I think that booking an organized tour during the first few days
on a new timezone is a good way to help yourself shift gears. Even with
some jetlag, you can muster the energy to see and enjoy the sights; the
guide handles the logistics and keeps you safe when you might be feeling a bit fuzzy headed.
So,
on our second day in Istanbul, I booked a private guided tour of
the city.
Sultanahmet Square
We met our guide at 9am local time near the hotel in
the historic Sultanahmet neighborhood.
We'd hired him for a two day tour; we'd be with the same guide
tomorrow as well.
The German Fountain (Alman Çeşmesi), located at the northern end of Sultanahmet Square (the former Hippodrome of Constantinople). A gift from to the Ottoman Empire from German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II to Sultan Abdülhamid II.
We had found our guide on the internet through a website
(Tripadvisor, IIRC). He was very friendly, spoke great English,
was knowledgeable and interesting and, best of all, he had
official tourism credentials which allowed us to skip lines at
some attractions. He also had been guiding tourists long enough
that he knew where it was likely to be crowded when and actively
guided us towards less crowded sites.
The first stop on the agenda this morning was the Hagia Sophia;
he got us there early in order to beat the crowds. There was a
small line forming but we were able to skip it when our guide
showed his credentials at the ticket booth.
The Obelisk of Theodosius (Dikilitaş), standing in the Hippodrome of Constantinople (Sultanahmet Square) in Istanbul, just a short walk from the German Fountain.
Hagia Sophia
Walking into the Hagia Sophia I was struck by the size of the
indoor space. It's all carpeted but, like most mosques, you have
to take off your shoes and stash them in a cubby while you're
inside. The space was tranquil with several large chandeliers
hanging from the ceiling high above and four large circular signs
peering down from the ceiling with calligraphy on them. Our guide
told us the signs contained the names of Allah, Mohammad, the Four
Caliphs, and Hasan, Hussein. He also explained that Muslim law
(or tradition?) prohibits any human image in a place of worship
which is why mosques are usually decorated with meandering
patterns and calligraphy rather than paintings (of people) or
statues (of people). This is also the reason that the Christian
mosaics in the Hagia Sophia are covered with curtains during times
of worship.
Travel Tip
When visiting a mosque, but sure to dress according to the rules
of entry. Women will be expected to cover their heads. Some mosques will
provide scarves that you can borrow. Others may not. European cathedrals also
frequently publish dress codes. Plan ahead so you are not disappointed by being denied entry.
Inside, some people were praying while others, like us, were
clearly tourists there to check out the famous building.
The Hagia Sophia was commissioned by Byzantine Emperor Justinian
I, designed by Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, and
built as a church in 537 CE. It served as the cathedral of
Constantinople and the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch, the
center of Eastern Orthodox Christianity for over 900 years. Its
dome (31 m / 102 ft across) was an engineering marvel for its time
and the Hagia Sophia remained the largest cathedral in the world
for nearly a thousand years.
During the Fourth Crusade, knights sacked Constantinople and
converted the Hagia Sophia into a Roman Catholic cathedral for
about 57 years, until the Byzantines retook the city and restored
Orthodox worship.
When Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453, he
converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque almost immediately. The
Ottomans added the four minarets (built over the following
centuries, not all at once), a mihrab and minbar, and plastered
over most of the Christian mosaics rather than destroying them,
which is why so many survived.
Under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of secular modern Türkiye,
Hagia Sophia was converted from a religious building into a museum
in 1934. This is when many of the Byzantine mosaics were uncovered
and restored for public viewing alongside the Islamic calligraphy.
But in 2020, Türkiye's Council of State annulled the 1934 decree
secularizing the building, and President Erdoğan issued a decree
restoring it as a functioning mosque. It remains open to
visitors, but during prayer times the Christian mosaics are
typically covered with curtains or screens.
It was not until we left the Hagia Sophia that I really
appreciated how good our guide's timing was; when we had arrived
early, there was barely any line but by the time we were leaving,
the line was around the block and most people waiting were
standing in the heat of the full sun.
