Tag: Istanbul

How to find local experiences in Istanbul

Of course when you go to Istanbul, Turkey you’ll be drawn to the ancient sites and Ottoman history in Sultanhamet – the old part of the city. However, many career breakers are looking for more local connections and experiences the longer they travel. If you are looking for local experiences and a chance to escape the tourist crowds in Istanbul – here’s how!

Local Markets

Skip the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar and if you really want to go local – then head to the Sunday market in Tarlabasi. Just down the hill from the glitz of Istiklal Street is what many locals might refer to the ‘wrong side of the tracks.’ This is a neighborhood that has not quite succumbed to gentrification yet – but I’m pretty sure in a few years it will look very different. However, if you are looking for an authentic experience – this is it. I spent a few hours at this market shopping for produce and taking photos. Every single vendor and person there were a joy to interact with. I was constantly stopped and asked if I would take a photo or simply try food – as a foreign traveler, I was definitely in the minority. Plus the best part is that I walked away with bags of produce and only spent about $10 US.

Local Getaway

Go where the locals go to escape the loud, crowded streets of Istanbul – Princes’ Islands. It’s a short 50 minute ferry ride to the string of 4 islands – Kınalıada, Burgazada, Heybeliada and Büyükada. Ferries depart from Bostancı, Kartal and Maltepe on the Asian side, and from Kabataş on the European side and cost about 2 Turkish Lira per ride ($1.10 US). During the Byzantine period, princes and other royalty were exiled to the islands which is why they are referred to as Princes’ Islands. But these days it’s a pleasure to escape to these islands where little seafood restaurants dot the perimeters and there is no motorized traffic. You’ll hear (and smell) plenty of horses, though, as horse and buggy are the main forms of transportation for people. Go spend a day at the islands and soak up what it’s like to be a local Istanbulite escaping the city!

If you really want to experience the local life on the islands, then go out on a weekday as the islands are filled with the people who live there as opposed to just Istanbul day trippers that head to the islands on the weekends.

Go to the Outskirts

Most tourists stay in Sultanhamet and Beyoglu – but if you want to get really local then venture out further past the old city walls! I took a very in depth walking tour of the Balat and Eyüp neighborhoods and quickly realized that they had a completely different vibe then what I had so far experienced in Istanbul. Most notably the Eyüp Mosque is one of the most sacred places in Istanbul. The mosque of Eyüp is a place of pilgrimage for Muslims from ancient times. In addition, Eyüp has some of the most spectacular views of the city and Golden Horn if you ride the cable car up the hill. Tourists seldom get to this part of the city.

In addition, if you want to see modern Istanbul then head to the Cevahir Mall and neighborhood just a short metro ride past Taksim. There, you will be amazed by what modern Istanbul is really like – businessmen and women in suits, chain stores, and even an amusement park inside the mall. I rented this room in an apartment behind the mall and seldom saw another tourist around!

Take Opportunities

Lose your shyness and take any opportunities you can to meet locals as odds are you will end up with a new friend who will take you around to their favorite places and share their favorite foods. Before I went to Istanbul I reached out to friends who had been there before to see if they could introduce me to any local contacts they had. I ended up meeting 3 or 4 different locals through this course of action and had my own personal tour guides to Istanbul! The Turks are extremely kind and excited to show you their city and culture, so be sure to take advantage of your connections.

Stay Local

I stayed in a couple different neighborhoods while renting apartments through Wimdu. Each neighborhood had something different to offer – but each also had one thing that was the same – a real local culture that I quickly became immersed in. Wimdu has all kinds of neighborhood choices in European and Asian Istanbul that get you out of the tourist areas and hotels and into real neighborhoods. Plus, by staying in an apartment, I was lucky enough to meet the apartment manager, Fatih, who also showed me around the neighborhood and made sure I knew where the market and restaurants were.

