SULTANAHMET, THE HISTORIC CENTER
Sultanahmet, the historic center
Sultanahmet is the neighborhood that includes the historic peninsula of the city, that original nucleus founded by the Greeks which in the following centuries would become the center of power of two of the largest empires on the planet: this is enough to understand the reason for so much tourist influx in this small part of the city, considered the starting point of a visit to Istanbul.
Having chosen a hotel near the Marmaray train station, once the final destination of the famous and sumptuous Orient Express, we passed through Sultanahmet several times in the evening, where we can fully benefit from the tranquility of the pedestrian area surrounding Topkapi and the Hagia Sophia Basilica.
Plan a full day or two half days to visit Sultanahmet, but consider that if you also wanted to include visits to less famous museums and monuments, a week would not be enough! We visited the historical monuments in the order listed below, and we hope it will help you plan your trip to Istanbul!
1) Topkapi. Chosen as the first stop early in the morning, it requires at least 3-4 hours of visit.
2) Saint Irene. It is located inside the walls of Topkapi, in the first courtyard, and takes another half hour.
3) Hagia Sophia, the jewel of Byzantine architecture, is located in a southerly direction and requires another hour of visit, excluding the queue at the entrance.
4) Basilica Cistern. After years of restoration and structural consolidation, it was reopened in July 2022, just 15 days before our arrival in the city. It requires an hour's visit, always excluding queues at the entrance. We recommend purchasing the ticket online to access the basilica using a faster queue.
5) Blue Mosque, located south of Hagia Sophia. Unfortunately when we visited it, it was undergoing restoration.
6) Roman Hippodrome. Square next to the Blue Mosque, with 2 Roman columns and the Egyptian obelisk in the centre.
7) Cistern of Theodosius. Miniature version of the Cisterna basilica, where they offer a show of lights projected onto the water and the columns. It requires an hour's visit, always excluding queues at the entrance.
PS: for those who have more time we also recommend visiting the Sokollu mosque (Sokullu Mehmet Paşa Camii), with some magnificent ceramics inside.
Topkapi
Built in the highest part of the promontory of the historic peninsula, the Topkapi palace housed the sultan and the entire court, symbolizing the center of power of the great Ottoman empire: it was actually an imperial citadel inside the city, where the court life of the Ottoman Empire took place. era. It is divided into many sections, each of which has a story to tell.
First Court and Saint Irene
The palace is accessed by crossing a mighty imperial door, and once inside you find yourself in the first courtyard, where in the center there is a large park. The ticket offices are located at the bottom on the right, while at the entrance, on the left, there is the ancient church of Santa Irene, which can be visited with an additional ticket. The Byzantine church, bare but very suggestive, was the first church in Constantinople, and is thought to have been built on the foundations of a pagan temple. After the conquest by the Ottoman Empire it became a depot for the armory of the Janissaries (the elite soldiers of the empire). The apse houses a large painted cross.
Second court
Once you have purchased the ticket you enter the second courtyard of the palace, where there are:
The museum of imperial kitchens, a place where 1500 people including cooks and support staff once fed the gluttony of the sultan and the royal court.
The armory museum, which houses reconstructions and original uniforms and weapons of the time.
The famous Divan, so called because a sofa ran along the walls of the room, on which the sultan's advisors discussed laws and interventions on imperial policies. The sultan could listen to the entire meeting from behind a grate, called “the sultan's eye”. The hall is painted with arabesque motifs and features the famous Iznik ceramics.
Third court
After passing through the "door of happiness" you enter the throne room, where the sultan awaits the outcome of the Divan meetings, and decides whether to approve or reject the council's proposals. Moving inside pavilions and rooms finely decorated with artistic motifs of great value that will leave you amazed, it is possible to visit:
The treasure room, where the “Topkapi dagger” decorated with three enormous emeralds and the “Spoonmaker” diamond, the fifth largest in the world, dominate all the relics and jewels.
The pavilion of the sacred cloak, where the most important relics of the prophet Muhammad and the first caliphs are kept. Once upon a time this room was reserved only for the sultan's close circle.
Fourth court
The fourth court is made up of pleasant gardens and pavilions, with the most beautiful behind the tulip garden of Ahmed III. Here too, as in the third courtyard, there are glazed ceramics, decorations and valuable architectural geometries, worthy of a sultan. The marble basin and fountain tell scenes of celebrations of Sultan Ibrahim I, known as the Mad, who remained psychologically unstable after being locked up for 22 years in the "Cage" (some areas of the Menagerie, which we will talk about shortly). Consider that in an act of jealousy and extreme madness he ordered the drowning of all 280 concubines in the Bosphorus.
Menagerie
Over 400 rooms form the Seraglio, or Harem, or the private rooms reserved for the sultan, the sultan's mother and wives, odalisques and children.
