Istanbul Photowalk: Yedikule and Samatya

A couple weeks ago M and I went on another great photowalk with the Istanbul Language Exchange Club. It was unfortunately a very overcast day but that did not stop our enjoyment!

Ruins of a Byzantine hamam

Yedikule

I was particularly excited about this walk because, while I've driven by Yedikule a million times I've never actually been. Built in 1458, Yedikule, which means 'seven towers' in Turkish, takes up a corner of the old Byzantine wall and was used as a fortress, prison, and site of frequent executions. Now it's a park. It's totally where you want to have a picnic.

 

While bits and pieces of the fort have been restored, like much of the old wall, you can still see some of the original Greek inscriptions and Roman carvings. Near the fortress there is one city gate in particular through which only Roman soldiers were allowed to pass.

From Yedikule, which is near the Bosphorus, we walked farther inland roving through the small, mostly residential streets on our way to Samatya. Like a lot of Istanbul, the houses are a mix of collapsing buildings that were probably at one time amazing and ugly block buildings with the occasional hidden gem tucked away.

Samatya was a lot like those occasional gems-a small, charming neighborhood tucked into a grey, dirty big city. With colorful buildings, lively squares, relaxing cafes, and some of the city's best fish restaurants this neighborhood is worth the trouble of deeper exploration.

As we made our way towards Aksaray we stopped in one of the (surprisingly) many Armenian churches. This one, hidden in a courtyard behind high walls like most of Istanbul's Christian churches, used to be the Armenian Patriarchate. At first our group wasn't even allowed through the gate-we were told that we would scare the children (?!) but they changed their minds and allowed us in. Then after giving us permission to take pictures we were kicked out for taking pictures.

The Sultan's box up on the left

After a less than successful visit there we headed to one of Istanbul's Imperial Mosques which was a much friendlier place. Sadly somehow every single one of the pictures I took inside is blurry. They look like I was snapping the picture and spinning in circles at the same time.

Our last stop was another mosque. Not an imperial mosque this time, a brand new one-so new even that it's still not open. I have never seen a modern mosque like this one and while I think Istanbul has a few too many already, this one is a piece of modern architectural art that I wish were in a more easily accessible part of the city so that more people could appreciate it.

So another great walk during which we got to explore parts of the city we would otherwise never have seen!

Photo Walk: Gülhane to Karaköy

On Sunday I joined another photo walk run by Yas at the Istanbul Language Exchange Club. On the last walk I joined I discovered an area of the city I'd never even been to; this time I discovered hidden gems in areas I thought I new pretty well. I guess I was wrong!

 

We started our walk at the Gülhane tram stop, circling around the back of the Istanbul Governate to find the Hacı Beşirağa Camii. Built in 1745 this "new" mosque (new is a relative term in Turkey!) was quite different from any other mosque I've visited. For one thing, the women-only section is not only in the balcony but it has it's own entrance from outside the mosque. As our guide Yas pointed out I was lucky here as the balcony gave me better photo opportunities. The mosque is also decorated solely in shades of black and grey. My pictures look like they're black and white but I didn't use any filters-that's just what it looks like!

Privately-owned Byzantine cistern

Private prayer room for office workers

A twisty-turny walk that I likely couldn't replicate brought us to the Rustem Pasa Madrasa. Madrasas were outlawed in the 20s and while I think now some are reopening, many-like the Rustem Pasa Madrasa-are used as cultural centers where people can take classes in ebru (paper marbling), cooking, music, language, etc.

Syrian-style mosque & minaret

From there we continued our journey through the streets above Eminonu and down one of the many small side streets to peek into a barred window onto a privately owned Byzantine-era cistern. This would-be fantastic historic find is being used, for all things, as a private storage/junk container. Sigh.

Empty Eminonu streets

Europe's two sides viewed from Halic

Our wanderings took us to Eminonu where we pushed our way through the throngs along the Bosphorus and the balik emkmek boats to see the remains of a Roman tower. Once part of the city wall it was used as a dungeon and now houses the tombs of famous Muslim martyrs-including the originator of the name Ali Baba.

A view of Galata

In order to cross over to Karaköy we continued on foot towards Halic and crossed the Halic Metro Bridge on foot, taking advantage of the fantastic views of the European side of Istanbul. Once on the other side we came immediately upon a short section of wall. During the Ottoman Empire, the Genoese had control of much of the area that is now Karaköy, Galata, Beyoglu and surrounded it with their own wall.

Part of the old Genoese wall

Larger section of the Genoese wall

We crossed the main road that runs along the water Turkish-style playing chicken with traffic on both sides of the boulevard in order to follow the metro bridge up a blind alley. There we discovered a larger section of the Genoese wall complete with tower and the last remaining gate-the Burning Gate.

The Burning Gate in the Genoese wall

Passing through the gate we next made our way to the Arap Camii, or Arab Mosque. I've heard of this one but I've never been. I'm not even sure I could find it again, tucked away as it is in the depths of Karaköy. There are several stories attached to this mosque and I leave it to you to decide which you believe. The story on the mosque's information board says that it was built in 715, making it old even by Istanbul's standards and was converted to a Roman Catholic Church in the 14th Century when the bell tower (now minaret) was added and converted back to a mosque some hundred years later. If that is true then I think it is probably the only edifice in Turkey ever to have started as a mosque and then become a Christian church!

