Old Istanbul

Today has been a full day touring with a guide and another couple old Istanbul. Our guide was Leli and she described herself as a secular Turk who grew up in a Muslim culture and appreciates the best that Islam offers. The other couple were immigrants "from the former Soviet Union" to the USA. They are Jewish, grew up in what is now Ubekistan, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. So with two Protestant Christians, two Russian Jews and a secular Turkish Muslim, it was great context to listen and learn. We left the hotel at 9am and got back at 5.30pm, sitting down for about 45 minutes for lunch, otherwise it was walking, walking, walking with too much to see and take all in. So a selection of photos that are small fraction of what was taken.

Photo 1 - This is Helen at breakfast. She had an omelette and fruit and a pastry or two, I opted for the vege and chicken sausage breakfast that majored on brussel sprouts. My mum wouldn't have picked I wouldn't have gone for the sprouts! The reason I took the photo was because in the back ground is Hagia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom completed in 537AD.

Photo 2 - I like taking photos of obscure subjects that might only interest me. This is one of them. This is a 20m high 200 tonne obelisk ordered stolen by Emporer Constantine to enchance his new Roman capital of Constantinople in about 335AD. It was transported from Thebes in Egypt all the way here, actually only the top half was taken, the bottom half is still there. My obscure connection is that it was commissioned by Pharoah Thutmose III to honour his supreme god Amon Ra. Thutmose III was the Pharoah of the Exodus story. I wonder if Constantine brought this here as symbol of God's power?

Picture 3 - Constantine was also responsible for this pillar. It's called the Milion Stone and marked the centre of the world from which all Roman mile markers were measured from from 330AD.

Picture 4 - Helen and I with the Blue Mosque completed in 1616 behind us. Today it was a typical Invercargill winters day with a wind that cut straight through you hence the wrapped up look.

Picture 5 - Inside the main part of the mosque where men gather to pray. It is a functioning mosque so we were there between prayer times. It is a large building. Leli gave us a great insight into Turkish islamic culture, and although she claimed to be secular, was pretty adamant about Islamic belief. It's called the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles inside which you can't see but I do have photos of - I promise.

Picture 6 - Moving towards my highlight of the day, visiting Hagia Sophia. This is a very old (537AD) brick masterpiece of a building. It is the third church built of the site, the first by Constantine the Great, this one by Constantine III, added to by Emporer Justinian. The name Hagia Sophia, Holy Wisdom, means it is dedicated to the Holy Spirit. I didn't know it until today but two other churches were also built at the same time within 10 minutes of there. Hagia Eirene - Holy Peace - which is a much smaller brick church still standing but a bit worse for wear, maybe the size of 1st Church Invercargill a stones throw from Hagia Sophia. There was also Hagia Agape - Holy Love, and that's gone and no one knows where it was, probably under the Topkapi Palace that the Ottoman Sultans built.

Picture 7 - Inside Hagia Sophia. One side is blocked off as they have scaffolding up fixing the roof that started to leak after the first big snow this winter. With the mosaics in danger they got onto it quick. The place is now a museum. It started as a Church, became a mosque with the Ottoman Turk capture of Constantinople on 29 May 1453, and in 1938 Ataturk the first President of Turkey made it into a museum. So it's strange seeing Christian moasaics many from the 500's and Muslim symbols all together.

Picture 8 - Had to take a picture looking up into the dome 55m above us. The building is brick, 1,478 years old and has survived dozens of major earthquakes over it's lifetime. Not sure what building code they used, but it was a very good one. Having said that the dome has collapsed once, the top floor has a few sags in it, and some of the main columns up top do have a lean on them, but it is still standing.

We also visited Topkapi Palace where the Ottoman Sultans lived. Big sprawling complex that was interesting. Last stop was the Grand Bazaar. We thought Amman was amazing, then old Jersusalem. This one topped them all. Big and shoulder to shoulder crowded. Brought a beany for the trip tomorrow.

Picture 9 - Last night we noticed lots of dogs in the park, which was part of the Topkapi Palace in the early days. The dogs, and cats, are around the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. For Muslims in Turkey keeping a pet in the home is considered unclean. So centuries ago the custom was adopted of having neutered male dogs and cats as public pets in public places. The dogs and cats are funded by the government, are vaccinated and numbers controlled and live in the public places. These dogs were being fed, and a minute later chasing away another dog who wasn't part of their pack.

Picture 10 - Across from Topkapi Palace across the Bosporus is the place that Florence Nightingale had her hospital during the Crimean War. The Brits built the long skinny building for her. Turkish Nurses, like NZ nurses, are taught the Nightingale method of nursing.

Tomorrow we are being picked up at 6.30am for the 600km return journey to Gallipoli, arriving back at the hotel about 11.30pm. The blog tomorrow, if I have energy to do it, will be late and short, as we are up at 4.30am the next morning to catch our flight to Greece.