Posted by jbogdaneris on October 11, 2011 – 8:21 am
Overwhelming is the operative word for the old capital of the Ottoman Empire. On the cobble-stoned streets masses of tourists shuffle their way through the remnants of old civilizations. Up above on the many terraces overlooking the city, are spectacular views of the aqua-colored Bosphorous and soaring minarets. And then several times a day the wailing melodic call to prayer echoes from the loudspeakers of the mosques pushing aside every other sound for a few moments.
1. The Sultanahmet
I spent nearly all my time in this historic neighborhood and still don’t feel like I saw half of it. The epicenter of tourist hotels and big important sightseeing destinations, it still manages to retain an air of mystery and discoverability despite being under a seemingly constant invasion of travelers. Much of the action occurs outdoors and everything is for sale from the delicious sesame-covered round bread known as simit to long-forgotten childhood toys. Orient Express is a centrally located hotel with a pool and a rooftop restaurant but the romantically named Poem Hotel (whose rooms are named after examples of famous Turkish verse) is on a cozier street with a sweeping view of the world’s narrowest shipping lane and a sprawling terrace populated with brazenly cute felines.
2. Beyoglu
If you leave the Sultanahmet and take a ride over the Galata Bridge (where fisherman cast their lines at all hours of the day and night) you’ll discover a more modern Turkey in this neighborhood. Headscarves are in shorter supply and a younger crowd of locals and visitors swells the main boulevard Istiklal Caddessi and the adjoining arteries teeming with bars, cafés and even late-night fruits stands. Newly resurrected tavern Cicek Pasaji is a traditional brasserie known as a meyhane and a great place to eat cheap food, sip beer and listen to impromptu live music.
3. Hamdi Restaurant
A local institution with sweeping views of the city, this is a good place to start your culinary journey of the city. Its famous for its kebap dishes but also has a devastatingly good haydari (a yoghurt, roasted eggplant and garlic dip) large puffy fresh bread, and the best humus I may have ever tasted. Enter through the ground floor baklava shop
4. The Blue Mosque
Built as an architectural response to the spectacular Aya Sofia, the Blue Mosque is generally considered the lesser of the two, but why choose? The six minarets rise high into the sky and act as a landmark for wayward tourists. Its profile is postcard perfect from every angle and the inside must be seen to be believed. Allow plenty of time for gazing heavenward at the tile work with mouth agape.
5. Aya Sofia
Originally built as a Byzantine church then later re-commissioned as a mosque it’s now a museum whose Christian mosaics of uncommon beauty were only recently uncovered with painstaking care. The many layers of history on view are an apt metaphor for the city outside its glorious domed ceiling.
via 10 Things to Do in Istanbul. PART 1