Local Transport

Skip the taxis whose drivers seldom speak English and rarely get you to your desired destination. Instead get comfortable using local public transport. Get an Istanbul Card and it will be your gateway to buses, ferries, trams, metros, and funiculars. The transportation system in Istanbul can seem confusing as there are so many options and none really connect exactly with each other – but they all do work together to get you across the city. In the evenings around 6PM the trams can be very crowded with locals going home from work – but it’s a fun experience to see and interact with the commuters!

By going more local in Istanbul, your time there will be more rewarding and you’ll leave Turkey feeling as if you know more about the modern day culture of this fascinating country and city!

Disclosure: Sherry Ott was a guest of Wimdu.co.uk during her stay in Istanbul. However all of the opinions expressed here are her own.

via How to find local experiences in Istanbul | Briefcase to Backpack – Travel Advice for Career Breaks or Sabbaticals.

November 29, 2012
Young Africans now to pitch camp in Istanbul

By Majuto Omary

The Citizen Reporter

Dar es Salaam. Mainland giants Young Africans will now step up their preparations for the second round of the Vodacom Premier League by pitching a camp in Turkey instead of South Africa, as earlier announced.

The club’s competitions committee chairman, Abdallah bin Kleb, confirmed yesterday that plans were on for the team to depart for Istanbul for a two-week camp ahead of the decisive round.

“Preparations and logistics for the trip are afoot. We expect to leave for Turkey on December 27,’ said Kleb.

He said the team’s technical bench would name players who will make the trip two or three days before their departure.

“Our decision to camp in Istanbul, Turkey, instead of South Africa stems from the fact that at that time the South African football authorities will be busy with preparations for the 2012 Africa Nations Cup finals,” he said.

He voiced optimism that the training stint in Turkey would give the Jangwani Street boys the exposure they need ahead of the second round.

“We expect to play a series of build-up matches against top teams in Turkey during our two-week stay in Istanbul,” he said. He fell short of naming the sides.

However, this is not the first time Yanga publicise their European camping plans and end up camping in the country or neighbouring countries. Before the kickoff of the 2012/13 they said the same and did the opposite – they flew to Kigali for a two-week training.

Kleb said their target was to wrest the league title from their arch-rivals Simba when the race for the Mainland’s soccer supremacy comes to an end in May next year.

The Kagame Cup champions top the 14-team league with 29 points from 13 matches, six points ahead of title-holders Simba and five ahead of second-placed Azam FC.

via Young Africans now to pitch camp in Istanbul.

November 27, 2012
36 Hours In…Istanbul
Turkey’s biggest city is a unique mix of Europe and Asia, ancient and modern, piety and hedonism – and it’s still warm enough to lunch outside, says Terry Richardson.
Overview

Istanbul Hotels

36 Hours In…Istanbul

Attractions

Restaurants

Nightlife

Shopping

Itineraries
Why go now?

It is an excellent time to visit this booming metropolis, standing boldly astride the Bosphorus Strait dividing Europe and Asia. On the best days it’s still warm enough to stroll around the old city’s Byzantine and Ottoman Turkish architectural treasures in shirt sleeves, or sip sweet black tea from a tulip-shaped glass in the open courtyard of a 300-year-old medrese.

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On the worst, part with a couple of quid for a brolly from a street vendor and dodge showers between sights as varied as the monumental Blue Mosque and the eerily illuminated depths of the Basilica Cistern.

On the best days it’s still warm enough to stroll around Istanbul in shirt sleeves

Alamy

With a host of places to visit in the old city and, across the Golden Horn in the buzzing entertainment quarter of Beyoglu, myriad shops, galleries, cinemas, clubs and live music venues, there’s always something to do, whatever the weather.

After a couple of days in exotic Istanbul, you’ll see why it has proven a favoured location for Bond film directors, with From Russia with Love, The World is Not Enough and Skyfall all paying homage to one of the world’s great cities.

