Istanbul in One Day

 Hi!!

We are out exploring again! Today we did a crazy tour of Istanbul - we saw a lot and still BARELY made a dent in this amazing, ancient city.

The city was founded as Byzantium in 7th century B.C. In the third century C.E. the Roman Emperor Constantine came and called the city "New Rome" later called "Constantinople".  In 1930 the city's name was officially changed to Istanbul.

The city of Istanbul is in both Europe and Asia, divided by the Bosporus Strait.  We were on the Europe side.

Since we had only one day we hired a guide to take us to the important sites. Mr. Tekand was very knowledgeable about the history of the city and the sights.  

We started our day at the hippodrome and went to the Topkapi Palace from there. Some highlights:

This is the Spoonmaker's diamond ... 86 carat.


The palace is a museum with all sorts of artifacts - the treasury (hence the diamond above), clothing - only XXXL size:


A letter written by the Prophet Muhammad.


There were many Christian artifacts as well.  This a Relic fragment of John the Baptist's arm and skull bone.


This next room has a special use ... keep scrolling for the sign...



All the men looked a little uncomfortable coming out ... LOL

Did I mention the weather was amazing - hot (not as hot as home) and sunny?!





Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque is a mosque, and former Christian church, it was completed in 537 A.D. It started out as a Christian Church of various denominations until 1453 when Constantinople fell. It then became a Mosque until 1935 when it became a museum. Since 2020 it is again a mosque. 




The Blue Mosque

Ottoman Era mosque completed in 1617 and remains a functioning mosque today.

Some interesting tidbits:
Suni Mosque
Capacity 10,000
The Dome diameter is 77 feet
Six minarets 210ft tall
UNESCO World Heritage Site (naturally)









One thing that surprised us was how, despite Istanbul being a predominantly Muslim city, there was evidence of Christianity in Hagia Sophia.
Jesus
Mary, Mother of Jesus

The influence of different cultures was all around us - Renaissance, Baroque and Byzantine architecture as well as influences from China and the Far East were evident as well.

Our final stop was a short trolly ride away ... The spice market (also known as Egyptian market).


It was a good day ... we are tired now.  Hopefully we can stay awake through dinner.

Tomorrow we fly to Rome.

More later,
Sheri & Carsten





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