the Blue Mosque or the Sultan Ahmet Mosque. Its interior walls are made of blue tiles and hence its name, the Blue Mosque. Built in 1600s, this national mosque of Turkey has won itself a coveted position of being the most famous tourist spot.
The next stoppage was the renowned monument of the Ottoman era known as Hagia Sofia. It was a basilica in the Byzantine period but was later converted into a mosque in the Ottoman period.
Just located at a short distance is the most ancient monument belonging to the 15th century BC. It happens to be the Hippodrome Obelisk. The structure that we see today was re-erected following its destruction by the Byzantine Emperor belonging to Egypt.
Next famous tourist spot is the Grand Bazaar, one of the biggest and most ancient covered bazaars in the world. This 450-year-old market has nearly 1,200 shops and about 58 covered streets selling everything under the sun.
You cannot resist the charm of Topkapi palace which is live example of the colorful and rich past of the Ottoman Empire. From the thrones and daggers studded with jewels to some exotic pieces of antique jewelry, everything is a reminiscent of the rich history of Istanbul.
If you want to explore more, you can take a tour to Troy, the ancient spot of the Trojan War. This place is almost a two-hour drive from the city of Istanbul. You can see a horse made of wood which reminds of the war that took place here. Another famous place worth visiting is the Ottoman capital of Bursa. It is nearly a four-hour drive and is a famous tourist spot. You must eat Iskender kebab, a famous cuisine of Bursa.
The fact is that Turkey has so much for any tourist that even a week’s time might prove insufficient to explore various famous places. There are the beautiful beaches of Turkey, the city of Ephesus known for being the town of Virgin Mary.
Turkey is a living example of a country where the old is not conquered by the new but presents a beautiful intermingling of both. You can catch a flight from Europe for Istanbul. There are a number of affordable and established hotels for staying. You can enjoy shopping as well as sight-seeing in this beautiful city.
Greek Side of Istanbul
Istanbul is a perfect place to be visited and explored by the visitors for its history and architecture. The city has not one but a number of historical city structures including palaces, churches, mosques and towers to boast that evidence numerous foreign influences on the soil of this city throughout the history.
According to sufficient historical evidence, the most ancient and the oldest civilization in Istanbul was Greek. Way back in 685 B.C., the inhabitants of Megara, an ancient Greek town, decided to settle in Chalcedon, which is now in Kadikoy district. The main aim behind their settlement in Chalcedon was to make Bosphorus as a medium for trading between the Black Sea and the Greek polities. However, in 667 B.C., the city of Byzantion was found when Greek King Byzas succeeded in his efforts to colonize the European side of the Bosphorus.
Leander’s Tower and the Serpentine Column happen to the two finest examples of the Greek architecture. Considered to be the oldest surviving Greek monument of Istanbul, the Serpentine Column is nearly 2,500 years old. This ancient monument was built in the honor of the victory of the Greeks over their rivals, namely the Persians, at Plataea.
Originally located at Delphi, the monument was moved in 324 B.C. by Constantine the Great to Istanbul for declaration of the new capital, Constantinople, of the newly found Roman Empire. The three serpents which provided support to the golden bowl were approximately eight meter in height. Although, the golden bowl is now lost or probably stolen during the sacking of the city in the Fourth Crusade.
Moving on to the next example glorifying the brilliant Greek architecture is Leander’s Tower also known as Maiden’s Tower. This tower is located in the Bosphorus. The tower was built by an Athenian general in the 408 B.C. in order to stop the ships belonging to the Persians along the Bosphorus shores.
According to yet another story, this tower was built by a sultan to save his daughter from a snake after it was predicted by an oracle. However, as fate would have it, the sultan gifted his daughter a fruit basket on her 18th birthday which had a snake hiding beneath the fruits. One can reach the tower by taking a small boat from the nearest shore and enjoy the food served in the romantic restaurant in this tower.
After the fall of Rome in 476, the glorious Roman Empire was merely reduced to the Byzantine Empire. For being the hub of orthodox Greek Christianity and being Greek in culture, the capital city of Byzantine Empire, namely Constantinople, had a number of churches including the most famous, Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya. Ayasofya was once a largest Christian church in the world.
Under the Byzantine rule, a number of other churches were built. Some of the important among these include the Church of St. Savior in Chora and Pammakaristos Church, now in the Fatih district.
A number of city structures were damaged in 1453 when the capital of the Byzantine Empire was conquered by the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Mehmed II. Mehmed was mainly concerned with re-structuring the defenses of the city and went on to work towards making Istanbul prosperous. So, he ordered all the Greeks and Armenians, Jews as well as Slavs to return to the city to help re-shape the city by using their special skills.
As per a census report of 1477, inhabitants of nearly 9486 houses were Muslims, while other inhabitants including Greeks occupied 3743 houses, Jews 1647 houses, Christians 267 houses and Gypsies lived in 31 houses. So, this indicated that every third house was inhabited by a Greek signifying an important role of Greeks in the economic, social and political life of Istanbul. Thus, the Greek community’s leader went on to become the ecumenical patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church.
The Greek High School for boys had become a popular educational institute for teaching orthodox clergy and Ottoman bureaucracy. Other famous educational institutes include Yoakimyon High School for girls and Marasli Greek Elementary School that exist even now. So, the list of Greek footprints in Istanbul is quite long and seems unending. Take a trip to Fener to discover the Greek connection.