Istanbul’s Heart of the Matter
If you want to see Istanbul, the best thing is to follow a sea route for the city that was originally found by Constantine the great and recreated in 1453 by Sultan Mehmet II. However, majority of travelers follow the road routes to see various exotic locations in this city and hence, are able to see just huge apartments and offices. So the best suggestion for them is to head straight for the Grand Bazaar (Covered Bazaar or the Kapalicarsi) , which is, undoubtedly, the heart of this city. It was here that the wealth of this Ottoman city was made.
The Grand Bazaar which dates back to the period of Sultan Mehmet’s conquest has many of the elements of the Ottoman period, however, one cannot find anyone selling sword or shields belonging to the ancient times of the Ottoman era.
The streets of the Grand Bazaar, which were full of men who ran various shops in this bazaar in the 19th century but now, it is not surprising to find women outnumbering men as owners of various shops. But, one can still find men as shopkeepers in the one-room shops and booths. And even now, one can find shopkeepers enticing and vying attention of tourists by presenting them with cups of coffee or tea in their hands because this is one of the clever measures adopted by shopkeepers to attract tourists into their shops.
A huge hall in the Grand Bazaar (Covered Bazaar) named the Sandal Bedesten, which was a venue for holding carpet auctions till recent times, used to sell some of the finest fabrics and rugs. In the earlier times. Many of such bedesten or covered markets had stores at the back side of each shop. These stores were locked at night. Apart from the storerooms, the doors of all halls were also guarded and locked up.
A list of various guilds in the city was drawn by Evliya Celebi in the 17th century. Out of these guilds, nearly 200 were velvet makers who occupied 70 shops. Among them also included kaftan makers or the makers of robes-of-honor which totaled to 105 and occupied 50 shops. And 111 men were in carpet guild and occupied 40 shops. Various carpets that were sold in the Grand Bazaar (Covered Bazaar) were brought from Cairo, Kavala, Ushak, Smyrna, Salonika and Esfahan, according to the estimates by Evliya Celebi.
Different shops were grouped according to the trade in which they dealt, and the controlling power of such shops was not merely in the hands of their guilds only but also in the hands of either the Cadi ( a Muslim judge) or the officials of the Cadi who were supposed to set certain standards to be followed.
And if anyone was found to be involved in malpractices in his business including selling less weight or low quality goods, then he was given severe punishment in the form of beating of his feet, nailing of his ear to the shop’s doorway and a placard showing his offence. The punishment could be as severe as haltering with two huge planks, each weighing fifty kilos. As the bells tinkled, the tourists’ attraction was diverted towards the guilty trader who was hurled with insults by the crowd.
The Grand Bazaar (Covered Bazaar) had shops managed by men and dealing in everything from food, clothing to several other products. However, cheap commodities like old or used clothes were usually sold in the small lanes of the open market. The open bazaar has its lanes stretching to the famous Golden Horn.
Apart from the shops in the Grand Bazaar and the open lanes selling old commodities, merchants from Anatolia and different parts of Asia were also involved in selling goods in their caravanserai or hons. These were medium sized buildings made of stone comprising of stables, store-room and the goods meant to be sold.
The market area had neither peace nor dignity expected for mosques. Hence, mosques were built away from such hustle and bustle of the streets. Among the greatest mosque built was of the Grand Vizier Rustem Pasa built in the memory of his widow, Mihrimah, who was one of the richest women of the world.
This mosque was built by Sinan, the greatest architects of the Ottoman times, who was the man behind the greatest mosque for Suleyman the Magnificent built in Istanbul. The mosque of Rustem Pasa has been renovated and refurbished recently so as to recreate the same dazzling effect by the walls made from Iznik tiles that has not been hitherto created by any mosque.
The Covered Bazaar was, by and large, successful in revival of the glory of the city that was once left in a deplorable state by the Byzantines. This could not have been possible without the grand position of Istanbul whose population of nearly 70,000 in the year 1453 grew in the 16th century to a whopping 400,000.