However, if you choose to believe Wikipedia, then the story is somewhat different. According to that website, "tradition has it" that there was once a mosque built on the site, as well as an earlier chapel dedicated to Saint Irene, followed by a replacement chapel dedicated to Saint Paul, and finally the current structure consecrated in 1325 which fell to the Ottomans and was converted to a mosque around 1475. Whatever its history, it's a beautiful building and the calm of the courtyard is a balm in the midst of the craziness of Karaköy.

Our wanderings then took us through the area of Karaköy around the old fish market that was unceremoniously, and once could argue cruelly, knocked down last year. Being so close to the fish market and warf it's no surprise that shops in this area are full of boat and fishing gear. In front of several shops reposed piles of anchors or all shapes and sizes.

We ended our walk at the new fish market (far less preferable to the old) after discovering hidden gems tucked away in what we thought was an already familiar part of the city with nothing left to discover. I'm hoping now that the weather seems to be getting cooler I'll be up for joining more of Yas's walks to learn about other sections of beautiful Istanbul!

Photowalk: Edirnekapi to Ayvansaray

Outside of providing a distraction from work, Facebook really is sometimes quite useful. There's a group here in Istanbul run by a local guy who takes people on photo walks every other Sunday. Usually I don't like to do anything on Sunday-it's reserved for post church laziness-but I joined the most recent and am so glad I did.

Yas does these walks for people like me-foreigners who aren't tourists but who want to explore parts of the city that are less frequented. This walk I joined started in Edirnekapi and made a meandering path to Ayvansaray-near Balat. Along the way we stopped at several points of interest with Yas providing interesting details, history, and background.

Mihrimah Sultan Camii

We walked for a while along the old city wall. You can tell that it's been patched up in some places. In fact it's pretty obvious; so much so that UNESCO told Turkey to knock it off or lose the wall's protected status. Some parts are not repaired though and when we got to the Mihrimah Sultan mosque I gave up the chance for the view into the mosque complex and over several of Istanbul's hills because I was not doing those "stairs". Uh huh.

Terrifying stairs aside, the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque was my favorite stop. It is an imperial mosque (i.e. commissioned by a sultan) and sits on the sixth of Istanbul's seven hills. The Mihrimah Sultan Mosque is a feat of mathematics and engineering. The arches that support the large center dome shouldn't be able to do so, and yet they do. The vast number of windows cut into each arch weaken the structure but despite this the mosque has been standing since the 1560s.

The windows are not just windows either. The majority are filled with beautiful stained glass that let in both light and color. It's breathtaking.

Edirne Gate

After leaving the mosque we headed back to the wall nearby and passed through the Edirnekapi (Edirne Gate). So-called because if you walk a straight line from the gate, not that that's possible anymore, you will reach the Turkish city of Edirne which was once upon a time the second capitol of the Ottoman Empire.

Kariye City Park

After leaving the Edirnekapi we walked further along the wall until we came to the Kariye Muzesi, also known as the Chora Church, my favorite museum in Istanbul. We went first to a lovely park I had no idea was behind the church then circled back around the front. I don't think Yas intended to stop but quite a few in the group hadn't yet been to the museum so we stopped for them. While it used to be one of the cheaper museum tickets at 15TL, the Kariye entrance fee has recently doubled. Luckily if you're a citizen, resident, or student in Turkey you can get the magical Museum Card which, for 50TL a year, allows you unfettered access to all the museums and sites in Turkey controlled by the Ministry of Culture.

Palace Center

Our next stop was the ruins of what was one of the imperial palaces. There's barely anything left and what is there has been so remodeled as to barely be recognizable. In addition to the very modern windows that have been put in, there's also a French balcony that makes no sense architecturally nor historically, and a door that opens to no where. Apparently it's to be made into some sort of cultural center.

Door to nowhere

When we weren't stopping for mathematically-defying mosques or ancient ruins were wandering the streets in the neighborhoods between Edirnekapi and Ayvansaray. Living where I do it's easy to forget what "real" Istanbul looks like. The narrow streets were lined with all sorts of homes, some if great repair, some not so much; some concrete apartment blocks, some traditional gems made from wood.

This enclosed balcony is called a 'cumba'

We stopped for a rest and tea break at the Molla Aşkı Teras Cafe which not only has a special tea blend with something like 40 spices, but also has an amazing view. While I may never attempt to hike up to the cafe (we walked down), I think it would be worth it. Worth it for the view and a tea-the food looked questionable so eat elsewhere.

Cemetery at dervish house

Dervish House

Our last stop was a renovated dervish house that is now a mosque. It also had an incredible view over the city and I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the calm mosque and small cemetery over the bustling city below.

In the end it was a lot of walking on a warm day and I was exhausted after. However Yas was a great guide, it was a fun group of people, and I got to see parts of the city that I've never visited. I will be signing up for Yas's next walk!