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| Istanbul |
Istanbul has never lacked style. From as far back as the purple robes of the Byzantines, the hallucinatory pattern-makers of the Ottomans (coming back into fashion with your Turkish designers) and that gorgeous republican half-moon-and-star red flag, this city has always known how to impress.
The Istanbul of today manages the trick combining age-old glories with modern worldwide cultural trends, courtesy of a new youthful generation of Turks who have been educated abroad and brought the best of what they saw there back home. Some examples of what we mean can be found above in the Tourist links.
Of course if clichés of the orient is what you’re after then please step this way.
The gulls still swirl over the minarets of the indecently curvaceous Blue Mosque. Wizened old men still drink scalding glasses of dark tea in the shady recesses of the glittering Grand Bazar. And every ordinary grimy street still leads to a tomb or a fountain or a kiosk that is breathtaking in its proportion and decoration.
Best of all is that as well as forging forward the Turks are ever more aware of the riches of the past that surround them. It is no longer the case that somewhere like the Topkapi Palace is seen as a good thing solely because of all the tourists that it pulls in. The locals have a new found and immense interest in their own history (check out all the lavish Turkish-language coffee-table volumes devoted to old Istanbul in the city’s bookshops). This translates to increasingly large amounts being spent on clean-ups and restoration. Visit the Galata House (a restaurant in an old prison) or Kethuda (a bar in a 16’th century hamam) or the Four Seasons (a luxury hotel in another former prison) or the Ciragan (a luxury hotel in a former imperial palace). All these examples are typical for what makes this city so great: a fusion of tradition and internationalism, served up with panache. At just 1.800 years Istanbul is more alive than ever.
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| Sightseeing |
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Istanbul is sightseeing heaven. You want churches? It’s got’em and probably the oldest and most fantastic (Aya Sofia). Mosques? Istanbul has gorgeous mosques, maybe the worlds finest. Palaces? In abundance. Bazaars? The biggest. And then there are the fortresses, city walls, underground cisterns, public baths, museums, parks, islands… It would be an exaggeration to say that in its sheer volume of things to see Istanbul gives London, Paris and even Rome a run for their money.
But there is little logic to how it’s all laid out. The topography is confusing involving three land masses, two on the European side of the Bosphorus – divided by the Golden Horn – and one on the Asian shore. There’s no uptown or downtown, inner circle or any other convenient way to read the city. It’s street patterns are irregular with generations of city planners seemingly almost phobic in their attempt to avoid straight lines and right angles. Buildings crowd sightlines, every now again opening up to expose a view that takes you completely by surprise. In such a setup there is no such thing as a wrong turn, only alternative routes.
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The oldest part – Sultanahmet
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Sultanahmet is the Istanbul of postcards. The “orient” of the Turkish Delight ad. It’s the tip of the southern peninsula with a panoramic profile of spiky minarets and cascading domes. Surrounding the mosques are palaces, museums, and assorted historical oddments, testament to not one but two great empires – the Byzantine and the Ottoman. This is the ancient walled capital and it’s spine is the street Divan Yolu on which the fast tram connects the two parts of the city (crossing the Golden Horn). Sultanahmet Square is the obvious place to begin exploring. Most of the city’s major monuments are just a few minutes walk from here. Including the Topkapi Palace, the underground cistern Yerebatan Sarnici, the Blue Mosque and the Museums of Archaeology and Turkish & Islamic Art. Most notably the square also acts as a forecourt to what for a thousand years was the greatest church in Christendom, the Haghia Sophia (Ayasofya in Turkish).
Unfortunately this part of town is a wasteland when it comes to food. Instead visitors should cross the Galata Bridge and join the locals eating in the Taksim area. Absolutely nothing can beat the enjoyment of spending a night on a restaurant on Nevizade Sokak or in the streets surrounding Asmalimescit Sokak (both in Beyoglu). |
| The nightlife part – Taksim |
Istanbuls “downtown”, which includes the areas Taksim, Beyoglu and Galata is where the city comes to work, shop and play. A vast area with boundaries hard to define – it’s everything up hill from the Golden Horn waters until Taksim Square. The focus is however unmistakably Isticlal Caddesi – the broad pedestrianised shopping street off which spread countless narrow streets unsuitable for car traffic.
Historically the area went by the names Galata and Pera. These were foreign-occupied areas where the sultan had allowed westerners to build and live. This is where the Italian city state Genoa raised a fortified trading city crowned by the Galata Tower from 1348, which now is a landmark to all of Istanbul. This is also where the European powers erected impressive embassies to influence the last sultans of the languishing Ottoman empire.
Most of this part of the city consist of late 19’th century buildings with a charming mix of western and oriental decoration. A few years ago this was all run down, sleazy and even a little dangerous. This is swiftly changing with all the derelict houses being lovingly restored and filled with cafés, bars, galleries, restaurants and boutique hotels.
Whether you want a good meal out, a few quiet ales or a martini or two or party the night away. The streets off Istiklal Caddesi will have the right places for you. This is where the city goes out at night and often until the morning. It also have the best places for a quick snack or coffee and cake as the best patisseries and cafés dot the side of Istiklal.
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| Links |
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