After the completion of the huge mosque of the Valide Sultan (the Queen Mother) just beside the Golden Horn in the 17th century, the spice market was shifted to a new and better building called Egyptian Bazaar (Spice Market or Misir carsisi). This happens to be the same square where caged birds and plants can be bought even now. Once, it used to be the hub of activity with the trading by the coffee houses.
The society of Istanbul had a guild system where brotherhood was the substitute for cut-throat competition. It was a common tradition to hold an annual parade in which members of different trades took part and demonstrated their respective skills. The day long annual parade concluded at the Hippodrome near the lodge of the sultan. This old lodge has been now converted to the Turkish and Islamic Art Museum and on the opposite side of this lodge is the famous mosque of Ahmet I.
The famous Blue Mosque, which is a famous monument of Istanbul, was made by Mehmet. The mosque had six minarets and many designs in the tile panels of the gallery of this mosque were taken from the rich patterns of the carpets. The mosque has a huge royal pavilion where the Grand Vizier had carried out the suppression of the Janissaries in the year 1826. The leaders of the Janissaries were imprisoned. The present pavilion- the Ahmetiye Royal Kiosk, which has been rebuilt, has been now converted to a museum named Vakifiar Museum where kilims and rugs brought from Anatolia and even beyond are stored.
In the past, several grand Turkish homes had carpet spread in the center part of the room and no one walked on the carpet and used runners on four sides of the carpet for walking. Rugs made from silks were used to cover the divans in the rooms and were decorated with finely made big cushions. During night, living rooms were used as bedrooms as various beddings were stored in big cupboards of the rooms.
Next famous monument of Istanbul is the Dolmabahce Palace. This palace was built by the famous Balyans family of Armenians in 1850s that were also behind building of several royal palaces in the 19th century. The Dolmabahce Palace was built for Abdul Mecit I. this palace had carpets of some very highly exceptional quality which were made in a factory down the Marmara Sea at Hereke. After the renovation work of this palace took place in the 1950s, almost similar intricate and refined patterns and weaving were produced by the looms of Hereke.
Till the period of 19th century, superior or high class shops of Pera (now Beyoglu) could be visited only by middle class women and the shopkeepers had no option but to attend to such women to avoid any scandal. Pera was regarded to be the European quarter and was home to several embassies many of which still survive though as consulates even now.
Women, during the 19th century, had their dependence for basic day-to-day necessities on the street vendors. Their day began with the arrival of milkman at the dawn and this was followed by several other street vendors who came to sell different commodities of daily necessities in their own typical ways. The street vendors included vegetable sellers among others. And it was a common scene to witness disputes and arguments over the price of the wares between the housewives and the sellers. The only difference was that the housewives enjoyed the support from their sons.
Even now, one cannot fail to find some fruit juice sellers or water sellers on the streets of Pera although, their number has declined. Also, one can find a hamal or a carrier whose labor has been replaced by increasing number of trucks as the streets have become wider than before. The street vendors or the porters, whose place of inhabitance was mainly near the ports, used to carry huge weights carefully tucked in the saddles and placed on their backs till the 1970s. It was believed that majority of such porters had their homes in dormitories nearer the port and died at relatively young ages.
During the reign of the sultan, it was not unusual to find eunuchs engaged in shopping for their spouses and buying various house hold articles as well as perfumes. However, the biggest privilege of these eunuchs was donning the role of agent for the young females of the saray and the Valide. Although the small streets of Pera were full of activity and there was lot of hustle and bustle out there. But, the streets in the old city were comparatively very calm and sleepy with men sitting in the streets holding their nargile pipes in their hands.
Women in the old city smoked too, but the only difference was that they preferred to smoke within their homes. The reason behind several cases of fire causing major devastations in the homes of Pera could be attributed to habit of falling sleep while smoking over a pipe.
As of now, it is quite rare to find any old timber homes having stovepipes sneaking out of the windows. It is only after a long period of nearly 1,500 years that strict laws have been put into effect to check any building or structure made of wood.