Getting there

Turkish Airlines (0844 800 666; turkishairlines.com) flies from Birmingham, Heathrow, Manchester and Gatwick; easyJet (0905 821 8905; easyjet.com) from Luton; Turkish carrier Pegasus (0845 0848 980; flypgs.com) flies from Stansted. Flights take three and a half hours.

Where to stay

Special treat: Travellers can explore the sometimes frenetic city from a tranquil Bosphorus-front base at the A’jia Hotel (Halide Edip Adıvar Cd 27, 0216 413 9300), combining 19th-century charm with contemporary chic. With its own water-taxi service. Doubles from £219.

In summer, take a table on the open air terrace and watch the ships go by

Mid-range: There are boutique hotels aplenty but, in a very understated way, the Ibrahim Pasha Hotel (1) (Terzihane Sok 7, 0212 518 0394) – just a short walk from the Blue Mosque – is perhaps the best. Doubles from £118.

On a budget: Büyük Londra Hotel (2) (Mesrutiyet Cd 53, 0212 245 0670), known in its late-Ottoman heyday as the Grand Hotel des Londres, is ideal for those seeking some serious fin de siècle atmosphere in the heart of buzzing Beyoglu. Doubles from £35.

On arrival

7pm

Assuming you are staying, as the vast majority of first-timers do, in the old city, your best bet for an aperitif may well be your hotel. Many have roof bars with superb views of iconic buildings like the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, and panoramas over the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus. If you’re bereft of your own terrace, try the roof bars of the Pierre Loti Hotel (Piyer Loti Cd 1) or Nomade Hotel (Ticarethane Sok 15).

8.30pm

Now to dinner. Tucked away up a cobbled side street just off Sultanahmet’s main drag, Divan Yolu, is Khorasani (3) (Ticarethane Sk 39/41; 0212 519 5959 ; khorasani restaurant.com). The speciality is that most Turkish of foods, the kebab. Here several varieties are grilled to perfection over charcoal and served up with great ovals of the thin, unleavened bread, lavas. Meze, or starters, are delicious, too, with dips like muhamara, a spicy blend of breadcrumbs, walnuts and hot pepper. A mixed-kebab plate for two is £20.

Day one

10am

The only way is up if you begin your day in the subterranean depths of the Basilica Cistern (4) (Yerebatan Sarnıcı; daily, £3.50), a 1,500-year-old building supported by 336 columns. Don’t miss the twin blocks carved into snake-haired Medusas, or the carp idling in the shallow waters.

11am

Right across from the cistern is the greatest single building in a city full of wonders, the Hagia Sophia (5) or Aya Sofya (www.ayasofyamuzesi.gov.tr; £8.70, closed Mondays). It was a church, then a mosque and is now a museum; standing beneath its 55m-high dome is a humbling experience. Look out for superb mosaics of Christ, the Virgin Mary and Byzantine emperors – and the Viking graffiti scratched on the balustrade of the south gallery. Neighbouring the Hagia Sophia is the breath-taking Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque, a working mosque which makes for a great visit (voluntary donation, closed to non-worshippers during five daily prayers).

The Hagia Sophia – the greatest single building in a city full of wonders

1pm

A couple of minutes walk away on Divan Yolu is Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi (6) (0212 520 0566), where the speciality is grilled meatballs dished up with a white-bean salad and spicy tomato sauce. It’s good value (mains around £5.20) and attracts as many locals as tourists.

When travelling to Beyoglu from the old city, take the tram to Karaköy and follow signs in the underpass to Tünel, the 19th-century underground funicular, which will whisk you uphill to the southern end of Istiklal Caddesi, Beyoglu’s main street.

2pm

The four courtyards and plethora of buildings and pavilions that make up the Topkapı Palace complex (7) (www.topkapisarayi.gov.tr; £8.70, closed Tuesdays in winter) are a whole afternoon’s entertainment. This was the nerve centre of the mighty Ottoman Turkish empire. Suitably grandiose, it’s superbly located on the tip of the peninsula on which the old city stands. Several museums, featuring such treasures as the famed Topkapı Dagger and a hair from the Prophet Mohammed, dot the complex, and there’s a café with great views across the Bosphorus.

