Old Town Istanbul

We had quite the impressive first day in Istanbul. We're staying very close to the famous Blue Mosque - close enough to be awakened by the call to prayer before sunrise. Since it's in Turkish it didn't sound like the Arabic call to prayer that we are used to - but despite the insistant summons, we managed to get back to sleep until the sun came up.

 After breakfast in the garden at our hotel (there are roses everywhere!) we walked a few blocks down a cobblestone street to Sultanahmet Park. We were surpised how familiar everything seems. It didn't really feel like we were in the middle of foreign country. There's enough Western flavor mixed with the Middle East that we know so well, that we feel right at home.

We started our day with Hagia Sophia. A church larger than Paris' Notre Dame that was later converted to a mosque in the Ottoman era. Today, due to the restoration, mosaics of the Virgin Mary and Jesus sit right next to calligraphy extoling Allah. Amazing!

The mosaics really impressed me. In my art classes we always talked about Byzantine art being very flat and one-dimentional. While we saw this type of stylized faces and drapery on some of the mosaics, there was one panel that really showed a realistic depiction of the faces of Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist. That must have been work of a master.

 
The Offical Guard Cat at Hagia Sophia

After the grandure of the Hagia Sophia, we headed to the Basillica Cistern. This is a great underground water storage container created by the Byzantines. Today it's a spooky place full of old mis-matched Roman columns that the Byzantines plundered to build place. The highlight was two Medusa heads that were used as bases for one of the columns.

We had planned to head to the Blue Mosque after the Cistern, but it was noon and the Mosque was closed to visitors for the midday Friday prayers (their Friday service is like a Christian Sunday service). So we wondered through the Old Town area stopping to look a the obelisks, the Islamic Art Museum and the German fountain that was a gift from Wilhelm I before WWI. After killing time for almost 3 hours (the Muslims take their Friday prayers seriously) we finally got in...and were a little disappointed.

The mosque was covered with gorgeous blue Turkish tile, but it just didn't have the majesty or the granduer of Hagia Sophia. Or maybe it was that we were jet lagged and there were thousands of tourist jammed into the small viewing area. Crystal and I decided we'd go back early one morning to see if we are more inspired.

Now we're just trying to stay awake long enough to have dinner on the hotel's roof-top deck. It's been a great first day and a great way to spend Crystal's birthday!