Let me share my summer vacation experience this year to Turkey. This trip was done as family trip with my parents and my younger sister. Actually, I am the one who encouraged the destination to be Turkey and we originally planned this as a Christmas vacation last year, but considering the weather condition during winter, we postponed it to the next summer, i.e. this summer. We joined a tour based in Jakarta scheduled from 28 June to 7 July 2012 and flew Turkish Airlines flight TK 67 from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to Istanbul Atatürk International Airport via Singapore Changi Airport. But wait, have I said in my previous post that I am now based in Singapore for my research?
Yes, indeed, and on my research program, I still need to work during vacation period and need leave permission for vacation trips. Would joining the flight from Singapore be better? Maybe, but I still need to "go home" for trip preparation and although originally I was to stop at Changi during the transit at the end of the trip, the plan was thwarted by the ticket condition for the group, that passengers could not reroute their itinerary to different return destination. Also, had I opted to depart from and arrive to Singapore, the fare would have been higher by US$ 1000! Even return flight from Singapore to Jakarta is not that expensive. So finally, I decided to depart and arrive as the other group members, without any rerouting, which meant that I should spend extra days in my hometown (~60 km from Jakarta) after the trip.
We departed from Jakarta via Singapore on Thursday, 28 June 2012 and arrived in Istanbul the next day, Friday, 29 June 2012. The complete flight story in Indonesian language can be found in
Indoflyer.net. Unfortunately, due to the current forum policy, it is currently accessible for registered member only, with login required, but I would rather skip the flight story here. I really hope that their policy will end soon and non-members can also view (read only).
OK, let's go the the point. Upon arrival at Atatürk International Airport as one group, we were picked up by a tour bus which we will use during our 8-day trip in Turkey. We also stopped at a hotel nearby the airport to pick up a family residing in Bremen, Germany, who joined their Indonesian relatives only for the land tour. They joined us on all the tour program but the flight. Of course, the flight from Germany to Turkey must be much cheaper than from Singapore.
While driving to our first destination, our local guide Ümit, told us many things about history and information regarding Turkey and the place we visited. Istanbul is divided into two parts (continents): Europe and Asia, also into two areas based on the age of development: the old city area, the original city area which has hosted civilization since hundred years ago and the newly-developed city, which was developed outside the original city area and hosts modern commercial activities, including the Atatürk International Airport itself. When founded as city by Greek people, the city was called Byzantium, then when it was conquered by Constantine the Great of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, the name was changed into Constantinople. During the Ottoman sultanate period, although the official name was Konstantiniyye (Ottoman Turkish name of Constantinople), other unofficial names co-existed, including Istanbul, which was formalized as the city name only since the founding of the Republic of Turkey. Ümit also told us that our tourism spots were all located in the old city.
Hippodrome
Our first destination was Hippodrome, which was used as horse race track during the heyday of the Byzantine Empire. But now the only remains of the Hippodrome were three columns: (1) Obelisk of Tutmoses III, a tribute from Egyptian Kingdom which were a subject of Byzantine Empire; (2) Serpentine, column of three snakes which had their heads lost nowadays; and (3) Constantine Obelisk, or walled obelisk, built by Emperor Constantine VII.
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| Three columns at Hippodrome Square: (1) Obelisk of Tutmoses III; (2) Serpentine, very tiny compared to the other two; (3) Constantine Obelisk |
Sultan Ahmet Mosque a.k.a. Blue Mosque
The mosque is originally named Sultan Ahmet Mosque after the Ottoman sultan who commissioned the establishment, but nicknamed Blue Mosque by foreigners due to the blue colour of the inner (and also the outer) walls. The uniqueness of this mosque is that it has six minarets, while other mosques typically have four or less. In Turkish, the number "six" ("altı") is similar to the word "gold" ("altın"). A legend says that the actual command by the sultan was to build a mosque with golden minaret. The contractor misunderstood this as to build a mosque with six minarets, or deliberately misunderstood it to save construction cost since building one golden minaret would be definitely more expensive than building six common minarets. The mosque was completed in 1616.
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| The Sultanahmet Mosque or Blue Mosque from outside with the two minarets unseen |
The interior wall of the mosque is made of tiles with bluish colour, mostly from the city of Nicea (now İznik). It is supported by big columns made of marble. It is said that the marble keeps the temperature stable, warming the winter and cooling the summer. Also, the floor is covered by carpets with tulips motif. The flower was one of the symbols of the Ottoman empire at its heyday, but its introduction to Europe, especially the Netherlands, made it associated with the Netherlands nowadays.
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| The inner wall of the Sultanahmet Mosque: Note the bluish tone |
Ayasofya/Hagia Sophia
At the opposite of the Sultanahmet Mosque stands another building, named Ayasofya in Turkish or Hagia Sophia in Greek, meaning "The Holy Wisdom". I used to get confused the Hagia Sophia with the Sultanahmet Mosque. But now, I can tell precisely the difference of both. Just count the minarets, Hagia Sophia has four while the Sultanahmet Mosque has six. It was built as a cathedral during the Byzantine period in the 6th century, but was converted to mosque when Ottoman conquered Constantinople in 1453, and finally to museum when the present Republic of Turkey was established. The building has high ceiling and two storeys.
