Day 1 - 19 Nov 2014 (Wed)
We departed KLIA at 12.30 am on Malaysia Airlines and arrived at Istanbul at 5.45 am. Our transfer van from the airport took half an hour to our hotel Seven Hills Hotel ( www.sevenhillshotel.com ) situated in the old part of the city. As our room was not ready yet, we were ushered to the roof-top restaurant for breakfast. The restaurant overlook the Sultan Ahmet Mosque or Blue Mosque on one side and Hagia Sophia on the other.It also has a commanding view of the city and the Bhosphorous sea. Four Seasons Hotel which was previously a prison, with its saffron-coloured walls, is just next door. And from our vantage point we could also see an excavation site next to Hagia Sophia.We had a leisurely breakfast, after which we checked into our rooms and freshened up.
At 11 am we were ready to see the city. A 5- minute walk took us to Hagia Sophia. The last time we came we did not managed to enter the building as it was under restoration.This time around it was open to the public.The entrance ticket was TL 30 per pax. Hagia Sophia is an important monument for the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. The word itself means Shrine of The Holy of God. It was once a church and later converted to a mosque and now remains as a museum.Inside we admired the central high dome measuring some 102 feet in diametre and 182 feet high and which formed the most outstanding feature of the building. The building has beautiful ceiling,intricate mosaic work, stained glass windows, mimbar with gold lattice work, Christian frescoes on the walls,library with beautiful wrought iron grill and multi-coloured marble slabs forming beautiful patchwork on the walls. The building looked deceivingly low from the outside but inside it's easily more than 10-storey high. This we discovered as we walked up the never-ending ramp from the ground floor to the first floor gallery. From here we were able to admire the beauty of the building from a different angle.
Leaving the museum we walked to the square with a fountain in the centre. This is a vantage point for photography, on one side we got a view of Hagia Sophia and on the opposite end The Blue Mosque.
Lunch was at Dervish Restaurant which cost us TL 65 for mixed grill and pomegranate juice. From there we walked to the Sultan Ahmet Mosque or better known as the Blue Mosque. We performed the solat sunat followed by jamak (combination of prayers) of Zohor and Asar.
The mosque was built in the 17th century during the reign of Sultan Ahmet 1. It is famous for its 6 minarets and is the only mosque with 6 minarets in Turkey. Inside, its main feature is the amazing central dome flanked by 4 half domes. The interior is lined by 20000 beautiful hand-made ceramic tiles and has a blue hue, thus the reference to it as The Blue Mosque. It has 200 beautiful stained-glass windows from which sunlight reflected in. Calligraphy in the form of verses of the Quran decorated the ceiling. We spent some time sitting on the velvety red carpet and looking up to admire the beauty of the mosque and enjoyed the serenity of the place oblivious to the tourist passing by.
We went back to the hotel for a rest and had dinner of grilled fish at the hotel's roof-top restaurant. From here the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia looked mystical and beautiful basked in the evening lights.
Day 2 - 20 Nov 2014 (Thursday)
We had a leisurely breakfast at the roof-top restaurant. The sun was out and so we had a nice view of Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Bhosphorous.
We proceeded to the Topkapi Palace Museum which was a 5-minute walk away from the hotel. Entrance fee to the former palace turned into a museum ,was TL 30 per pax. We walked through the beautiful garden,the ground covered by autumn leaves.Our first stop was the kitchen building which showcased kitchen utensils and dining ware from China,France, Russia, Poland, Germany and Japan. These were gifts to the Sultan by foreign dignitaries. Some were with Quranic inscriptions and others were beautifully adorned with intricate designs and motifs of flowers,animals and Arabic writings and with beautiful colours and gilded.
Next we went to the Section on Sacred Trust. It contained artifacts of religious significance to the Muslim world like beard,foot print,sword and bow,clock and container for Holy mantle of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), scepter of Prophet Moses (pbuh), sword of The Prophet's companions, key and repentance door of the Kaabah, rim of Hajar Aswad (holy stone of the Kaabah) and Golden Shower of the Kaabah. It was a very moving experience to see and read about these and other religious relics. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos of them.But this section of the museum is certainly a must-see for every Muslim tourist.
The Treasury Section that we visited next made me went goo-goo gaa-gaa. It contained priceless items such as goblets, cups,flasks,jugs, daggers,throne,cradle encrusted in jewels and gold. There were jewellery of gold and silver with precious stones like jade,diamonds,rubies and emeralds the size I have never seen before,some bigger than an egg. There were also numerous medals conferred to the Sultan by various foreign dignitaries. Here too no photography was allowed.
My eyes were still blinded by all the sparkle when we browsed through the section showcasing the royal clothing including kaftans and capes made of silk in floral and colourful hues.
We stopped for lunch at the museum cafe and had a sandwich, salad,choc mousse and coffee which cost us TL 85. As we ate our lunch the view of the Bhosphorous through the glass window was wintry,cold and gloomy with a drizzle.
