Pronounced mare-ha-ba.
Turkey/Türkiye, is really gorgeous!
It is brimming with history, culture, flora and fauna; and most importantly, hospitality.
You'll also notice how the people fly their flag proudly each and every day!
If you are interested in ancient ruins, grand historical buildings and monuments, natural formations, you'll enjoy yourself!
I AM and I DID! VERY VERY MUCH (:
Some people never understand my interests and they ask how I could have liked it.
You know how they say 对牛弹琴? In this case, it's also 井底之蛙. I won't explain.
Day 1: Istanbul
Did you know? ... Istanbul means 'to the city'. In the past, people used to say they're going istanbul/to the city so the name stuck.
Something like that.
Did you know? ... Istanbul is NOT the capital of Turkey. Ankara is.
However, Istanbul is special and the dream of many a Turk. It is also where the majority of Turkey's population is!
Flight TK67 Turkish Airlines - it was a good landing. Didn't encounter any turbulence during the flight either. Thank gawd!
They had this flight camera that showed the landing in real-time so you see the land approaching, hitting the runway etc.
There was actually applause for the pilot! As in passengers applauded not a sound file.
Touchdown at Atatürk International Airport.
As they say, Hoşgeldiniz!
Did you know? ... Ş is pronounced 'sh'.
It was around 6+ in the morning but the skies were bright and people out and about.
Dawn breaks at about 5.10am.
Did you know? ... Turkish time is 5 hours behind so 5.10am would be 10.10am in Singapore.
Did you know? ... The sky gets dark at about 7.30/8pm but in Singapore, it would have been past midnight!
First stop: Hippodrome
Initially, I thought Hippodrome was a place like a building because it sounds very Coliseum-ish.
It's not.
It was an area for chariot races and perhaps gatherings in the past (like, way back in Byzantine and Ottoman times) but is now a park.
Kaiser Wilhelm's Fountain
According to Lonely Planet, this was a token of friendship from Kaiser Wilhelm II to Sultan Abdül Hamit II in 1901.
The Ottoman inscription on the fountain says that it was constructed in AD 1898-99.
Imperial Gate Mosaic
Marble urns brought from Pergamon. Originally filled with precious stones! Do you have any idea how big they are and to be filled entirely? WOW!
Our bus came with us. Didn't get a picture of it. Well, DID, just that I deleted it in haste after I busted my memory card after 1 1/4 day. -___-
There's a little shop. We had our first encounter with apple tea and çay (:
I AM and I DID! VERY VERY MUCH (:
Some people never understand my interests and they ask how I could have liked it.
You know how they say 对牛弹琴? In this case, it's also 井底之蛙. I won't explain.
Day 1: Istanbul
Did you know? ... Istanbul means 'to the city'. In the past, people used to say they're going istanbul/to the city so the name stuck.
Something like that.
Did you know? ... Istanbul is NOT the capital of Turkey. Ankara is.
However, Istanbul is special and the dream of many a Turk. It is also where the majority of Turkey's population is!
They had this flight camera that showed the landing in real-time so you see the land approaching, hitting the runway etc.
There was actually applause for the pilot! As in passengers applauded not a sound file.
Touchdown at Atatürk International Airport.
As they say, Hoşgeldiniz!
Did you know? ... Ş is pronounced 'sh'.
It was around 6+ in the morning but the skies were bright and people out and about.
Dawn breaks at about 5.10am.
Did you know? ... Turkish time is 5 hours behind so 5.10am would be 10.10am in Singapore.
Did you know? ... The sky gets dark at about 7.30/8pm but in Singapore, it would have been past midnight!
First stop: Hippodrome
Initially, I thought Hippodrome was a place like a building because it sounds very Coliseum-ish.
It's not.
It was an area for chariot races and perhaps gatherings in the past (like, way back in Byzantine and Ottoman times) but is now a park.
The first thing we saw was this gazebo.
Kaiser Wilhelm's Fountain
According to Lonely Planet, this was a token of friendship from Kaiser Wilhelm II to Sultan Abdül Hamit II in 1901.
The Ottoman inscription on the fountain says that it was constructed in AD 1898-99.
Very pretty ceiling! And yes, the fountain works (:
Next, the Obelisk of Theodosius
Carved from granite in Egypt around 1450 BC and erected AD 390. Originally located in Heliopolis but the Byzantine emperor brought it to Constantinople.
Egyptian hieroglyphs
Marble pedestal looking weathered beside the obelisk.
The crack in the middle shows how the marble was split in half for transportation, I believe. Either that, or the result of earthquakes/elements.
Nearby, the Spiral Column.
It's obviously broken off. Very unfortunate.
Lonely Planet says it was originally topped by 3 serpent heads and was brought to Constantinople by Constantine the Great around AD 330. First erected in Delphi, Greece at 478 BC.
You can find the remnants of the heads in Istanbul's Archaeology Museum (which I didn't get a chance to visit) but remnants = 1 upper jaw.