The Topkapı Palace

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8pm

Head across the Golden Horn to hedonistic Beyoglu and Gurme Boncuk restaurant (8) (Asmalımescit Sok 29; 0212 245 3170) , a lively, traditional Armenian-Turkish meyhane (tavern) where you can enjoy an all-inclusive feast (including alcoholic drinks) for £30. There’s cold meze, and hot starters including kalamari, followed by grilled fish. It’s a great place to try the aniseed spirit raki, Turkey’s alcoholic drink.

Day two

10am

Take the tram to the Pazartekke stop and walk a section of the fifth-century Land Walls of Theodosius, a fortification that kept Constantinople’s foes at bay for more than a thousand years, to the Kariye Museum (kariye.muze.gov.tr; £5.20). This late-Byzantine gem, once the Church of St Saviour in Chora, is adorned with a collection of mosaics, some of which tell biblical tales in near-graphic novel style.

Noon

Take an early lunch in the lovely garden of the Asitane restaurant (Kariye Camii Sok 6; 0212 635 7997; asitanerestaurant.com; mains from £8.70). Attached to the Kariye Hotel, right next door to the museum, it’s justly renowned for recreating Ottoman Turkish dishes. Walk off lunch with a half-hour stroll to the wall’s end on the Golden Horn. At Ayvansaray Pier catch a ferry (£1) to the Galata Bridge (9).

City checklist

Istanbul’s equivalent of an Oyster card, the Istanbulkart saves the hassle of buying tokens (jeton; £1) every time you travel. You save a shade over 30p per journey after loading the card – it can be used on the tram, metro, buses, ferries, funiculars and suburban trains.

You’d be ill-advised to hire a car as accidents are frequent, signposting is poor and parking difficult.

Plenty of Turks drink alcohol. However, drunken behaviour is frowned upon and may land you in trouble with the police.

Read Terry Richardson’s complete Istanbul city break guide

more : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/turkey/istanbul/articles/istanbul-travel-guide/
November 22, 2012
University researchers take part in study of Ancient Istanbul

Istanbul – The Hagia Sophia

Image: Greenwich Photography

A team partly made up of British researchers, including some from the University of Edinburgh, opened an exhibition on Friday 9 November to display their work mapping the enormous network of ancient aqueducts, cisterns and channels under and around Istanbul.

The 20-year project, led by Professor James Crow of the University of Edinburgh archaeology department, began with the investigation of an ancient wall near Istanbul. It then moved on to mapping the network of aqueducts and channels that transported water to and around ancient Constantinople in the fourth century AD and for several centuries after.

Using GPS and satellite imagery above ground, the team of Turkish and British researchers mapped the enormous system of 160 cisterns under Istanbul, by far the largest of the ancient world, and the channels that delivered water to it.

Mr Riley Snyder, who is finishing a doctorate at the University of Edinburgh this year and is currently working in Ankara, was responsible for determining the nature and scale of material used. The channels, cut into hillsides and covered to protect the water, are about 1.5m across and up to 2m high and “composed of a combination of sand, crushed brick and lime… [that] created water-tight and significantly stronger structures,” Mr Snyder said.

Mr Snyder estimates that the extensive stone waterways and aqueduct bridges are 501km in length, only one kilometre short of the combined length of the 11 aqueducts that supplied ancient Rome with water.

“The total stone necessary for the construction was equivalent to the Great Pyramid of Giza, around 2.5 million cubic metres.” The scale and technological sophistication of the construction, in a period generally believed to be one of decline in construction, “shows we have much more work to do,” said Mr. Snyder.