After lunch we browsed through the Imperial Council hall with ornate grill gates and ceilings in elaborate motifs. Here there is a section housing clocks of all types -table clocks,standing clocks,pockets clocks. From this area we wanted to visit the harem section but unfortunately it closed at 4 pm. We stopped at the museum shop before heading back to our hotel for a rest.
Dinner was at Mesale Restaurant where we had kebabs and were entertained by live Turkish music and a twirling Dervish performance.
Day 3 - 21 November (Friday)
After a leisurely breakfast hosted by the very friendly Mustafa ,we walked through some narrow streets with wooden houses and shops painted in bright colours. Then to the Hippodrome which is a square which featured three monuments : The Walled Obelisk, The Serpent Column and the Egyptian Obelisk (Obelisk of Theodosius). The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque formed a beautiful backdrop to the square.
From there we walked along streets with shops selling cakes and sweets,Turkish food and salads, jewelry and carpets. I went back to rest at the hotel while Roslan went to perform the Friday prayers at the Blue mosque. After that we had lunch at Baran Ottoman Kitchen where a meal of one rice and one dish cost TL 15. I had barley cooked in spices with minced meat and aubergine, Roslan had buttered rice and chicken.
From there it was a good walk to the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest covered markets in the world. It has 60 streets and over 5000 shops selling souvenirs,leather goods,pashmina,gold and silver jewelry and carpets.It has been an important trade centre since 1461 and a tour of Turkey would not be complete without a visit to the Bazaar. It is easy to get lost inside the bazaar so keep your bearing.Browsing through the labyrinth of shops was fun as we take in the colours,aroma and sound of people haggling. You can spend the whole day there if you have time.
On our way back we stopped at Cozy pub for Turkish coffee at TL 17 for 2 pax. Dinner that night was at Baran 2 and we had beef goulash, mushroom and bread with tea which cost us TL 27. On the way back we stopped at a pastry shop to buy the mouth-watering strawberry tart for TL 11 a piece.
Day 4 - 22 November (Saturday)
After breakfast we walked to the Big Bus stop near Hagia Sophia and paid TL 180 for 2 tickets on the hop-on hop-off bus which was valid for 2 days. It was gloomy,freezing cold and drizzling. So we decided to just sit in the comfort and warmth of the bus as it meandered through the city,passing through places of interest such as river cruise pier and the New Mosque and over the Galata bridge. It passed Istanbul Modern Art, Dolmabahce Mosque and onwards over the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge crossing the Bosphorus to the Asian side of Turkey, passing the Beylerbeyi Palace.The bus then made a turn back to wards the European side again and when we reached Taksim Square we decided to alight and walked through the main shopping street, browsing through the shops and malls. Turkish people are very charming and it's easy to be seduced to spend money. Lunch was at Mado comprising of chicken village pizza and red berry juice.
We hopped on the bus from here and stopped at the Egyptian Spice Bazaar with dozens of shops selling all kinds of spices, nuts,dried fruits, sweets,coffee,souvenirs and even jewelry. We bought honeycomb at TL 65 per kilo. By the time we left the market it was already dark. We hopped on the last bus back to the hotel.
Our transport fetched us at 8 pm to Sultana's restaurant for dinner and a belly dance show ( www.sultanas-nights.com ). As I ate my dinner I noticed that the men were transfixed on the belly dancers and seemed to be enjoying that instead of the food and I am sure the drool I noticed was not because of the food !
Day 5 - 23 November (Sunday)
After breakfast we walked to the Big Bus stop. It was again cloudy and freezing cold with a drizzle. We were certainly not prepared for the cold. We took the Blue line passing the Patriarchate, St Steven's church,cable car station,Miniaturk model village and transport museum.We didn't leave the bus because of the weather until it made its way back when we stopped at the spice market again. We bought nuts,Turkish delights, Turkish coffee and souvenirs.
We walked through narrow streets on an incline until we reached the main road. We then had lunch at Loti,a lamb kebab and tea costing TL 40.
After lunch we decided to visit the Basilica Cistern not knowing what it was and half expecting it to be a church of some sort. We had to pay an entrance fee of TL 20 per pax. As it turned out we were pleasantly surprised to find that its an amazing underground water storage system which is 9800 sq metres in size with 336 columns. Two of them had Medusa heads, one upside down and one reclining.It has a capacity to store 100000 tons of water.The lighting cast a beautiful and mystical air to the place. We also took opportunity to play dress-up in Turkish Royal clothes.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped for fresh pomegranate juice at TL 5 per cup.
Dinner was at Pasha Restaurant where we had lamb and chicken cooked in a clay pot over fire plus rice ,baked potatoes and vegie at TL 79.
Day 6 - 24 November (Monday)
After breakfast with plenty of Turkish coffee and Turkish tea we headed to Arasta bazaar for last minute shopping. We left the hotel at 11.30 am after saying an emotional goodbye to our gracious and super friendly hotel manager. Goodbye Istanbul, we shall come again.