The burning of wooden houses by the smoking pipes was not the only problem in the old city of Istanbul. It was common to find many peasants moving out to the city to avoid extreme hard life in Anatolia. No doubt, immigration laws were issued after a period of every ten years. But, there is also no denying the fact that all such laws could be breached as easily as they were made.
The long coastal line of the Sea of Marmara and Thrace, which once happily accommodated thousands of travelers, is left with no option but to adjust millions today. Moreover, with the building of two suspension bridges and the provision of large number of fast moving ferries, the process of crossing from Asia has become fairly easy and very fast. And the time is not far when the old ferryboats that were run on lignite will become a distant memory in the same way as the tokkos and the stalwart that were once involved in humping cargoes to and fro the Black Sea.
In the second half of the 19th century, a solution was being thought upon for widening very narrow lanes of the city. As per the plan of Helmuth von Moltka, there was need for widening of the major arteries of the city in the similar fashion as was done by Hogg, a German architect, in the 1950s.
The reason behind this plan was that it involved very less destruction or demolitions. However, another proposal came from Arnodin, an Ottoman citizen, who suggestion was to have a ring road beyond the city’s boundary walls across the Galata Bridge continuing beneath the walls of the sea. Arnodin was the man behind the designing of a suspension bridge between Europe and Asia across the Marmara Sea and yet another down the river Bosphorus. However, none of the two bridges were thought to be practicable enough.
Joseph Bouvard, the famous exhibition architect of France, suggested a plan which was considered to be the worst plan. As per his scheme of things, to make the city lanes wider, a large number of Byzantine and Ottoman monuments were required to be demolished and replaced by huge open spaces with just hotels in the city. However, the city was fortunate enough to have escaped the foolish plans of this French architect who did not had visited the city of Istanbul even once and was unaware of the fact that Istanbul was built on seven hills.
No doubt, the city may sound a bit unbearable in the heat of the summer, but the beauty of the skyline illuminated by spectacular moon at the sunset is likely to compel any visitor not to miss its priceless charm.
Antique Rug Market of Istanbul
Istanbul has quite old and very interesting relationship with oriental carpets since times immemorial. Carpets enjoyed important place in the oriental past of the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal periods and continue to do so even now. The fact that carpets were the subject of famous paintings in the past becomes evident by witnessing a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger kept in London’s National Gallery which shows a carpet from west Anatolia among other things including a pair of compasses and a globe.
Carpets from Anatolia, whether new or just like new, were quite a rage during the time of King Henry VIII. Such carpets had portraits of important personalities as standing on the rug which was regarded as a symbol of status and wealth in Europe. Hence, such carpets were typically present in the courts of Europe.
But, the huge popularity of antique carpets in Istanbul can be traced back to the heydays of the Grand Tour. The Europeans, specifically the Britons had a special fascination and passion for paying visits to the Mediterranean classical civilizations in the second half of the 18th century.
The Grand Tour, which was considered to be a perfect manner of completing the education of a young person and gained special importance due to the poetry of Shelley and Byron together with the idealization imparted by the paintings of Orientalists’, could be regarded as the mark of beginning of tourism.
And the early tourists had a love for buying something unique and smooth on their way back home to be kept as souvenirs in their homes. Among this list of souvenirs loved by tourists included sculptures of Xanthos, a small Hellenistic city or the Parthenon marbles representing Greek temple sculpture, both of which have been now kept in the British Museum.
However, for those with lower budgets, some oriental rugs or even a statue in small size was the best feasible option. These oriental carpets or rugs thus purchased by tourists to be kept as souvenirs ought to have made their way from the bazaars of the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul). the statues, meanwhile, had be bought from the Athens or Rome in Italy.
The city of Constantinople came to be regarded as the city for finding things of pleasure for the Orientalists. Constantinople, the capital of Ottoman Empire, fascinated various travelers, painters, writers and many others by the unique habits of its milieu. Among these habits included wearing of typical Turkish costumes and having exquisite furnishings in their homes like Turkish carpets and rugs with fine embroideries and designs on them. The love of Orientalists for the Turkish culture and way of life could be well explained from the fact that some of them even adopted Turkish names and converted to the religion of Turks, that is, Islam.
