Istanbul, Turkey

We spent today in Istanbul. The morning started out very hazy and cloudy, but it cleared up to be a pretty day. Istanbul is an unusual city, straddling the Bosphorus Strait. The city is partially on the European continent and partially on the Asian continent–the only city in the world to be on 2 continents. The city started as Byzantium in the 7th century BC. The emperor Constantine changed the name to Constantinople in the 300s and established it as the Roman capital. In the 1400s the city was overtaken by the Ottoman Empire. The city’s name was changed back to Istanbul in 1930. We began our morning by going to the Blue Mosque. This was built in the 17th century and has a large dome, 4 hemi-domes, and 6 minarets. The inside of the mosque is largely decorated with blue tiles, hence the name. After the Blue Mosque, we went to a rug-making demonstration. Both Emilys got to tie knots in a real rug. The rugs are made of wool or cotton, with some of the cotton looking and feeling like silk. The double knots on each strand are hand tied, with hundreds of knots in a square inch. We then headed to the Bosphorus for a scenic lunch cruise. We had traditional Turkish food with stuffed grape leaves, beef roast wrapped in eggplant, a cheese pastry, and Turkish delight. While eating we got to see the shoreline of the Bosphorus and some of the prime real estate lining it. Interestingly, the first bridge built between Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus strait was built in the 1970s. After lunch we headed to the Topkapi Palace, the resident of the Ottoman sultans for more than 400 years. They have a museum with some of the Ottoman jewels including large emeralds, rubies, gold, and an 86 carat diamond. From there we walked to Hagia Sophia, the Church of the Holy Wisdom. It was originally built in 325 by Constantine, but the current building was built in the 6th century by the Emperor Justinian. It was the largest building in the world for nearly 1000 years. It was converted into a mosque in the 1400s. The Christian images were covered in plaster, but many have been uncovered. Hagia Sophia is now a museum with a mix of the historical Christian and Muslim decor. Unfortunately, we were not able to go to the Grand Bazaar or Spice Bazaar. They’re closed on Sundays.