March 8 2013

By Bill Brady, Special to QMI Agency

Friday, March 8, 2013 11:17:48 EST PM

A collection of plates are on display inside a shop in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey. (CHAD HUCULAK QMI Agency)

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ISTANBUL – After a long day of trying to cram in visits to far too many historic sites, markets and shops, sleep had come easily the evening before but a full night’s worth was not to be.

It’s startling to be awakened at 5:30 a.m. by a loud cry that seemed to permeate our hotel room. I should not have been surprised by the adhan — the Islamic call to prayer recited by the muezzin. Once, this holy man would have scaled a graceful, towering minaret to make the call to believers in his loudest voice. Now huge speakers carry the sound five times daily, exhorting the faithful to worship.

Our hotel was across a narrow, cobbled street from the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque, built in 1651. It is noted for its architecturally challenging location on a steep slop.

Having decided to skip large and expensive hotels, we found the small, boutique-style Ada a few minutes’ walk from the main tourist area in the Sultanahmet old city district. It’s owned and managed by Dogan Sumengen, a former professor of organic chemistry at the Uludag University south of Istanbul, and his wife, Havva.

Even though shocked awake by the call from the mosque, it meant an early start on the generous Turkish breakfast served on the hotel’s rooftop terrace and included with the room, with a stunning view of the Sea of Marmara that seemed in constant motion day and night with ships carrying cargo or passengers.

 

The Ada Istanbul is a family run boutique hotel with a homey atmosphere. All the main attractions such as Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace a brief walk from the hotel, which is located in a side street away from the crowds and noisy streets.

Once known as Byzantium and later Constantinople, Istanbul is a teeming megacity. And while there are several census numbers tossed about, officially the population is recorded as about 14 million. We were told by several local citizens that the greater city’s population topped 20 million.

The people here are friendly and gracious and when visiting a mosque — there are about 3,500 in the city to choose from — we were always warmly welcomed.

That kind of friendliness was very much in play when a street vendor struggled up an inclined cobblestoned street bearing a tray atop a long wooden pole. He carried dozens of golden brown simits — a flat, bagel-like fast food bread that’s a popular Turkish street food. Could I take his picture? He eagerly agreed then took one of the simits and with a big smile, handed it to me. I offered him money and he was adamant, “No, no money you are a guest in my city.”

The very names of the physical features of this area seem to jump out of classic literature. Who hasn’t read of the Bosphorus Strait or the Golden Horn?

This is the sole city in the world situated on two continents. In a few minutes our modern double-decker tour bus took us from Europe to Asia and then back again as we marvelled at dozens of gracious mosques, stately homes, gardens and throngs of people enjoying blissfully warm weather and cloudless skies.

We felt completely safe even at night as we wandered through the streets.

The renowned and beautiful Blue Mosque was just minutes away from our hotel so it was a natural stop.

There is no admission fee, but we were asked to “buy” a package of photos of the interior. In other mosques we were shown a container and encouraged to make a donation.

One should avoid visiting on Friday late morning through early afternoon, which is when the weekly group prayers and sermons take place. In short, if the mosque is busy with worshippers, it’s polite to return later to visit.

We were unprepared for the expanse of the famous Grand Bazaar. Constructed in 1455 it is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world.

Within this confusing space there are 60 covered streets and more than 4,000 shops attracting up to half a million visitors daily. If you want to buy it, you will find it here — everything from leather coats to exquisite jewelry and of course, carpets. Some prices are modest, most were reasonable and haggling for lower prices wasn’t evident.

After short trek past jammed outdoor stalls we arrived at the remarkable spice market. The senses are assaulted by the colours and the air is redolent of cinnamon, cloves and a dozen other exotic aromas. Bins of a hundred types of spices, many of them unfamiliar to me, were offered in ornate jars and in bulk and the aromas mingle with the welcome whiff of food being prepared.

Boxes, trays and heaps of lokum, what we call Turkish Delight, were everywhere. This sweet confectionis generously dusted with powdered sugar. The most popular flavour is rosewater but there seemed to be dozens of varieties.

As for what’s to eat in Istanbul; name it and it’s available. We ate the national dish kebaps — pieces of meat roasted on skewers. More often the meats are ground, seasoned and pressed around the skewer then grilled over charcoal.

We also sampled doner kebap where pre-cooked lamb slices are roasted on a vertical spit rotating in front of a grill. The meat is sliced off to order, placed in a pita, then garnished with yogurt and greens. It is the Turkish version of fast food but it’s not cheap here, expect to pay more than 4 Euros for a generous serving but it is a must to try.

We only had three days in this intriguing metropolis, the stay tacked on to the end of a cruise. One should plan a minimum of a week in this city. We had no time to explore beyond Istanbul to see places like Thessaloniki, Varna or the remarkable Cappadocia which is more than 700 kilometres from Istanbul; there are daily flights, trains and buses if you choose to travel that far afield but I’m told it is worth the trip and expense.

It is said that the magic of Istanbul always calls the traveller to return. I believe it.

 

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