“We sort of vaguely knew they were there,” said Professor Crow of the channels, noting that very little had been published about the system when he began work on an ancient wall in the area in 1994 while a teacher at the University of Newcastle, “they’re not in tourist books or anything.”

Professor Crow sees the potential for sustainable tourism at the sites as part of a conservation effort; “the structures are recognised but they’re not properly protected.” To this end he hopes that the exhibition, hosted by the Istanbul Research Centre for Anatolian Civilisations and housed on one of Istanbul’s busiest thoroughfares, will increase public awareness of the structures.

via University researchers take part in study of Ancient Istanbul » The Journal.

November 22, 2012
Prelude to Istanbul

By Yomna El-Saeed

Freelance Writer- Egypt

Monday, 19 November 2012 00:00

Istanbul is the largest and most populous city in Turkey.

I spent a week in Istanbul. In this week, my shopping mission was accomplished, my childish dream of eating turkey in Turkey was made true, but my plan to discover the city was far away from being even half achieved. I saw a lot, enjoyed a lot, and missed much!

Istanbul is a big city in which every corner, every site has its own long story that is linked to the country’s history. It’s Turkey’s cultural, historical, and economic heart.

Istanbul is the largest and most populous city in Turkey. It’s the second-largest international gateway, after Antalya, receiving about quarter of the country’s foreign tourists.

When it was named a “European Capital of Culture” in 2010, Istanbul welcomed seven million tourists; making the city the world’s tenth most popular tourist destination.The city’s biggest draw is its historic center “Istanbul Old City”; partially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Istanbul is also the city of cultural hodgepodge. If you’re European, Asian, Middle Eastern, Arab or Muslim, you’ll definitely find more than one reason to relate to it.

The Turkish language is immensely affected by the Arabic language. Mosques are everywhere and Adhan is easily heard in many places. The food that tourists eat in Turkey like Shawerma (originally Levantine not Turkish), Kofte (Middle Eastern not Turkish), Simit, and Baklava, and drinking Turkish coffee, are all famous and available in the Arab countries. But all these “Arabic” manifestations had a European flavor, which made every previously mentioned item feel new to me!

My first impression about Istanbul? It’s ancient, beautiful, and vibrant.

It’s very affluent with history, architecture, mosques, and shopping malls.

Three Empires, Two Continents

Throughout history, this Istanbul was the capital of three empires; Byzantine, Roman, and Ottoman Empires.

It’s also one of very few cities of the whole world that lies in two continents; Asia and Europe.

It straddles the Bosphorus strait, one of the globe’s busiest waterways with many ships, ferries and oil tankers going through it, that separates Asia from Europe and links the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.

The tourist industry is intense in the European side of the city; that ninety percent of the city’s hotels are located there.

There are two bridges that link European Istanbul and Asian Istanbul, called the first and the second Bosphorus bridges. These bridges are lightened at night to make them look very beautiful and attractive. And Romantic!

There are two bridges that link European Istanbul and Asian Istanbul, called the first and the second Bosphorus bridges.

Bosphorus Strait Cruise

Each and every tourist of Istanbul wants to—and should—take a Bosphorus cruise, trip up the 32 km (20-mile)-long strait.

During this Cruise, one enjoys seeing the architectural and cultural treasures that lie along the shores, the balanced mixture of old and modern (16th century mansions and 20th century suspended bridges) and the Grand Ottoman palaces and historic fortresses. Not to mention the soft breeze and the lungful of unpolluted oxygen one does enjoy.

When I was there I discovered “The Golden Horn”; a small bay which, with Marmara Sea, divides the European side of Istanbul into Old Istanbul and Modern Istanbul.

I found Istanbul to have more and more miles of waterfronts, boats and bridges than I imagined. Very beautiful!

The street is very addictive, I walked in there almost every day of my trip, utilizing the fact that my hotel is quite close to it.

Taksim Square

My hotel was in Taksim Square; the heart of modern Istanbul. This square is a major shopping and tourist attraction that is famous for its restaurants, shops and hotels. At the heart of Taqsim is the Monument of the republic.