The Orientalists love for the Turkish culture could be attributed to the new found freedom provided by the attitude of freedom provided by the city to these foreigners. So, they continued their journey in pursuance of their pleasure amidst the perfect background of exotic historical monuments including mosques, palaces and minarets which proved helpful to help them indulge in smoking of opium, an opportunity often denied in their native places.
All such facts which exhibit the response of Westerns towards the Oriental Turkey during the 18th and 19th century have been the subject of hot debates and discussions in the recent times. Edward Said happens to be the best proponent of the view that Orientalism, in reality, is nothing but a mere put-down of the Eastern culture.
But, many oppose this view saying that Orientalism was the result of a high respect by Westerns for Eastern traditions and cultures. But there happen to be some distortions of the facts, for example, the commonly held notion of Westerners that nomadic rugs or carpets represent the art of Turkey would not have been authenticated even by the weavers themselves.
The shopkeepers of the famous Grand Bazaar became experts in catering to the needs of the clients or tourists in search of antique rugs and carpets and they are regarded experts in this field even in the present times. The work of recycling of old rugs and carpets was carried in the past as is done even now and the cleaning and repairing of the carpets and rugs was done in several alley workshops in the Grand Bazaar. The fact is that a large number of 19th century rugs are actually the restored rugs of the 18th century. The task of repair of old rugs was very tedious as it involved reweaving of all the borders of a rug.
The last years of the 19th century saw the birth and development of an embryonic carpet scholarship which meant categorization of rugs according to the tribe or area and the date of their weaving. The dealers in the carpet industry in Constantinople wasted no time in cashing on this opportunity and made huge sums by selling famous rugs to rugs lovers.
The fashion trend for the rugs witnessed popularity of rugs from the Kula, Milas and Gordes towns of the western Anatolia. Among these rugs were prayer rugs woven in conservative designs to suit the purpose they were meant for. These days, one can easily buy such prayer rugs at quite cheap prices which is quite in contrast to the importance and the price range which these prayer rugs enjoyed nearly five decades ago. Depending upon the condition of prayer rugs, one can find such rugs for $300 each at auctions held in United States and Europe now days.
However, an important thing to be borne in mind about the price of rugs is that there can not be any fixed price range or structure for any type of rugs. Nonetheless, one can buy a Milas for nearly $10,000 or slightly higher price range.
Highly sophisticated carpets and rugs continued to be sold in the 18th and 19th century in Istanbul’s antique carpet market, the new name by which the city of Constantinople came to be known after the year 1924. But, there were imminent signs forecasting a change in the carpet industry of the Grand Bazaar (Covered Bazaar or Kapali Carsi).
During the late 1950s, several groups of youngsters from Western countries started wading through the old city of Istanbul while on their journey to the East. Although, their ancestors had a special attraction for visiting and exploring Athens and Rome, these young Westerns felt fascinated towards India. These Westerns had reasons for their attraction for India.
Among the reasons for increased visits by young Westerns to India during the 1960s included incredibly low costs of hashish and the famous teachings of Hindus and Buddhist preachers. This was indeed a Grand Tour for the 20th century and the city of Istanbul came to be known as the ‘Gateway to the Orient’ in the wake of increased number of departing and returning tourists into Istanbul.
But, not everyone shared such fascination for carpets or antique rugs of Istanbul. At least, that is what appears from a letter written to Allen Ginsberg in the year 1957 by Wiliam Burroughs. The letter stated that there is no need for visiting the city of Istanbul because this city does not welcome Bohemian visitors. Also, the carpets and rugs in this city are very costly, the letter further added.
Nonetheless, various carpet dealers in Istanbul were quick to realize the vast potential market and bright scope of carpet industry in Istanbul. But, the new young clientele from Europe visiting the city of Istanbul did not want to buy intricate designs of Turkish carpets and rugs which they regarded as fussy patterns. What they liked to see in the rugs and designs of Turkey was a reflection of tribal life witnessed by them en route their journey. So, they wanted to buy nomadic rugs and carpets in strong colors and in asymmetrical patterns and animal trappings. This gave importance to the utilitarian weavings of village homes and tents, of course, after the art objects of Istanbul.
