Turkey-The Bridge Between East and West (Day 3)

Day 3:  Istanbul in the Sun (Mostly)

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We woke this morning to a gorgeous blue sky, at least by Istanbul standards. There was blue but some clouds persisted-we will take this as a win, though. Mustafa met us at 8;30 for a jam-packed day of sightseeing.  We hopped the tram which deposited us at the base of a 1500’ hill on top of which sat our first goal of the day, the Galata Tower.

Mustafa strongly urged us to forego the hike and , instead, experience The Tünel funicular. Opened on January 17, 1875, the Tünel is generally described as the world’s second-oldest underground urban railway, after London’s Underground. Its entire route is just 573 meters—about a third of a mile—between Karaköy and Beyoğlu, with a journey lasting approximately 90 seconds.

Our early morning start gave us a jump on all the late Sunday morning sleepers  in Istanbul (according to Mustafa, Turks do not get up on Sunday before noon ). The Galata Tower was built in 1348 by the Genoese; it was part of the defenses of their trading colony across the Golden Horn from Byzantine Constantinople. Originally called the Tower of Christ, it reflects the important role Italian merchants played in the city’s medieval commercial life. Later, under the Ottomans, the tower served as a prison and a fire lookout. Its upper deck now offers great views across Istanbul. The options for getting up the 220 foot tower were climb a 220 foot spiral staircase, or take a 200 foot elevator and 20 feet of stairs.  After the elevator ride and 18 feet of stairs, Molly decided to wait for us at street level. After an  appropriate amount of viewing time, we started down the 20 feet of stairs, but no Molly. Assuming she had ridden the elevator down, we too, headed to the ground only to find Molly just finishing the 220^th foot of circular staircase (which she hates!).

From the Galata Tower, we walked down the hill to take a bus to yet another hill which we climbed via cable car (Eyüp–Pierre Loti cable car). At the base of the cable car is a mosque and its adjoining mausoleum traditionally identified as the burial place of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, known in Turkey as Eyüp Sultan. He was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and hosted him in his home after Muhammad’s arrival in Medina. Decades later, he died during a seventh-century military campaign against Constantinople.  The mountainside adjacent is a choice spot for interment for the powerful and wealthy.  Eyüp Cemetery, grew around the shrine of Eyüp Sultan. The graves extend uphill toward Pierre Loti, and we decided to walk back down the path through the cemetery (for Molly).

An interesting detail on many of the tombstones is the headgear carved into older gravestones. Ottoman men’s tombstones could carry stone turbans or other head coverings indicating their rank or position in society. Even in death, clothing communicated identity. 

Next stop (via bus) was the Balat neighborhood. Balat was for centuries one of Istanbul’s principal Jewish neighborhoods. Its Jewish history reaches back before the Ottoman conquest of 1453. Byzantine Jewish communities, known as Romaniotes, were later joined by Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, followed by arrivals from Portugal. Sultan Bayezid II welcomed these refugees into Ottoman territory, where they established communities and contributed to trade and cultural life. 

One of Balat’s most significant surviving landmarks is Ahrida Synagogue, named after Ohrid, the Balkan town from which its founders came. The synagogue existed before 1453, although fires and rebuilding have substantially changed its structure. Its distinctive Torah-reading platform resembles the bow of a ship. One tradition associates the shape with Noah’s Ark; another connects it with the ships that brought Sephardic refugees to Ottoman lands. 

Around the beginning of the twentieth century, Balat had approximately 10,000 Jewish residents. The community later diminished as families moved to other Istanbul neighborhoods or emigrated, particularly to Israel. Its surviving synagogues preserve the history of what was once a much larger residential community. 

We still had two more stops on “the Amazing Race”, the Spice Market and a boat ride on the Bosphorus.  Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar, known in Turkish as Mısır Çarşısı—the Egyptian Bazaar, was built between 1660 and 1664. It formed part of the New Mosque complex, with income from its shops supporting the mosque’s upkeep (which we helped to support in spades). Its Egyptian name reflects both the taxes from Ottoman Egypt that financed its construction and the spices and other goods brought from there.

We then, had to literally run to the ferry dock to catch the 3 o’clock boat.  We were the last to board.  The boat took us up the Bosphorus first along the European side, and then back along the Asian (wealthier) side. Roughly 19 miles long, it connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara then through the Dardanelles, the Aegean, and finally, the Mediterranean.  It has always been a strategic area because of this.

Currents in the Bosphorus are treacherous due to its water normally flowing in opposite directions at different depths. Less salty Black Sea water flows southward near the surface, while saltier, denser water from the Sea of Marmara flows northward underneath. 

A short walk brought us back to the vicinity of our hotel, where we said goodbye to Mustafa and grabbed a quick dinner of Turkish pizza (not our fav) before catching a ride back to the airport. The trip back on Sunday evening took about 30 minutes (rather than the 90+ on the way in). At the airport we were surprised to have to go through security to get inside the door, I guess they take security seriously here.  Our hotel was just inside the door, very convenient for our early morning flight to Neveshir (Cappadocia) tomorrow. The room, aka closet was so small that the bedback raised electronically to allow the bed to move back when not in use to permit safe passage to the bathroom.  Sailboat staterooms are capacious by comparison. But it served its purpose, and we will get to experience it again on our trip back through Istanbul to Cairo in a few days.