In my school days, circumstances compelled a deep interest in history for me. I attended La Martiniere College, Lucknow, and my surroundings were so rich in historical significance that I could not help but fall in love with the past old imposing buildings, the intriguing but magnificent architecture of the main building ‘Constantia’ – an unusual mix of Gothic, Georgian, Palladian, and Nawabi styles, the three majestic cannons on the terrace overlooking the ‘Lat’ ( a 40m long solid fluted column) standing like a silent spectator right at the centre of an artificial lake, the wooden ballroom dance floor in Spence Hall —–a summer palace for Maj Gen Claude Martin. a French soldier who acquired a large fortune while serving Asaf-ud- Daula, the Nawab of Oudh, before founding the La Martiniere schools in Lyons, Lucknow and Kolkata. The ‘Constantia’ was designed and built by Martin himself in the late 18th century. The school also got associated with the great uprising of 1857. The staff and students of La Martiniere played a major role in defending the Residency, where British men, women, and children had taken shelter, and which came under heavy siege from the revolutionary sepoys.
When I first heard the word ‘Constantinople’, it reminded me of ‘Constantia’.
I learnt in school that this was the name given by Emperor Constantine I of Rome after he conquered the ancient city of Byzantium the 4th CE. Ever since, I’ve dreamt of Byzantium-Constantinople-Istanbul.
On the morning of May 1, 2011, my wife and I landed at Ataturk International Airport, Istanbul. Before boarding the flight at Delhi, we met a Bengali gentleman who was also traveling by the same flight along with his wife and child up to Budapest. We were taken aback for a while when he exclaimed - “does anyone visit Istanbul? What is there to see in Istanbul”?”
We learned soon that he had never been to Istanbul, nor does he take any interest in traveling to new places. A man with no wanderlust – he was entirely unlike us!
I love the song ‘Istanbul was Constantinople now it is Istanbul, not Constantinople’
We were excited. We could hardly believe that we were finally in Istanbul. Since we were traveling light we headed straight for the metro or ‘light rail’ as they call it there. We bought jetons (tokens). Unlike India, there are no ticket counters. One has to get jetons from self-operated machines. Since we had no coins we took the help of the metro staff manning the gates at the station. They were very friendly – they operated the machine, taught us how to use it, gave us our change and the ‘jetons’, and explained in detail how we were to get to our destination.
On the train, to get a good view of the city, each of us selected a window seat. The train emerges and runs overground just a few seconds after it departs from the airport station, and continues overground for almost the entire stretch up to Zeytunburnu, where we got off. One visual delight which continued attracting our attention during our stay in Istanbul was tulips of different sizes and colors. I have never seen such a riot of colours in any city, not even in Amsterdam, so famed for its tulips. In all parts of the city, be it Sultahnahmet circle, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, Top Kapi Palace, or Eminonu - we were enthralled by the luxuriant display of tulips and rhododendrons.
Up to Zeytunburnu, the view outside was that of modern Istanbul with tall buildings and commercial complexes. At Zeytunburnu we just had to exit through a turnstile to get to the adjoining platform for boarding the tram. Unlike Kolkata, the only city in India where trams still survive, Istanbul trams are sleek, beautiful, and fast-moving. It’s almost like a train with three coaches in attractive blue and white. We enjoyed the tram ride as it glided through the old quarters of the city. On our way to our destination, Sultanahmet, we caught glimpses of the famous Grand Bazaar, (the labyrinthine interior of which, I later discovered, almost resembles Calcutta’s Hogg Market or New Market), and also the 3500 years old obelisk on the Hippodrome where chariot races were held during the Byzantium and Roman rules. The place is now paved and is known as Sultanahmet Square. When we got down to our destination, we were greeted by the sight of one of the most stunningly beautiful architecture we have ever come across – the Blue Mosque. The domes are like steps ascending and converging to a soaring central dome. The other side of the street is lined with restaurants, bakeries, and hotels. It was around ten in the morning and we could see the restaurant staff hawking their delicacies. Since Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two great continents, Europe and Asia, the very first impression was that it has the discipline and cleanliness of any European city, but the bustling, colorful, laidback flavor of Asia. I had read Orhan Pamuk’s memoir ‘Istanbul – memories and the city’ before coming At one place he mentions: ‘Was this the secret of Istanbul – that beneath its grand history, its living poverty, outward-looking monuments, and its sublime landscapes its poor hid the city’s soul inside a fragile web?”
All along our short stay in Istanbul, we found that the Istanbullus is a convivial lot. From the moment you step into Istanbul, you will never feel like a stranger. We were booked at Ida Hotel on Cancarturan Street. For Ida Hotel we crossed a huge park in front of the Blue Mosque. This park is an extension of ‘At Meydani’ meaning ‘horse grounds’ as this is where the Hippodrome was located and where chariot racing used to take place during the Byzantine rule. First May being a holiday, there was a teeming crowd of young and old enjoying the pleasant sunshine. There were vendors inside the park selling hazelnuts and candies known as ‘akide sekeri’ (rainbow of colors) which are flavoured with rose water, mint, and fruit juices. The candy is made in juice Sticky, messy, and delicious! front of your eyes, dipping sticks in a colorful mixture of thick, glutinous
Hotel Ida was cozy and comfortable. Our room overlooked the busy and lively Cancarturan Street. The eateries along the cobbled street of Cancarturan used to get decked up with lights and candle lights the night and provided an attractive view from our hotel window. The hotel staff was very friendly and caring; Breakfast was included—a large spread of bread, cheese, egg, ham, sausage, orange juice, milk, and tea were served on the terrace, from where we had a grand view of the sea of Marmara. The sea was so close that sometimes the seagulls would come and settle on the roofs around us. The terrace, the breakfast, the sea, and the seagulls made for wonderful mornings The Blue Mosque and Arasta Bazaar were at a stone’s throw.
