Leaving the flat Friday morning, I did some brief calculations with some of the other students and reflected that we were probably the only tourists ever to be in Istanbul for more than a week without visiting Hagia Sophia. Lessee, we've been here more than two and a half weeks now, and finally, finally (!), we get to walk into the building that I've been wanting to see since 9th grade.
Yes, yes. I'm a history geek. But I'm proud to say it.
First things first though, we met a local grad student who is writing his dissertation on Sultanahmet Mosque. He took on us a great tour of Sultanahmet and told us the complicated history behind the mosque. Sultan Ahmet built his mosque at the age of 19 in the early 17th century and it towers impressively a short walk from Haghia Sophia.
Sultanahmet is nicknamed the Blue Mosque because of the blue and green tiles covering the inside of the mosque. We actually visited it on one of our first days here and I was thoroughly impressed. This time we got caught up in a crowd of first Asian and then Western European tourists entering inside. The women were given headscarves and long skirts to cover up if necessary. We passed on through with our headscarves already on, and many of us were dismayed to find the mosque milling with tourists inside; much more than when we first visited. A lot of the women took off their headscarves as soon as they got inside. Though I've only been in the city for a couple of weeks and I'm no where close to being Muslim, I was completely disgusted at this and the number of tourists inside the mosque as well.
It's interesting to analyze such feelings. I don't know if I'm angry at their ignorance or maybe just the general callousness some people treat other cultures. But what gives me the right to feel such a way when I'm a foreigner myself?It's especially interesting to compare how I felt when I walked into Hagia Sophia and was disgruntled at the marks Islam has left on a building that was a church for 1000 years. But where do I begin talking about Hagia Sophia also called Aya Sofya and meaning Divine Wisdom?
OMG basically.
First we were teased outside with its history and legend as the grad student opened up with the landmark's story. The current building is the third form of Hagia Sophia built by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century in just six years. Six years. Six years for building the largest cathedral (possibly structure, I can't remember this point) in the world for 1000 years. As a bonus, there's four acres worth of beautiful Byzantine mosaic artwork covering the walls and the Statue of Liberty can fit inside with the tip of its torch touching the top of the dome.
There are so many little details to look at inside of Hagia Sophia; it's a focal point of both Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox culture and history. And I just hate, hate the gaudy fake-looking Islamic additions added to the building. The first thing Mehmet the Conqueror did when he took Constantinople in 1453 was to head straight to Hagia Sophia and make it a mosque. Everyone the world over wanted Hagia Sophia because of the legend that whoever held it would be the last emperor...or something like that. Thus you can imagine Mehmet's excitement when he walked into the massive church and probably was like, "Allah! I is the conqueror! Oh ish!"
So we passed some time wondering the huge cathedral, turned mosque, turned museum. The only disappointing aspect was the large scaffolding placed in the center so they could work on the topmost dome.
It's amazing to consider that this building has been standing for so long, though it has been carefully kept up since its construction. For instance, when the Ottomans conquered Istanbul, the great architect Sinan reinforced the building with more flying buttresses and added minarets. However, it's estimated that Hagia Sophia can withstand a 7.8 level earthquake, which is probably more than any other building in Istanbul. That definitely includes our apartment building.
Even as I write this blog post two days later, I'm still awestruck by Hagia Sophia. Go forth and witness it my loyal readers!
Ahem, moving on.
Afterwards we took a break to hydrate and eat. Doner off the street of course. Then it was time for Edward and Amanda's site presentation: a hamam. AKA a Turkish bath.
The history and culture behind hamams is fascinating. And after they were done, it was time for the bath itself. Basically, you have to leave all your modesty at the door. The hamam consists of a cool room, a cold pool, a warm room, and a sauna. It's distinguishing features are the traditional domed ceilings, marble, and water running everywhere. The warm room is dominated by a huge marble slab in the center that's heated underneath. Along the side are faucets with warm and cold running water. The sauna is so hot that you have to adjust your breathing before going inside.
When it's your turn for the actual scrub down, the women working don't hold anything back. First they use a metal sponge to get off dead skin. After you wash that off, you then get the actual massage. In the hamam we visited they used plenty of soap, but it apparently varies.
It was an interesting experience and really, really relaxing. It's very leisurely; all and all we spent about two and a half hours inside.
My contacts somehow fogged up in the process and I couldn't really see even after leaving the hamam. I also came out with an add craving for cashews. Yeah, I don't really know why, but I did fix my craving at a nearby store.
Supper was a get your own affair and then some of us gradually got out the door later to go nargile (hookah) on a rooftop terrace. We spent a few relaxing hours looking out over the city and smoking our mint flavored nargile before calling it a night.
We talked about going to the Princess Islands on either Saturday or Sunday. But with the weather a bit spotty and sleeping in on both mornings, we ended up staying in Istanbul.
Saturday, Kristina, Amanda, David, Kevin, and I decided to wander into the Bohemian neighborhood off of Istiklal. The others were feeling a bit under the weather so they stayed in and watched movies. Using David's guidebook, we found a great pizza place for lunch and then met the realtor that rented our apartment to us for coffee and dessert. The realtor is an American lady with two grown children who had just divorced from her husband after spending years as a housewife. With no desire to stay in the States working some desk job, she just picked up her things and went globe-trotting before settling in Istanbul, writing and renting apartments. Cool.
David and I headed back early so I could watch the women's final of the French Open and David could pick up a Turkey football (soccer) jersey. Saturday night was the opening of Euro 2008 and Turkey was due to play Portugal. We were pretty excited, especially because we would all rush Istiklal if Turkey won.
We've decided that Istiklal is like a giant Franklin Street. So rushing Istkilal would be akin to rushing Franklin after a Duke victory.
Except way more awesome.
However, Portugal is one of the favorites to win. And well, Turkey lost. So we gradually made our way up to Istiklal, first heading to one of our favorite sketchy and cheap bars before going to an American club.
We all got pretty excited walking into the club and hearing hip-hop and rap pounding in our ears instead of the freaky techno music. After a late Saturday night, it of course meant sleeping in on Sunday.
The group of us had mixed feelings about what to do Sunday so we all kind of divided up. Some of the group decided to walk around and explore, while others decided to head to one of the giant malls outside the city center. As for myself, I was ready for some alone time. I took a brief walk around the neighborhood, but then I ran into one of Istanbul's infamous packs of dogs so I quickly deduced that I had walked enough. I picked up a late lunch and some groceries before heading back to watch the men's final of the French Open.
As for the rest of today, we'll see. This next week is our last in Istanbul before we go on our two-week excursion and it looks to be pretty busy with the rest of the site presentations, discussion, and paper writing. Plus, always more random Istanbul adventures and Turkish mysteries to solve.