The private rooms were accessed via the court of the black eunuchs, the faithful protectors of the Harem, the guards chosen among the most fearsome in the entire empire. The largest and most sumptuous room is obviously that of the emperor, covered in 16th century Iznik glazed ceramics.
Under the sultan's private quarters there is also an indoor swimming pool, with taps for cold and hot water, a true luxury for the time. Other interesting notes can be seen upon entering Ahmed III's dining room, whose walls are lined with decorated wooden panels, and Ahmed I's library, whose windows look out over the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.
As mentioned in the fourth court, some rooms were reserved for the "Cage" (Kafes), the famous prison of the royal pretenders: history has it that, to prevent the fratricidal struggle to ascend the throne, Ahmed I established this golden prison in which they were once the father died, the younger brothers were locked away waiting to ascend the throne.
In the cage an entire harem of concubines cheered the prisoners with their company, for whom it was impossible to have contact with the outside world; precisely for this reason many went mad, and it can certainly be said that the adoption of this misleading system was one of the causes of the decline of the Ottoman empire.
Hagia Sophia - Aya Sofya
History
The basilica of Hagia Sophia was built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian after the Nika revolt of 532, on the rubble of a previous building located in the acropolis of Constantinople. The symbol of the empire was completed in just 5 years, with the enormous dome with a diameter of over 30 meters, something sensational for the time and subsequent ones.
The church was sacked by the crusaders in 1204, who took away everything that came into their hands; Muhammad II, known as the conqueror, however, during the Ottoman conquest of 1452 stopped the looting, had the relics removed and celebrated his first office there, transforming it into a mosque.
The splendid mosaics were thus covered, and were rediscovered and restored only centuries later.
Description
You enter the basilica through the Nartheci or vestibules, long corridors with cross vaults, which feature some of the mosaics. The building, once you enter the Nave, is impressive, with the very high and bright dome that gives a sense of peace and reveals all human ingenuity.
Take time to observe every sumptuous detail of this architectural masterpiece, and perhaps look for the legendary wailing column with miraculous properties, and the Omphalos, the circular marble slab on which the Byzantine emperor was crowned.
The thousand-year-old Byzantine Christian mosaics, truly unusual elements inside a mosque, symbol of the tolerance of Muhammad II and his successors towards the former Byzantine city, leave you breathless, making you transport your mind to ancient Rome.
Unfortunately at the time of our arrival the upper rooms were undergoing restoration.
Basilica Cistern - Yerebatan Sarnıcı
The submerged palace, or Basilica Cistern, probably built at the behest of Constantine and expanded by Justinian, was an integral part of Constantinople's water supply system.
The immense underground cistern, 140 meters long, 70 meters wide and with a capacity of 80,000 litres, is dotted with 336 columns, most of which have Corinthian capitals; two of these rest on two blocks sculpted with two heads of Medusa, probably remains of previous buildings.
Seeing the illuminated vaults while crossing the walkways is an experience absolutely worth doing! Another cistern that we visited is the Theodosius Cistern (Şerefiye Sarnıcı), inside which it is possible to witness a light show that rhythmically illuminates the underground.
Blu Mosque - Sultanahmet camii
With its imposing 6 minarets, the Blue Mosque dominates the skyline of old Istanbul, and is also one of the most visited attractions in the city. It was built under the reign of Sultanahmet I, determined to finish it at any cost, even bringing the kingdom close to bankruptcy after the unfortunate military campaigns in Austria and Persia.
The mosque also raised other criticisms because the 6 minarets were seen as a sacrilege towards the mosque in Mecca, the only one up to that period to possess that number. Unfortunately at the time of our visit the mosque was completely scaffolded for restoration, and for this reason the view of domes and vaults was denied to us, like the splendid blue Iznik ceramics from which it takes its name.
What you can notice once inside are the four immense pillars with a diameter of 5 meters, called "elephant's feet". To return once the restoration is completed (hoping that in the meantime you are luckier)!
Sokollu Mosque - (Sokullu Mehmet Paşa Camii)
Mosque built in the second half of the 16th century AD, it is located a stone's throw from the Blue Mosque. It is worth the visit because there are magnificent stained glass windows and refined blue Iznik ceramics that act as the main decorative motif.
Roman Hippodrome
What remains of the ancient Roman Hippodrome is a large open space called At Meydani (horse square). In the center there is an Egyptian obelisk from the dynasty of Thutmose III (16th century BC), which arrived in Constantinople under Theodosius I: it was supposed to be 60 meters high, but only the third visible today reached its destination.
On the same straight line of the obelisk, called spina, or the central line in the path of the chariots, is positioned the Serpentina column, which arrived in the city under Constantine, coming from the temple of Apollo of Delphi, raised in honor of the Greek victory over the Persians of Plataea in 479 BC.
A last column, or column of Constantine, closes the visit to this place, formerly the cultural center of Constantinople.
That's all! If you like this text or have any question, leave a comment below.
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