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| The Ayasofya/Hagia Sophia |
During the period when the building was the mosque, minarets and mihrab (standing place of the imam, leader of prayer) were added to the exterior and interior of the mosque, respectively. In addition to these, the calligraphy of Allah, Muhammad, and the first four caliphs (Abu Bakr as-Shiddiq, Umar bin Khattab, Uthman bin Affan, and Ali bin Abi Thalib) were also hung on the upper walls. The frescos of the former church were not destroyed but only concealed by plaster. The faces of the four archangels were blocked by some kind of stone carving. After the Ottoman Empire dissolution and the present Republic of Turkey is established, it was converted to museum and the many of the mosaics were restored. Nowadays, visitors can see the combination of Christian and Islamic arts inside. The second storey of the building now hosts art gallery of antique goods.
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| The ancient arts from two religions intertwine inside the present-day museum |
Topkapı Palace
After leaving the Hagia Sophia, we went to a nearby restaurant on foot. That was our first lunch with Turkish local cuisine, which we would often get during our tour.
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| Typical Turkish meal (almost) always has lentil soup, pita bread, and salad |
After lunch, we left for the imperial palace of the Ottoman period, named Topkapı Palace, which meant "The Cannon Gate". It was named so because cannon shots were used to conquer the land of the Ottoman Empire. The palace has three courtyards, and hence three gates. The first outermost gate, called Imperial Gate, leads to the first courtyard, which hosts a Hagia Irene, a Byzantine church which pre-dated the palace and was used as armoury instead of being destroyed. Today, it is often used as concert hall.
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| Imperial Gate, the main entrance to the first courtyard |
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| Hagia Irene inside the first courtyard |
The Gate of Salutation leads to the second courtyard, which includes the Tower of Justice, the court where people filed their reports of crime and injustice, as well as the kitchens. Unfortunately at the time we visited the palace, the kitchen was under maintenance.
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| The Gate of Salutation leading to the second courtyard |
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| The Tower of Justice (beyond the trees) actually can be seen from Bosporus |
The third gate, named Gate of Felicity, leads to the third and innermost courtyard we entered. Inside the courtyard, there are treasury, which contains antiquity from the Islamic history, including the swords of prophet Muhammad as well as prophet Daud (David) and gifts from foreign countries including the dynasties of ancient Chinese civilization. The backyard of the treasury has beautiful view of the Golden Horn (Haliç), but inside the treasury itself, no photography is allowed.
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| The Gate of Felicity |
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| The Golden Horn (Haliç), viewed from the backyard of the treasury |
Bosporus Cruise
After leaving the Topkapı Palace, we were transported by our tour bus to a boat quay along the Golden Horn for cruise on Bosporus, which connects the Black Sea at the north and Marmara Sea at the south and divides Istanbul into Europe and Asia side. The Golden Horn itself is a sea inlet of Bosporus on the Europe side of Istanbul.
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| Parking lot near the boat quay: A solution to overcome lack of space? |
The boat journey took approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, first cruising along the Golden Horn, then entering the Bosporus from Marmara Sea side northbound to the Black Sea direction, then back to the original departure quay at some point near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. Our guide Ümit kept telling us about the significant points of interests we passed on both sides, Europe and Asia.
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| The Tower of Justice (right) inside the Topkapı Palace |
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| The Turkish Flag fluttering at the back of the boat, also called "Alsancak", "Albayrak" or "Ayyıldız" |
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| Dolmabahçe Palace, the second palace of the Ottoman Empire, still on the European side |
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| Bosporus Bridge, the first bridge crossing the Bosporus |
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| The second bridge is called Fatih Sultan Mehmet to commemorate Sultan Mehmet II of the Ottoman Empire |
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| Ottoman Military College on the Asia side |
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| The Maiden Tower offshore the Asia side, which was well-known for its usage on James Bond film, "The World is not Enough" |
The Grand Covered Bazaar
The last point of interest we visited was the grand covered bazaar in the old city area, near the places we visited before. So, we were transported back by bus through the way we passed on the very morning when we just arrived. The bazaar is indoor market with hundreds of shops along the hallway, selling jewellery, handicrafts, and souvenirs. They came from all over the country, so we were advised by our guide not to be too "ambitious" in shopping there since we would visit the origin of those goods later when we toured Anatolia, unless for cheap goods. "If it is 10 liras it is still OK," said our guide. We were also advised to keep alert of our belongings and marked the main gate of the bazaar by photo just in case we got lost. There are indeed several gates of the bazaar and this can be confusing for first-time visitors.
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| The main gate of the bazaar with the coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire |
We only bought several key chains and refrigerator display as to follow the advice of our guide. There are also several money changers with more interesting rates than the airport, so it is strongly encouraged to exchange our money there.
After shopping, we were given chance to put our belongings on the bus but we left the bus again to walk to the dinner restaurant, this time a Chinese restaurant in the old city area (no photos). Ümit jokingly told us that the menu that day included snake soup. I was surprised and thrilled to hear this, but relieved (as well as slightly disappointed when hearing the truth that he was lying). The food itself, consisting of chicken, fish, (not snake) soup and vegetables were not as good as in Singapore and Indonesia, quite tasteless, in fact. For me, the Turkish meals we encountered were much better than this.
About our guide Ümit, he often told lie to us for joking, maybe a sort of sense of humour. Although it is often annoying, it also made trip more cheerful, however. At the journey to the hotel after the tiring first day, due to the exhausting full-day walking tour, he told us that actually we were going to have a tour on Istanbul metro (the intra-city train of Istanbul). Had it been done, of course it would have "tortured" us on the first day, but for me it would have been all right to have a new experience, even though I could not use my ezLink (LOL).
Our first hotel was a small but reputable hotel in the old city area of Istanbul, yet quite far from our dinner restaurant. We stayed there for one night before leaving for our next destination the next day.
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