25-Apr-2022
The trajectory is a little more prone to fits and starts than we would ideally choose, but Nigel continues to get better on aggregate. So we continue our extremely leisurely but very pleasurable explorations of our bit of Istanbul.
Carrying on with some of the categories from the last post, the last few days have offered the following:
-- Constantinople
I have to say I'm getting pretty confused about the history of the Byzantines. It's complex to start with -- indeed, I might once have described the whole saga as byzantine, before I realized how much that word has been abused -- and it doesn't help that different sources tell you different things. The Byzantine Legacy is a really useful site, however, and as we continue to wander, things slowly start to fall into place:
The Column of Constantine was erected by the eponymous emperor in 324. Originally topped by a gigantic statue of the Man Himself, it was one of the city's most significant monuments. It has been knocked about a bit over the years, and the metal rings were added in the 16th century to guard against earthquakes
The Hippodrome of Constantinople, expanded or established by Constantine (it's not totally clear), "would be at the heart of the city's political and social life for almost 900 years". This is some of its ruined brickwork
Not Byzantine, but pretty, and in the same area: The German fountain
The site of the Hippodrome, with the Obelisk of Theodosius and the Masonry Obelisk
A genuine Egyptian obelisk... Originally commissioned by one of the Pharaohs in the 15th century BCE, it was set up in the Hippodrome in 390
The Serpent Column came from Delphi, and originally had three heads. Now undergoing restoration
The Masonry Obelisk, the third monument from the Constantinople Hippodrome, is actually a "false obelisk", as it's not a monolith. Like the Serpent Column, it was probably once a fountain
Hagia Sophia, rebuilt by Emperor Justinian in 537. It became a mosque after the Ottoman conquest, but was declared a museum in 1934. It controversially regained its status as a mosque in 2020
The post that looks a bit like concrete is actually the Milion, which again dates back to the reign of Constantine: "Just as the Miliarium Aureum in old Rome did, the Milion originally marked the start of all roads throughout the empire, symbolically evoked the entire Roman world and Constantinople’s place in it"
The area I've been describing, given that it is chock-full of high-profile sights, is a little too touristy for our taste. It's characterized by big groups following guides with flags, and carpet-sellers by the hundredweight (not actually that pushy, but still a bit wearing a la longue). It was nice, therefore, to spend a little time on a bench on the sidelines, surveying the scene, and talking to a very friendly little pussy-cat, who made a beeline for us when we sat down.
Completely not in a touristy space, however, is the Column of Marcian, which commemorates the reign of said Marcian (c. 450-57), and was erected by Tatianus, the prefect of the city:
-- Sacred places
These are everywhere. EVERYWHERE. The city offers an extraordinarily rich religious tapestry:
Sehzadebasi Cami
Nuruosmaniye Cami
The Mausoleum of Mahmud II is being restored, but the adjacent cemetery, where statesmen, writers, and poets are buried, is very picturesque
Sultan Ahmet Cami
Very close to our accommodation is the lovely Church of St Stephen of the Bulgars. Extraordinarily, this is made of iron that was "cast in Vienna, floated down the Danube on 100 barges, and bolted together here in Istanbul in 1871". Coo...
A little mosque near us
Iskenderpasa Cami
The Greek church round the corner from us
Bali Pasa Cami
My cats category continues, but the pics in that are becoming so numerous that there will soon be a separate post.