Observation
We were a little concerned that it would be too hot, traveling to Turkey in July. It seems like you are traveling south, but it's about the same latitude as, say, the US mid-Atlantic but without the humidity. You do need to be careful in the sun and to stay hydrated, but overall the entire trip's weather was quite pleasant.
Topkapı Palace
From the Hagia Sophia we crossed under the Imperial Gate (Bab-ı
Hümayun) and entered the Topkapı Palace. Now a museum, the system
of buildings was the seat of power of the Ottoman empire for
nearly 400 years. Again, our guide showed credentials and whisked
us through. There was also a kind of kinship between all the
private guides -- they all seemed to know each other and always
said "yo" as they passed.
The Topkapı Palace was built between 1460 and 1478 on the orders
of Fatih Sultan Mehmed (Mehmed the Conqueror) after his conquest
of Constantinople. It was originally called the "New Palace" (which
is very confusing because we actually visited its replacement, i.e.
the "new new palace" later in the tour). It was constructed on the
site of the old Byzantine acropolis. The "Topkapı" (Cannon Gate) name
only came into use in the 19th century.
The palace served as the residence and administrative headquarters
for the sultans from Mehmed II through Abdulmecid — roughly 25 sultans
over the centuries. In 1856, Sultan Abdulmecid I abandoned it for
the new European-style Dolmabahçe Palace (i.e. the "new new palace"),
and Topkapı's role diminished to housing officials. Finally, by the
order of Atatürk in 1924, it was converted into the first museum of
the Turkish Republic.
The Palace is not one building but rather a walled complex of
four courtyards, each more restricted and private than the last. The
outer courtyard was for the public in the times of the Sultans.
The Second Courtyard (Divan Meydanı) was the executive heart of
the Ottoman Empire; it served as the administrative center where
state governance, judicial rulings, and imperial finance took
place. It was not open to the public in the time of the sultans.
Instead, Imperial Council (Divan-ı Hümayun) officials conducted
meetings in this area most days. The sultan didn't usually attend
these meetings but there was a screened window that he could sit
behind and observe them in secret if desired. Other nearby
chambers housed clerks who copied decrees and attended to the
bureaucracy of government.
Military leaders, treasury officials, senior statesmen, and
judges were permitted in the Second Courtyard as well.
In addition to the administrative officials, the palace kitchens
(Saray Mutfakları) occupied the entire eastern flank of the second
courtyard. They formed a massive, sprawling complex easily
recognized by their twenty iconic, conical chimneys lining the
courtyard’s right side. A staff of some eight hundred cooks and
kitchen workers could feed roughly four thousand people at a
sitting. On special occasions — state banquets, foreign
ambassador receptions, or the quarterly Janissary paydays
(ulufe) — that number climbed higher still.
Cooking at that scale was an extreme fire risk. Separating the
high-heat, wood-burning hearths into their own long structural
block along the outer perimeter wall helped isolate potential
blazes from the rest of the palace.
The palace's Third Courtyard is called the Enderun.
It housed the Audience Chamber (Arz Odası), which was located
directly behind the gate to this section of the palace, and was
where the Sultan sat on his throne to receive foreign ambassadors
and ratify the Grand Vizier's decisions. Strict protocol dictated
that visitors keep their heads lowered, avoiding direct eye
contact.
The Enderun School, an elite academy that trained the empire's
future administrators, was also located in this area. Young men
recruited via the devşirme system (a levy on Christian youths in
conquered territories) were converted to Islam and given a
world-class education in theology, languages, mathematics,
statecraft, and martial arts. The highest achievers rose through
the palace ranks, often graduating to become governors or Grand
Viziers.
This section of the palace also housed the Inner Treasury and
Sacred Relics.
Located in the northwestern corner of the Third Courtyard, the
Has Oda served as the Sultan's personal suite before being
converted into the home of the Sacred Relics (Kutsal Emanetler).
Following Sultan Selim I's conquest of Mamluk Egypt in 1517, the
Ottoman rulers assumed the title of Caliph and transferred Islam's
most revered relics to Istanbul. The collection includes the
Mantle (Hırka-i Saadet) and sword of the Prophet Muhammad, his
personal seal, strands of his beard, and ancient artifacts
attributed to early prophets like Moses and David.
