Day 2

To Abah, mak, Boogey, P5, Red and whomever it may concern- I greatly apologise for the holdup in my travelogue’s progress. I had been alternately sick, lazy, uninspired, preoccupied, and a few other terms of excuses people won’t bother to care anyway. Basically, when I sit down and write, I tend to babble and rant incessantly and over some time it seems like the piece will never get done so I stop and take a sip of tea whilst watching anime. Then a friend/neighbour will pay a visit- we will chat until late, after which my creative mood pleads no more. The next day I have classes. That’s roughly how the delaying process goes, and it’s totally my bad…

Anyway, for the record, I have never been good in doing summaries (my least favourite section in language subjects’ paper 2 zaman sekolah dulu), and well, below is my account for only the 2nd day of my trip. I’ve got 8 more days to go, so, er, pray for me…?? Hehehe.

Turkey, Day 2.

Waking up in the morning is often a tricky process for many. With me, the marvels of irony come aboard for the kicks. Meaning, my subconscious mind will jovially choose to have the most extraordinary, heart-thumping dreams guaranteed to make you sleep like a log on the days that you cannot handily afford to do so. Like, waking up late the morning of your PMR exams for instance. Or the morning of raya. Or the day of your travel.

And the most stinking part of it is you can’t blame anyone else for it. ;)

25th January 2007.

The alarm must have blared its kernel out when I finally stirred. 8.45 a.m. We were supposed to get ready for our first outing by… 9 a.m. The fact slowly sank in: we were L-A-T-E. Hence pandemonium ensued as we took on panic turns for the bathroom, trying to verge upon time. Fortunately, our hosts were preparing breakfast at that time so we wouldn’t have left early anyway.

After breakfast the four of us took off with our local guide- an international student from Myanmar whom we called Shaynaz (not sure of the spelling, sorry). A kind-looking, bespectacled girl about our age (perhaps younger), she exuded warmth, and as she pulled each one of us to her arms in a tight embrace upon introduction, I knew we were in good hands. ;)

As we marched up the hill along which our flat was situated, to the tram station, Shaynaz filled us in our agenda for the day. Naturally, our first choice of destination would be the Sultanahmet Square- the former site of the ancient Roman Hippodrome that housed fragments of illustrious olden structures, albeit being dwarfed by the majestic presence of the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) and Hagia Sophia flanking its proximity. Within walking distance stood the resplendent Topkapi Palace, royal abode of the Ottoman Sultans for centuries.

The sunless sky bedecked with silvery wisps of cloud did not make for good photography, though was not enough to stifle my enthusiasm. I was an enthusiastic traveler alright. I took every breath with earnest calculation, anticipating a beautiful experience ahead of all of us. It might be that over-sentimentality of my character taking over again- my brain worked hard to store every little detail of encounter whilst my senses enjoyed the cool breeze of winter morning in the highest of spirits. We walked to Findikzade tram station, seven stops away from Sultanahmet. I hope not to sound crude, but having been accustomed to our outmoded tramvai, I was quite in awe when the first tram clocked in. The design, the speed, the comfort… talk about rusa masuk kampung. Hehe.


Tram yang diwar-warkan

Istanbul was a mosaic of blended cultures throughout the course of its long and colourful history, transparent in the many historical palaces, mosques, churches and houses reflecting the different faces of the city from different eras. The old European Istanbul (the Historic Peninsula) was separated from the new European Istanbul by the natural harbour of Golden Horn; European Istanbul, meanwhile, was separated from the Asian Istanbul by the Bosphorus. We stayed in the Old European side and our destination that morning was the central hubbub of the ancient Constantinople itself. Along the way, traces of the Ottoman period were prominent in each mosque we passed by every couple of kilometers or so (or less). I wished we could steal one and bring back to Russia. Hehe.