On the evening of our first day in Istanbul, we were picked up by the tour operator’s cab from our hotel and taken to a jetty at Golden Horn. Tables were booked for us inside a boat. Each table could hold eight people, and the others at our table were from Lebanon and Hungary As our boat pulled out from the Golden Horn jetty, we were served drinks and starters. There was no hurry as we had till midnight to unwind. As our boat sailed through the dark waters of the Bosphorus strait, the city glittered romantically. All the mosques, Ottoman palaces, and heritage buildings on both the European and the Asian sides of the city were tastefully illuminated. The Bosphorus Bridge connecting Europe and Asia was adorned attractively in electric-blue light, the reflection of which created an other-worldly spectacle on the waters of the river.
The Bosphorus River divides the Asian and European sides of Istanbul. Pamuk describes the river as “the waterway that passes through the center of the city is not to be confused with the canals of Amsterdam or Venice or the rivers that divide Paris and Rome in two. The strong current runs through the Bosphorus, its surface always ruffled by wind and waves, and its waters are deep and dark.”
As the boat glided past the glittering Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace, Ortakoy mosque, and Beylerbeti Palace, we were enchanted. Inside we were entertained, not only by delicious food and drinks but by Turkish folk songs and music, Turkish folk dances, and finally the famous Turkish Belly dance. At the end of this grand show, one thing which left us thinking was the efficiency of the entire crew – there was not a single lapse of hospitality on this packed boat with tourists from all over the world.
While in Istanbul we tried different restaurants for lunch and dinner. When you stroll on the pavement at Sultanahmet Square restaurant owners compete with each other and try to attract customers. One such Turkish owner exclaimed ‘Indira Gandhi’! on seeing my wife in her sari. He showed us his restaurant, and his menu card and became friendly with us because he loved India. Before coming to Istanbul I had heard the name of ‘Sultahnahmet Koftecisi’ a very famous eatery since 1920. We had lunch there on the very first day. Turkish Kofte (lamb or beef meatballs) is the signature food of the country. As I am extremely fond of mutton kofta I had the time of my life. The kofta dish was served with bun-shaped loaves of bread (something like ‘pav’ in Bombay), and salad.
Public transport is so convenient and comfortable in Istanbul that we decided to go around to some places by tram. We went to Spice Bazaar (Misir Carsisi in Turkish) and the New Mosque. New Mosque is not as new as the name suggests. It came only a few years after the Blue Mosque. After getting down at Eminonu we used the subway from the tram stop to cross over to the other side where the New Mosque and the famous Spice Bazaar are situated. There was a crowded marketplace in the subway. Once you come up, you are at the plaza from where you can see the Galata Tower and Galata Bridge. There were some vendors selling ice cream and hazelnuts. I was tempted to try out local ice cream. It was really good. From Eminonu, a lot of government boats are available for half-day trips on the Bosphorus. We took one of those. Nice and comfortable, it also had a small shop selling cakes, sandwiches, hazelnuts, tea, and other beverages. We enjoyed Bosphorus by day as much as we enjoyed it by night. The shores on both Asian and European sides were lined with houses, villas, palaces, and other historical monuments. When we neared the small hamlet of Anadolu Kavagi on the Asian side, we could see the Black Sea. From the boat, the tiny hamlet looked like it was standing on the tip of a peninsula. I have no idea as to why the sea was named the Black Sea, but it appeared distinctively darker than the blue water of Bosphorus. As we stood watching the Black Sea, the cool, gentle breeze almost mesmerized us.
We stayed at Anadolu Kavagi for almost three hours. A small fishing hamlet in Asia with quite a few eateries near the jetty. I had a delicious meal of baked mackerel at one of the shops. Some shops were selling Evil Eyes (Nazar Bosicugu) in various sizes and other typically Turkish handicrafts. They were far cheaper than similar amulets available in Istanbul. A road leads to the ruins of a fortress from the Byzantium era strategically built atop a hillock and overlooking the confluence of the Bosphorus strait and the Black Sea on the Anatolian side. En route, there was a base for the Turkish Defence Force. We returned to Eminonu refreshed. The weather had suddenly changed. It was cloudy and drizzling, and there was a chilly wind. When we came out of the ferry station it was beginning to get dark and the city had already started to shimmer. We sat in the tram station, munching on roasted hazelnuts, and enjoyed watching the Galata bridge, New Mosque, and traffic movement on rain-soaked streets. On our way back we got down near Sirkeci train station. The station was built in the mid-nineteenth century to connect Istanbul to the rest of Europe. The station edifice reflects a mixture of European and Oriental architecture. Once upon a time, the famous Orient Express used to cover a distance of around 3500 km to Paris in three days. My favorite Belgian armchair detective Hercule Poirot had taken this ‘crowded’ train from ‘Stamboul’ (Istanbul) on his way back to Paris in the famous Agatha Christie book ‘Murder on the Orient Express. Agatha Christie had written this book in the 1930s while sitting in the Totkalian Hotel, located on the busy Istiklal Street. She wrote this book after having travelled from Calais in France to ‘Stamboul’.
When we finally returned to Sultanahmet circle we were awed by the artistic illumination of the facades of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.
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and the Bosphorus. I didn't know that Istanbul had European and Asian sides.
It was quite interesting!
- Rini
We tried lamb shish kebap from Sultanahmet Koftecisi after learning about the iconic place from ur blog. During iftaar nearly half of the city queues in front of the restaurant. Also tried many other Turkish delicacies (borek, doner, Adana kebap, seafood, Turkish coffee, raki, and of course different Turkish delights and baklavas).