Istanbul

I thought of Istanbul as perhaps a sort of a triumphal arch or a great ancient monument to mark the beginning of the East. It's so beautiful it was painful to leave. Entering from Greece, I was taken by the awesome scale and grandeur. Its geographic location accentuates this feeling - the Bosphorus splits the continent into Europe and Asia and the seven hills (just like Rome and Sheffield maybe!) are crowned by magnificent domes of the Ottoman and Byzantine days. Staring into the busy waterway, I felt like this was where the energy of this city reveals itself - the constant movement of people, goods, ships, as well as the sounds and clattering from the vehicles, commerce and kebab shops. It's one of those scenes that stops you and makes you feel alive.

The clamour of commerce by the Bosphorus.

The Blue Mosque - the most elegant mosque I've been to. Makes the modern ones in Malaysia looks outdated.

History had been greatly generous to this city. Being the capital city of two most advanced civilisations of its time meant that Istanbul is well-endowed with monuments that rival any of that in Rome and Greece. My favourite was definitely the Hagia Sofia. I've read so much about it and to finally be there inside its vast central space was surreal. Damaged even before the Ottoman conquest, it's now only a shell of its former glory. The restoration works have revealed some of the golden mosaics that have been plastered over so its former grandeur wasn't completely gone - I could still imagine how over the top this building once was.

Hagia Sophia.

Only a shell of its former glory.

One of the most interesting mosaics I've seen. On the right is the Empress, heiress to the throne who married about six times (I think..) so the face of the Emperor and his name on the scroll held by the Empress had to changed everytime. In her last marriage she was like 60 or something like that but in the mosaic she remained a youthful queen.

I love the atmospheric corridors in the Hagia Sophia.

Mosques in Istanbul are an inescapable sight. When the muezzins all over the city call the azan, the city's European credentials willingly evaporated. You can easily forget you're in a city that prides itself as European, although this might come back to you once the azan stops. It really is quite European. Most Istanbulites are very European, and I don't mean it in the superficial way like how they're adopting the Western dress sense. It's something more than that. Alcohol for example is part of the urban culture, perhaps even Turkish culture. Religion is viewed with the same skepticism, if not sneer, so evident in the West.

Fishing on the bridge is a 24-hour hobby in Istanbul.

Taksim - the decidedly European side of Istanbul

In many ways it's similar to Kuala Lumpur (and the Klang Valley cities). Both cities are Western-oriented cities with shiny modern buildings and shopping malls. Both claims and pursue the Western dreams and aspirations. But despite that self-belief, the reality is that they are inescapably very Eastern. In KL for example, walking through the older districts you'd see the beautiful chaotic markets of distinct to Asian cities. The baju kurung, Friday prayer traffic jams and the saris are like undercurrents of the subconscious rebellion against the Westernisation process. In Istanbul, it is pretty much that.

My visit to the Istanbul Modern Art Museum confirmed my suspicion. Here in the bastion of the elite cultural life, the message is simple - we Turks are Europeans. Apart from a painting depicting a scene of religious festival (no more than as a manifestation of the many Eastern superstitions), the paintings are all scenes from the lives of the Europeanised upper and middle classes. But a walk through even the most European area like Taksim, you'd feel the ambience of the East, the flavours and spices absent in the West, scents from nargileh bars and Turkish tea. The mosques are well-attended not only by the older generation but also the young.

Kindness :)

Inside the Topkapi Palace, a balcony that overlooks the busy waterway (Bosphorus).

In any way, whether it's Eastern or Western or both, Istanbulites are a friendly bunch. All the travellers here have remarked the same thing: the genuine welcome they all felt. People here are happy that travellers from far flung countries flock to their city and appreciate their rich heritage. Everywhere I went, I was greeted with a smile and a gesture of welcome. One example was when I asked this lady for a lighter, I was actually asked to accept the lighter as a modest gift and to top it off her daughter then gave me her sweets. They were lovely and it was not to be the last generosity I encountered in Turkey.

The Topkapi Palace

The Ottoman Sultan's private room.

That said, what let me down was that the way monuments were presented in Istanbul are abysmal. Few have audioguides to help you understand and the only way to get good information on site was to join a tour group - I hate tour groups. Tickets are so expensive (more than anything I've paid so far in my trip) it makes you think that these monuments are treated more like money making machines than a cultural treasure. This is especially true for Topkapi Palace. You need to pay extra to see the Harem. The audioguide service was the most expensive in Europe and without any doubt the worst. Some of the audio included unerased mistakes and repetition of sentences (like "This is a school for. This is a school for"). Most of the information given was self-evident anyway and never elaborated - to give an example it was always along the lines of "This room has beautiful tileworks and the view is amazing" or "This corridor had witnessed many important events. Goodbye". A Swiss that was with me said it was the same for the German language version.

I have no time for Orientalist fantasies on the Harem so I wasn't all that wowed by it. The most interesting part for me is the Relics Gallery where holy relics from all over the Ottoman Empires were kept. I'm not that convinced by it, as some of the exhibits are just downright illogical - the staff of Moses and fragments of the skull of John the Baptist to say few. But one that I might consider more believable are the swords of Prophet Mohammed and his robe where they claimed to have a succession of narrators and official records. Even then to think such relics to have special powers is just beyond me. Or maybe I was just so pissed off with the stupid man's voice on the audioguide.

In one of the alleyways in the Sultanahmet area.

I stayed in the Sultanahmet area, the Old Istanbul. The hostel was great and I really enjoyed my stay there. There was something about the atmosphere and set up that made everyone friendly. The rooftop bar has a great view of the Blue Mosque (and Hagia Sophia if you stretch you neck a little bit) so every breakfast was bliss. I was tired of travelling alone so it was great to finally meet other travellers who would join me to see the sights. But this also meant that I went out a lot at night for those atmospheric nargileh cafe/bars - I also spent a lot more money here. The vibe at night is electric, it was lively. The money I spent on tea is ridiculous but I can't stop having them. I learnt how to play backgammon and seem to have got it, I think.

I think from the length of this post, you'd probably figured that I really had a great time here. I really did.

I will come back for Istanbul.

p/s:photos will be added later. internet here is wayy too slow