Blue Mosque- front court

Even under the gloomy grey of a sky, the towering splendour of the Blue Mosque stood out and had my heart swelled with pride. It had a subtle quality to its beauty; remarkable without being ostentatious. As we neared the entrance, a guy with thick moustache selling ring-shaped bread planted with sesame seeds on top caught our eye. A second later, the guy next to him who seemed like a customer suddenly offered us one, which we gladly took. This type of bread was called simit, and they appeared to be sold plentifully everywhere.


Pak Cik 'simit' and his generous friend


The travelers. From left: Me, my sis Sarah, Kak Nadiyah, Fatin.

We then stepped into the mosque compound and immediately bumped into a huge bunch of elementary school kids on a field trip on their way out. They were having their picture taken on the front steps, and upon seeing us wanting to take their pictures as well, invited us to join in. They were such lovely and extremely friendly kids, quite a contrast to most Malaysian kids. Malaysian kids were generally shy, and wouldn’t have the guts to talk to strangers, let alone put their arms around them and wave merrily, like these kids did. Haha.


Kanak-kanak dan kami





We must have looked very foreign for as soon as we entered the front court, another bunch of school kids, this time a little older, swarmed us with questions in English. After another round of taking pictures and having small talks, we bid goodbye and went in.

The interior of the mosque was a picture of serene beauty. Lined with blue Iznik tiles from which it got its name (though I didn’t really think they were that blue to be distinctive), added with the multihued stained glass windows and low-slung chandeliers emitting soft yellow light, the interior was almost as exquisite as the exterior; one couldn’t help but feel contented at the sight. As history went, the mosque was constructed to surpass the Hagia Sophia in every respect and become the most beautiful place of worship in the world. Now, I knew close to zero about architecture, but I knew beauty when I see it. And this place was. A beauty.





Next, we paid a visit to the Turkish and Islamic Arts museum, a stone’s throw away from the Blue Mosque. In the past, the building was the mansion of Ibrahim Pasha, the Grand Vizier of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. During its time, it was purportedly the grandest residence in all of Istanbul. As we went through the extensive collection of various artifacts including rugs, tiles, Arabic calligraphy, maps and figurines from different periods in time, we came across yet another bunch of jolly school kids, some of which were slightly pumped up than the rest and flocked to us almost to the point of harassment. No kidding. Of course they meant no harm, they were simply… overexcited. Hehe.


The aforementioned kids (some of)


A friendly girl wanting her picture taken


At the entrance of the museum. From left: Kak Nadiyah, me, Shaynaz.


Blue Mosque from the balcony of the museum. You can see the obelisk of Thutmosis III at the foreground (under restoration when we came). This obelisk was brought from Egypt in 390 by Roman emperor Theodosius the Great.


The German Fountain, on site of the ancient Hippodrome. A gift from a German Emperor.

After a short trip to the adjoined souvenir shop, we continued our way across the park to see the famous Hagia Sophia- once a church, then a mosque, and presently a museum. On the contrary (to the Blue Mosque), I found the interior of Hagia Sophia more impressive than the exterior. The intricate designs were massive. I especially liked the corkscrew-like passageway leading to the upper gallery- with the dim lighting, it felt just like being in one of those period movies. The funniest thing about this place was, since it posed as the melting pot of religions and cultures, some very conflicting elements could be seen adorning its entire existence. Imagine a portrayed image of Jesus Christ placed in between medallions engraved with the words ‘Allah’ and ‘Muhammad’ in Arabic calligraphy. During the Ottoman period, all the Christian iconographic mosaics in Hagia Sophia were covered with plasters, only to be gradually unearthed after its establishment as a museum. To restore the much-revered icons in Christianity however, required that some of celebrated Islamic arts of calligraphy be torn down in the process. Such irony.


