Day 7      7/13/22

Istanbul

Frank's Trip

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Going too quickly...

There is so much to see in Istanbul! And, as I've found out, that's still only a part of much more to see other places in Turkey. While I did hit the main tourist hotspots and some that are fascinating but less on tourist radar, I learned as I went along I was only hitting the surface as there are fascinating and historic things to be found even on the odd street corner - if one takes the time to look for it. I'm happy with all I've seen - it has been great! Maybe one day I'll get back to Turkey to see more of the country and even some things in Istanbul that were under renovation when I tried to see them.

Rustem Pasha Mosque

You don't find your way into this mosque by accident. It's a bit out of the way and not advertised by a big, highly visible building and minarets. There is a rather indistinct door at street level that accesses a flight of stairs up to the mosque entrance.

This is a small mosque famous for its Iznik tile work. There are approximately 2300 tiles arranged in around 80 different patterns. Although small, the mosque is beautifully proportioned and the interior is covered in some of the most exquisite İznik faience(colored tiles) ever produced. The tiles, made at the height of Iznik’s supremacy, have a good deal of the famous red color that was the envy of other tile makers (blue, yellow, white and green were easy colors to produce, but red was extraordinarily difficult.)

This is an extremely busy bridge and one of the several points connecting the two sides of Istanbul. There is constant traffic from bus, tram, subway, and all other forms of transport. There are always people fishing off the bridge. During my time in Istanbul I crossed the bridge a number of times and always saw people fishing - I never saw anyone catching, though!

On the level under the roadway are numerous businesses and restaurants - every corner of Istanbul seems to have businesses tucked into it! And at the end of the bridge is Balat Park - a park and market area and also an terminus and transfer point for busses. It was a bit early in the day when I shot these pictures and things were just getting opened up - later in the day it gets really crowded and busy.

Zeyrek Cistern

This cistern is the largest of the Pantokrator cisterns and the one that rises partially above ground on the street as a line of niches for a facade. There are other cisterns in the area as well and all are in disuse.

Zeyrek Mosque - Pantokrator Monastery

Zeyrek Mosque is a hidden gem in Istanbul that is the finest example of religious architecture during the Byzantine era. It was made of a former chapel and two Eastern Orthodox churches of the Pantokrator Monastery dating to about 1124. It represents the most typical example of architecture of the Byzantine middle period in Constantinople and is, after Hagia Sophia, the second largest religious edifice built by the Byzantines still standing in Istanbul.

Kalenderhane Mosque (Hagia Theotokos)
The Church of Theotokos Kyriotissa

Kalenderhane Mosque is an Eastern Orthodox church from the Eastern Rome era. It was converted to a mosque in the 1700's by the Ottomans. This is one of the few existing Eastern Roman with a Greek cross arch. It is estimated to be from the 9th or 10th century with the earliest parts of the structure being an area of baths from the 4th or 5th century.

Suleymaniye Mosque
The Tomb of Suleymaniye The Magnificent

The truly staggering size of the Süleymaniye Camii (Suleymaniye Mosque) is one of its most distinctive features – the central dome stands 154 feet high - but also the elegantly decorated interior. The sense of space and light is emphasized in the supporting semi-domes to the northwest and southeast and the monumental arched spaces to the southwest and northeast.

It took eight years to build and was completed in 1557, a tribute to Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. The beautiful Suleymaniye Mosque is a fitting tribute to Suleyman who was the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1520-1566) and is regarded by some as a “Second Solomon” because of the harmony and justice under his rule.

Suleymaniye Meydan Cesmesi

An Ottoman fountain outside Suleymaniye Mosque

Tomb of Suleymaniye I
Suleymaniye The Magnificent

Built 1566

Tomb of Hürrem Sultan

Built 1558

Interior Videos Below