Sights in Istanbul

For the next two afternoons, we met with our dance teacher Ezgi to see some sights in Istanbul.

Quite a few of us went along the first day, taking taxis. Our meeting spot was to be the Grand Bazaar, a huge marketplace in the old town of Istanbul, Sultanahmet. Most of the famous sights are in this area, at least a half hour drive from our hotels. The unexpected sights of Istanbul are interesting too.

My group ended up at the Spice Bazaar, another huge marketplace a long walk away from the Grand Bazaar! It’s a great spot for shopping also, but not where we needed to be.

Ataturk

You may notice the banner with a man in a suit at the entry to the spice bazaar. This is Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish republic almost 100 years ago, who is revered many years after his death. His image is seen everywhere. He brought Turkey into the modern world, advancing women’s rights and removing the ruling muslim leaders. I mentioned him a couple of times to Turkish people, and they talked about what a great man he was.

He also had an affair with 15 year old Zsa Zsa Gabor and officially died of cirrhosis of the liver. Rumours say that his real cause of death was syphilis, and the 12 girls and one boy he adopted were discarded lovers. And he was responsible for the genocide of Greeks living in Turkey! It is a crime to speak disrespectfully in public about him. I think I can only be arrested if I return to Turkey though….

Grand Bazaar

We finally made our way to the Grand Bazaar, one of the most famous sights in Istanbul, through crowded pedestrian streets, using google maps. How did I ever travel without my phone?? Well, I just got lost a lot more often.

The Grand Bazaar (bazaar means “mess”) is a huge covered marketplace with warrens and alleys hidden around every corner. It was easy to get lost so I stuck with the group. Most of them were happy to investigate shops with spices, turkish delight, teas, lanterns, and other stuff I wasn’t that interested in, so I took pics instead. (Bring on the silver and leather, I like to wear my souvenirs!)

There are also “evil eye” souvenirs everywhere. These are meant to be good luck, keeping evil away, and are found above doorways in traditional areas of Turkey.

On our hunt for a taxi to get back to our hotel we passed by the Blue Mosque, one of the most famous sights in the city. I went through it when I was here in 2005.

Galata Tower

The next day we went to the Galata Tower, built in the 14th century as a watchtower to defend the city. This was back when Istanbul was known as Constantinople. Now, you can go up for a view of the city and the Bosphorus strait. The Bosphorus separates the Black Sea from the Mediterranean, and is the dividing line between the continents of Europe and Asia. (Part of Istanbul is in Asia, but my time there was spent in Europe). The Galata Tower also has some displays on each floor, including one glorifying Ataturk.

A few days before I was there, traffic in the Bosphorus was stopped to deactivate a mine that had drifted in from the Black Sea. Apparently Russia had warned of mines drifting away from Ukrainian ports. The war started by Putin was at full force while I was there.

Istiklal Street

After checking out the tower and the shops and restaurants around it, we climbed through steep cobblestoned streets to reach Istiklal Street, a massive shopping area. There are also embassies, food halls and a church (a church not a mosque so it’s unusual) along its 1.5 km length.

Medical Tourism

Turkey is a hot spot for medical tourism, due to its low prices, highly trained doctors, and well-equipped hospitals. A very popular option is apparently hair transplant surgery. It will cost you maybe a quarter of what it would cost at home. And that’s including the cost of your hotels and spa treatments that are all arranged for you by the clinic. The Canadian in my dance group confirmed, she had a guy meeting her in Turkey who was coming for the procedure. I had wondered why I was seeing guys with this headgear every once in a while!

Whirling Dervishes

Along the way we saw a whirling dervish practicing his craft for tips. The dervishes began in the 13th century, and belong to a sect of muslims called sufis. These dancers spin to fall into a trance and become one with god. To become a dervish, you must take a vow of poverty and live in a communal place of worship. And of course practice spinning. I imagine this would be something like a workshop with my turkish dance teacher, but 24/7. I saw a whirling dervish ceremony when I was here in 2005. The dervishes were founded in the city of Konya, where I toured the religious site.

Taksim Square

At the other end of Istiklal Street, we reached Taksim Square. A monument to the Turkish republic stands here in an area filled with luxury hotels and restaurants.

We just wanted a drink after all that walking, so headed back to Istiklal Street and down a side street to find a cozy little bar.

There are of course many more famous sights in Istanbul to see. One of these is Topkapi Palace, a huge complex where sultans lived with their harems, now a museum. It was one of the most memorable sights on my first visit to Istanbul. Good thing I saw it before since I’ve run out of time in Istanbul.