IMPERIAL CITY
To properly understand and appreciate Istanbul, you have to know a bit of its history. You also need to have interest in exploring its vast heritage which means not only the main and most famous sites. As Constantinople, it was a capital city of the Byzantine Empire for approximately 1000 years. Ottomans conquered it in 1453 and turned it into a capital city of their expanding Ottoman Empire for further 600 years.
There aren’t many cities in the world with such rich history. There are layers of history in Istanbul from Byzantine and Ottoman times, the same as you would find in Rome for example. In Rome you have the ancient Roman legacy, then you move to Renaissance and Baroque and so on. I would also add Beijing to this group, a capital city of the Chinese Empire that lasted approximately 2000 years.
Everything that you see in Istanbul is connected to a historic person that either commissioned or had something constructed in their name. It’s only when you start digging into the past that you discover the most amazing information. Also, you can track the way the city developed after the Ottoman conquest and you can put everything that you see in its proper historical context.
CONSTANTINOPLE IN ISTANBUL
Without any doubt, the most impressive historic site from Byzantine times that you can see in Istanbul is Hagia Sophia. Built in 537, it served as the the Christian Orthodox temple until 1453. Fatih Sultan Mehmed converted it into a mosque immediately after he had conquered Constantinople.
While no many other Byzantine structures remain, there is still a lot to see from those times. There are other smaller churches which Ottomans also converted into mosques. You can still see Orthodox frescoes and mosaics in only one of them, the Chora church. This church was a museum between 1945 and 2020, when they converted it into a mosque again.
There are also Theodosian Walls to see, built in the 5th century. They protected the city for centuries until its fall to Ottomans in 1453.
IMPERIAL CITY OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
Topkapi palace is the most important symbol of the Ottoman Empire that you can see in modern day Istanbul.
Fatih Sultan Mehmed built it shortly after he had conquered Constantinople in 1453. It was an imperial palace and home to Ottoman sultans from that moment until 1856.
I’ve already written about this palace in the past. You may want to check those posts, especially one about the harem. Unfortunately, they are now charging 1500 liras to enter the palace museum, plus 500 liras should you wish to see the harem too. At the current exchange rate, it comes to approximately 56 euros, an outrageous price. I visited the palace several times in the past, the entry fee was never this high.
And then, there is a vast Ottoman heritage all over the city. Wherever you look, you will see an Ottoman structure. Mosques, madrasas, fountains and Ottoman era buildings are everywhere.
ORTHODOX ISTANBUL
I’ve also explored Orthodox Istanbul for the first time ever. You may or may not know that the principle Orthodox cathedral is in Istanbul, something like Vatican for the Orthodox world.
Balat, an area of Istanbul, contains several Orthodox churches and is very interesting to see. That was also a discovery for me, I’ve never seen that part of Istanbul.
So, I spent 5 days exploring things that I’ve never seen before. I will go in more detail about all that in my future posts. Istanbul is so big and so rich in history, you need a lot of time and interest to see everything. It’s a true imperial city.
Having said that, there are many things that I haven’t seen yet, but I purposefully left them for another time. In other words, I will go back to Istanbul as soon as possible and will continue my exploration of that spectacular city.
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