Since 1517, trained hafizs (scholars who have memorized the
Quran) have maintained an unbroken, continuous 24-hour live
recitation of the Quran inside these chambers -- a tradition that
still continues today.
Even early in the morning, when we visited, there was a huge line
of people waiting to get in and see the relics. Many of them were
clearly there as pilgrims rather than tourists. We skipped it and
left them to it.
To help with navigation within the courtyards of the third section
of the Topkapı Palace they set dark and light stones in concrete
forming pebble mosaic pathways called podima or çakıl mozaik. These
form a network connecting the major buildings around the perimeter of
the Third Courtyard (Enderun) and its adjacent quarters, including
the Harem.
Though closely connected to the Third Courtyard, the Harem was
a distinct, sprawling residential wing attached to the side of the
inner palace. Translating literally to "forbidden" or "sacred," it
was the private living quarters of the Sultan’s family and women,
strictly guarded against unauthorized male entry.
Walking through the residential areas, we saw where water was heated and then piped to the baths.
The pipes under floors or behind tiled walls warmed the rooms around the baths. I don't know if that
was luxurious or a common practice in those days.
The Valide Sultan (Queen Mother) was the absolute monarch of the
Harem. As the mother of the reigning Sultan, she wielded immense
political influence, often shaping foreign policy, royal
appointments, and dynastic marriages.
In the 16th century (under Sultan Murad III), the Sultan shifted
his primary private residence into the Harem itself. His consorts
(kadınefendiler) and concubines lived in strictly hierarchized suites
based on whether they had borne children.
The Chief Black Eunuch (Kızlar Ağası) was the administrative
commander of the Harem. Because he had complete physical access to
the quarters and held the rank of a high statesman, the Chief
Eunuch acted as the crucial political liaison between the Queen
Mother, the Sultan, and the Grand Vizier outside.
Most women entered the Harem young, as gifts or as purchases —
they arrived enslaved, and that shouldn't be softened. What the
institution did with them afterward, though, looked less like
chattel slavery than like a rigid civil service. They drew wages,
were trained in etiquette, music, literature, and domestic arts,
and there was a real ladder to climb. Most never became consorts
to the Sultan; instead, after years of service, they were freed
with a pension and often married off to high-ranking Enderun
graduates.
Walking out from the formal Third Courtyard brings you to an
elevated garden terrace dotted with standalone pleasure pavilions,
fountains, and sweeping views of the Golden Horn and the
Bosphorus. This area was the private enclave of the sultans and
off limits to everyone other than invited guests. It contains
several structures:
- Baghdad Kiosk (Bağdat Köşkü): Built by Sultan Murad IV in 1638 to
commemorate his capture of Baghdad, this octagonal structure is
considered a peak example of classical Ottoman architecture. Its
exterior and interior are covered in underglaze blue-and-white
tiles, mother-of-pearl woodwork, and stained glass.
- Yerevan Kiosk (Revan Köşkü): Constructed in 1635 to mark the
Yerevan campaign, this smaller pavilion served as a quiet retreat
for religious study and reflection.
- İftar Pavilion (İftariye Kameriyesi): A gilded bronze, open-air
canopy overhanging the garden wall. Sultans used this spot to break
their Ramadan fast (iftar) at sunset while overlooking the Golden
Horn.
- Circumcision Room (Sünnet Odası): Dedicated to the ceremonial
rites of young Ottoman princes. Its facade features some of the
finest 16th- and 17th-century İznik ceramic tile panels in the
entire palace complex.
Gülhane Parkı
We exited Topkapı Palace through a back gate that led to Gülhane
Parkı. By this time the day was very warm and the park, with its
paths shaded by large trees, was an oasis of shade in an otherwise
hot city. People were walking the paths and relaxing on the
ground, children were playing and there was a vendor selling ice
cream. In the center of the park is a fountain and bridge.
This is where our tour ended on the first day. We had time to
return to the hotel, get cleaned up, and head out to dinner.