The Rough-Stone Obelisk
Originally covered in bronze plates which were ripped off during the Fourth Crusade (says Lonely Planet).
Minarets of the Blue Mosque against the brightening sky.
Next: Blue Mosque/Sultanahmet Camii
The chain, we're told, was so that even those on horseback had to dismount to enter as a sign of respect.
Did you know? ... The Blue Mosque is the only one in Istanbul with 6 minarets!
Did you know? ... It was constructed by Sultan Ahmet I with Ayasofya as a benchmark, with the aim to match or surpass it.
Lights are close to the ground so less lights are needed. You can see one (1 1/2?) of the 4 'elephant's feet' pillars. These hold up the massive dome.
If you look at the photo, you see a man in green wearing a blue skirt/robe. At the entrance, if they feel you're too scantily dressed, you're presented with one of these. Bare legs are a no-no too.
Very unfortunately, leggings = scantily dressed. I AM NOT KIDDING YOU.
İznik tiles and stained glass windows
Apparently, these windows are replacements of the originals which came from Venice.
Prayer area which is closed to visitors. Tulip motifs on the carpet, we were shown.
The domes. If you look closely, there's a triangular placement thing which holds 3 ostrich eggs. The eggs are said to discourage spiders from building their nests.
Taking a rest (:
On to: Topkapı Palace
Did you know? ... Topkapı is the home of the Kaşıkći (Spoonmaker's) Diamond, an 86-carat rock and the world's 5th largest diamond! According to Lonely Planet, the diamond was found at a rubbish dump and purchased for only 3 spoons.
Entrance of the audience hall or what used to be.
No pictures but there are 2 fountains, one on each side. When a session was in progress, the fountains would serve to drown out the voices. Eavesdroppers would hence, not be able to catch what was being said.
Gem-studded tapestries/carpets.
Overlooking the Bosphorus.
Did you know? ... Turkey is the only country that lies on 2 continents! European Turkey and Asian Turkey (about 97% of the country) are separated by the Sea of Marmara, Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. (says Wikipedia :] )
In my trip, I crossed the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus but Dardanelles? D'no bout that!
Cat getting a drink. I've never seen a cat drinking from the fountain before and I am very partial towards animals hence, yeah. HAD TO TAKE THIS!
I think this might be the library or a building undergoing restoration. We didn't enter :(
We were here with other tired folks. Dumdidumdum..
You know some people are not too interested in looking at history even when you plonk them in the middle of it. Unfortunately, I am related to people like that.
Exit.
Next, Hagia Sophia/Ayasofya
Hagia Sophia was constructed by Emperor Justinian. However it was the 3rd, after 2 previous buildings of the same name which were destroyed.
It served as a church until 1453 when the Ottomans took Constantinople and converted it into a mosque.
Cabs with a 34 on them - Provincial code for Istanbul (:
Imperial Gate Mosaic
On entering the spacious interior, you'll notice that there aren't any huge pillars obscuring the space. The dome, 30 m in diameter, seem to be held up by nothing! Remember how the Blue Mosque had its 4 'elephant's feet' pillars holding up its dome?
A pillar which is said to grant wishes if you could like, make a complete 360 on it with your hand without lifting your hand. Can't really explain it but yea, SAID to grant anyway.
Marble urns brought from Pergamon. Originally filled with precious stones! Do you have any idea how big they are and to be filled entirely? WOW!
The majestic dome!
Frescoes of angels alongside Islamic medallions.
Did you know? ... The dome is covered in 30 million gold mosaic tiles!
Did you know? ... Many of the mosaics were plastered over when Ayasofya was converted. The mosaics we see today were painstakingly uncovered after Ayasofya was declared a museum.
Southwestern Entrance Mosaic depicts Virgin Mary and Christ flanked by Emperor Constantine (left) and Emperor Justinian I (right).
Constantine holds a model of the city in his hands while Justinian holds that of Hagia Sophia.
Crossing the Sea of Marmara!
A pretty sunset. (I love the Backlight function! See how picture on the right looks more decent!)
Our bus came with us. Didn't get a picture of it. Well, DID, just that I deleted it in haste after I busted my memory card after 1 1/4 day. -___-
I set image size to maximum; good enough to print a poster with. GAWD I'm dumb. It's a perfectly innocent mistake that anyone could make.
There's a little shop. We had our first encounter with apple tea and çay (:
Turkish tea or çay comes in a unique glass which is perhaps half/smaller than our usual coffee shop mug.
It is strong and has a bitter aftertaste, I feel. (Not enough sugar?)
Did you know? ... It's not uncommon for Turkish men to down 20 glasses of çay in a day.
Did you know? ... Ç is pronounced 'ch'.
Our tour guide.
He's knowledgeable. Very impressive; knowing the dates, empires, emperors, systems of Turkey like national service, education and marriage, and geography. I can now tell a Doric from Ionic, Composite from Corinthian. *Columns y'know? The ancients were huge fans!*
And that's Day 1 for you folks (:
1 = bir, in Turkish (:
İyi geceler. Goodnight (:
No comments:
Post a Comment