Blue Mosque
silk scarves, spices, fruits and pastry, baklava, lokum, lahmacun, kokorec, rolled lamb kebap, köfte ... are just a few of the things that I can remember having seen and tasted in Istanbul, a place like no other, a melting pot of cultures with an amazing history and a swarm of colorful people populating the streets, bazaars, bookshops, museums of this ancient place.
I fell in love with this city, the moment a cat just came to me and sat down on my lap, as I was resting after a long walk
it was not the first cat I had seen, the Grand Bazaar was also packed with cats, the big type, a size that I could not imagine ! cats were everywhere: on benches in parks, in trees, in the Harem, etc... here is my favourite one, all black with a white scarf and white paws. it also had the most incredible green eyes !
the people here are warm and welcoming. carftsmen and warriors, scribes, shoe-makers and polishers, leather craftsmen and jewellers, apprentices and masters, all swarm around everywhere and what is truely amazing is their readiness to be of assistance, if required.
however, what I found to be the most impressive feature of these people is the fact that the majority of them believe in values, preserve and perpetuate them: faith, honesty, respect, and most of all, their religion, which they practise with great dedication. and their mosques and minarets are just like the stories we used to read as children ...
"for like must go with like, eagle with eagle and pigeon with pigeon ..." is the will of Allah, or the one God in Islamic religion. Islam is one of the three Abrahamic religions (the other two are Judaism and Christianity). it is a religion based on revelation, and the prophets of Islam include Abraham, Moses, Solomon, Jesus, as well as Muhammad. the rod of Moses is one of the things that are kept in the museum at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. in the same city, you can see the Million stone, a fragment of a trimphal arch from which distances to parts of the Byzantine empire were measured. Ayasofia is another pearl to visit in this area, then there is Blue Mosque - a must see - and, of course, the Underground Cistern, an underground water storage, built in the 6th century ... on the first day of our visit we started climbing a hill to the tourist area and to our great surprise we saw that the road was blocked, cars had stopped and were patiently waiting for something ... moving further up we saw a crowd of people praying, in the middle of the street, shoes off, kneeling on carpets, giving praise to Allah.
for those who love history, a trip to the only city in the world that stretches over two continents is a warm recommendation. for those who are biased against religious issues or otherness of people, going there is good way of seeing before ... believing. i have to admit, the trip was exhausting, but well worth it ! one observation is in order here, the bustle of big cities is definitely not my cup of tea, but discovering the world's hidden treasures definitely is. whenever i visit historical places i come home filled with happiness, because of the stories i hear and experience. and if you have been to one of these Eastern countries where stories, spiritual growth, religion and strong values build national features, then you know exactly what i am talking about.
you should visit istanbul for the folk and fairytales, to witness the wonders of fate and human ingenuity, loss and grace. colorful bazaars, excellent food, a rich past of some hot-blooded people, all these things and more are waiting to be discovered ! it's a revelation !
Ayasofia