The Istanbul rug market, which was always quick to understand the mode and tone of their clientele, followed in to weave some of the finest tribal and village rugs of Anatolia. So, the markets of Istanbul were flooded with some of the best and classic examples of village weavings depicting Turkish village life and culture.
And several of these classic pieces of tribal rugs were successfully transacted from one generation to another so as to reach numerous public and private rug collections. The credit for this goes to not only Turkish but also some Western dealers who helped in bringing of such historic and antique rugs to this century. It would have been impossible to realize the beauty of such carpets without proper conservation of these rugs and carpets.
The most important and famous among the carpet and kilim dealers of Istanbul was All Ugurlu of Anadol Halichuk, who had an extraordinary sense of colors. Some of the best Turkish carpets supplied to the world came from the dealers of this famous person of Istanbul. Among the prized collection of such carpets included Christopher Alexander Collection. Alexander was a renowned professor and architect at Berkeley’s University of California since the year 1963. He had a fascination for very early carpets of Turkey. One can see his collection which is published in ‘A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art’, book which contains the famous immortal saying, ‘A carpet is a picture of God.’
James Mellaart, a famous British archaeologist of the 1980s found a connection between the wall paintings found by him twenty years ago in Central Anatolia with the ancient Anatolian motifs in kilims. This traces the designs of Anatolian kilims, currently ignored by the textile and carpet industry, to nearly 10,000 years back. Although, Mellaart was severely criticized, however, his theories can be found in the anthology of rare and ancient kilims, titled ‘The Goddess from Anatolia’.
There was increased interest in the kilims of Turkey so much so that a great collection comprising of some of the earliest kilims of Anatolia was acquired by Caroline and H. McCoy Jones. This collection is now preserved carefully in the San Francisco Fine Arts Museums and is also published in Anatolian Kilims. Some of the kilims similar to those found in the above named collection can be found in the market even today. But, in the present times, kilims have faded out of fashion and hence, there has been significant fall in the prices of kilims in the international market.
However, one can find some of the notable kilim weavings from Turkey, Caucasus and Iran in the collection of Heinrich Kirchheim, a German industrialist and one of the most prominent buyers of Turkish carpets and rugs in the present times. This collection can be seen in the post-war publications based on oriental kilims and carpets.
The supply of the antique Turkish carpets witnessed a significant decline in the middle of the 1980s as there was a price rise in the rug market. So, the carpet and rug industry became stagnant, waiting for some new impetus to step forward.
The political turmoil in Eastern Europe and Russia in the year 1989 made Soviet Union divided into different independent republican states. So, the Caucus was now divided into three independent republics, namely Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, while Uzbekistan, Kirghizstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan were formed out of the Central Asia.
And the result was the end of all travel and business restrictions for people. People loved the sudden found freedom providing them with a big independent market and the opportunities to develop linguistic and cultural ties with the above name independent republics. This turned out to be a golden period for Turkey as the new independent entrepreneurs from these newly formed republicans thronged Turkey for business.
As the republics of the Caucasus headed towards Turkey, there was huge interest in the rugs industry resulting in a big demand for antique and ancient rugs of Turkey. Every single shop in Istanbul could be found to be selling Caucasian pile rugs. This created nervousness among the dealers from foreign countries since the kilims which were once regarded as rare were selling at a meager price of just around $800. But, no one had any clear idea about how this sudden increased supply of carpets will affect the carpet market.
Good quality Caucasian rugs and carpets have enjoyed a good market as compared to many other varieties of rugs. One can still find some rare Caucasian rugs within the price range of $4,000. Also, one can conveniently find a fine quality torba (small tent bag) made by the Tekke tribe in Turkmenistan during the 19th century for $500 or around by doing a bit of price bargain. However, for buying a carpet of your choice and according to your individual tastes, you must invest time by selecting from piles of carpets or rugs from the shops.
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.
