Sights of Istanbul

Ayasofya

Today I start showing Ming around in earnest, starting with the Ayasofya.  We headed out straight after breakfast around 0900 and found a long queue for the Ayasofya.  As it is now a mosque rather than a museum, entry is free but suspended during prayer hours.

A security man suggested that the queue would take a minimum of 40 mins to an hour, and it would get worse through the day.  We decided to stay and found the queue to be fast moving until the last 15 mins when entry was paused periodically, perhaps to manage numbers inside.

It took a total of 55 mins for us to get to security and then into the 1500 year old church which became a mosque and then a museum and then a mosque again.  The beauty of the place always captivates me but it’s a real pity that the gallery hasn’t been open since my last visit.

We took a wander around the Ayasofya tombs afterwards before leaving about 1100.  We noticed that entries into the mosque had paused, perhaps in preparation for noon prayers.  We were happy that we timed ourselves well.

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 Blue Mosque

We walked across the square to the Sultanahmet (“Blue”) mosque to find that there was nothing much to see, as with my visit last year.  The dome had been completely restored but the walls were all obscured and scaffolded.

Leaving wasn’t that simple, with congestion due to people putting their shoes on at the exit.  We returned to the hotel around midday for a short break before taking a tram back to where we had just come from, for lunch.

To avoid more kebabs and doners, we opted for pre-cooked meals in the window that we could see and point at, washed down with limonata.

Grand Bazaar

It wasn’t far to the Grand Bazaar, our next stop.  There we wandered randomly, looking just for fun as Ming wasn’t ready to do shopping on the first full day.

Inside the Grand Bazaar.

I stumbled on the old Zincirli Han (urban version of caravanserai) which I hadn’t seen before.  The rooms were set around a courtyard connected to the Grand Bazaar.

Zincirli Han attached to the Grand Bazaar.

When Ming had had enough, I insisted on a few rounds because we may not have time to return during our stay.  We took a random exit and navigated to our next stop, the Suleymaniye Mosque.

Suleymaniye Mosque

My favourite viewpoint in Istanbul is from the compound of the Suleymaniye Mosque, with tow rows of domes stepping down, the city, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.

The Mosque itself was worth a visit, especially when the Sultanahmet Mosque wasn’t worthwhile at this time.

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Bazaar Area

I always take random walks from the Suleymaniye Mosque downhill to end up in the bazaars.  Today was no different and we found our way to the Egyptian Bazaar (Spice Market).

After all my visits, today I discovered the stalls on the west side of the Egyptian Bazaar’s exterior.  There were lots of stalls selling Turkish Delight, sweets, nuts, dried fruit at very good prices compared to elsewhere.  We noted it as a place to return for shopping later in our stay.

We returned to our room about 1600 for a rest before taking dinner in Tarihi Hocapasha, an alley full of reasonably-priced eateries.