The Monument of the Republic is an 11 m (36 ft.) high monument that commemorates the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. It portrays the founders of the Turkish Republic, depicting Mostafa Kemal Atatürk and his men.

The monument was also erected to challenge the remnants of taboos that had existed from Ottoman era that restricted the depiction of the human form and the compliance with the Sharia of Islam. It’s an important site, where official ceremonies on national holidays are being held.

“Taksim” is an Arabic word which means: division and/or distribution. The history of Taksim square dates back to the Ottoman Empire, when it was the point where the main water lines from the north of Istanbul were collected to be divided and distributed to other parts of the city. The square took its name from the huge stone reservoir which is located in this area.

One of both sides of Istklal Street starts at Taksim square. Istklal is Arabic word which means independence. It is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul. It’s an elegant three kilometers long busy pedestrian street that is visited by nearly 3 million people in a single day over the course of weekends.

Throughout this street you can find everything; stores of major global brands, branches of McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks, Subway, Turkish restaurants and cafés, , historical patisseries, chocolatiers, boutiques, bookstores, art galleries, cinemas, theaters, money exchange, libraries, tattoo salons, music equipment stores and street musicians. The street is surrounded by Ottoman Empire era buildings. It’s the liveliest and the most cosmopolitan place I’ve seen in Istanbul.

The street is very addictive, I walked in there almost every day of my trip, utilizing the fact that my hotel is quite close to it. I preferred walking in it and do more surfing in its shops than sitting and enjoying in any café or even trying its tram. So beware!

My first impression about Istanbul? It’s ancient, beautiful, and vibrant.

It’s very affluent with history, architecture, mosques, and shopping malls.

Actually, it’s affluent with everything. I also found it to be more European than Middle Eastern, and way more secular than Islamic.

November 20, 2012
Istanbul by sea

Days before our ship, the MSC Divina, docked in Istanbul there had been anti-American demonstrations in the city and elsewhere in the country. A State Department memo cautioned American visitors to beware.

As fate would have it on the very day of our arrival, Oct. 3, five persons were killed by Syrian forces’ gunfire in a Turkish border town, touching off cries for revenge and adding fuel to the Mideast tinderbox.

The reaction wasn’t immediately apparent, though.

We learned of the incident after returning to the Divina (Italian for “divine”) from the legendary Grand Bazaar.

Strolling in and around the 2,600-shop, covered bazaar, my wife and I found only beckoning smiles, a few spirited sales pitches and thousands of other curious tourists like us. No real bargains or apparent anti-American feeling, though.

Near the bazaar we accepted a seemingly pleasant street merchant’s invitation to get a panoramic view of the city and take photos from the roof of his four-story furniture and art objects emporium. There was no buying pressure. Up we went in the elevator, and what you mostly saw was a sea of dark, weathered roofs and a faraway mosque dome.

A smoky, carbon-smelling haze hung over the congested, vehicle-packed city of 13.5 million residents and nearly 3,000 active mosques.

Unfortunately, of all the 20,000 taxis in the city, we got into one with an overly aggressive driver. After handing him the agreed 20 euros ($27 at $1.35 per euro) for the 20-minute drive from the bazaar to the port, he demanded more money and tried to snatch some bills from my wallet. Pushing away his hand, I quickly folded and pocketed the wallet, flung open the cab door and we made a fast exit.

Driving off, he muttered words we couldn’t understand. Didn’t sound like a thank-you, though.

Istanbul was the fourth of five major cities in four countries we visited during the seven-day Mediterranean cruise. Earlier, we had taken in Venice and Bari in Italy; the Greek island of Katakolon, where the first Olympic games are believed to have originated; and Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city which has an active Jewish community of 2,600 and seven synagogues.

via Istanbul by sea | The Asbury Park Press NJ | app.com.

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November 19, 2012