Hagia Sophia from the steps of the Blue Mosque


Fatin, Kak Sarah, me, and Kak Nadiyah in front of Hagia Sophia


Front door of Hagia Sophia


The entrance hallway


The main hall


Two of the medallions hung around the hall


The mihrab and stained glass windows


Washing hands at one of the many, er, wash basins (?) on the street


Roadside stalls near Hagia Sophia

The Topkapi beckoned us for a visit next. A huge area of its land was apparently under restoration (it seemed like almost everything was under restoration the whole time of our trip. Hehe.) upon stepping in the main entrance. Compared to its more opulent counterparts around the world, this former centre of administration as well as the Sultan’s and his family’s residence displayed a discreet manner of elegance, with several medium-sized buildings converging together rather than one outlandishly gargantuan structure, as per norm. Apparently, it consisted of four courts but unfortunately, we did not manage to cover them all. The halls held numerous artifacts of immense value- jewels, garments, thrones, portraits… my concluding thought was, wow, these people sure knew how to spend their money.


On the way to Topkapi

The showcase of the arm and skull of John the Baptist caught my eye. Were those really that of the prophet Yahya a.s.? And if so, wouldn’t it be inappropriate to put them in such a showy display? Funny how some people’s minds worked.


At the front wall of the palace

We walked further to the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle, where relics of Rasulullah S.A.W. and his closest companions were stored. Looking at the huge swords of Abu Bakr r.a., Umar Al-Khattab r.a., Uthman ibn Affan r.a., and Ali ibn Abi Talib r.a., I was reminded of the sacrifices made by these believers to safeguard the religion- the battles they had fearlessly fought, the tortures they had endured, the wealth they had relinquished, all in the name of Islam… they made all of us who had been living in the comfort of this self-indulgent world very small in comparison. Time to hit the pause button; a moment spent vowing to strive for the better each and every day, to contribute to the cause of ad-din in every way possible, to maintain faith and perseverance even in the utmost adversity…


The quiet allure of Topkapi gardens

The idea to have a quiet walk about the garden afterwards was clearly not feasible, as we had ourselves barraged by the same kids from the museum earlier. They appeared to be suffering from some kind of short-term memory loss a la Dory too (or they were just plain naughty) for they kept asking us the same questions over and over again. And making quite a scene at that. Luckily, I was too absorbed in holiday mood to be annoyed. Ha!


A short rest before the 'attack'


This tree's perfect for playing hide-and-seek!

We then made our way to the Basilica Cistern, our final place of visit for the day. The cistern, which lay beneath the grounds of Istanbul, was one of the few early architectural examples that had survived until today. It was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century and could store up to 80000 cubic metres of water. High marble columns, the bases of two of which were etched with the head of a Medusa, anchored the underground chamber, lending mystical appeal to the entire facade. Upon knowing that this was used as a location in the famous Bond film, From Russia with Love, I could simply imagine Sean Connery running around the forest of columns whilst exchanging fires with some Russian baddies (heck, how should I know, I’ve never even watched the film).


The columns


One of the two heads of Medusa


A restaurant by the roadside

Sunset was on the horizon, and we decided to call it a day. But wait… those kebabs looked enticing. Perhaps… a bite? Shaynaz was rather a prim and serious lass so we went for quite some time ‘ngee’-ing around, nudging each other to bring up the idea ;) Finally, it was done and we went to this nice restaurant overlooking the Square. My first time in a Turkish restaurant had my mind all at sea- the alien-sounding names of food and beverages spooked my rational thinking so I decided to be safe and chose to have doner kebap. Hehe. Two of us had kebabs and the other three opted for kofte- meatballs mixed with spices, bread and eggs. My verdict was definitely positive, having been kind of deprived from halal meat all this while ;)


Hungry wolves waiting (im)patiently for food


Ittadakimasu!


The street of Sultanahmet, where we had our dinner

Some time before or after dinner, we stopped by a postcard stall and I bought a number of them, inspired to do the thing I have always wanted to do- sending postcards while on the travel. Haha. But yeah, you guessed it, I never did. I had even written a couple few that very day- imagine the embarrassment.

The tram ride back and the day was eventually over- a beautiful day.