Istanbul Backpacker

Tughra: The Sultan's Seal

2011-11-27T19:38:00.000+02:00

A tughra is a calligraphic seal or signature of an Ottoman sultan that was affixed to all official documents and correspondence. It was also carved on his seal and stamped on the coins minted during his reign.

The tughra was designed at the beginning of the sultan's reign and drawn by the court calligrapher on written documents. The first tughra belonged to Orhan I (1284-1359), the second ruler of the Ottoman Empire and it evolved until it reached the classical form in the tughra of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1596).

Tughras served a purpose similar to the cartouche in ancient Egypt or the Royal Cypher of British monarchs. Every Ottoman sultan had his own individual tughra. The picture of embroidery dated 1912 above shows tughra of Sultan Mehmed Reşad V, embroided with golden thread.

Ottoman Calligraphy

2011-10-24T11:49:00.000+03:00

Calligraphy, the artistic practice of handwriting, the art of fancy lettering , the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner...

Calligraphy has arguably become the most venerated form of Islamic art because the Arabic script was the means of transmission of the Qur'an. The holy book of Islam, the Qur'an, has played an important role in the development and evolution of the Arabic language, and by extension, calligraphy in the Arabic alphabet. Proverbs and complete passages from the Qur'an are still active sources for Islamic calligraphy. It is generally accepted that Islamic calligraphy excelled during the Ottoman era. Istanbul is an open exhibition hall for all kinds and varieties of calligraphy, from inscriptions in mosques to fountains, schools, houses, etc.
Ottoman Calligraphy, originally uploaded by voyageAnatolia.blogspot.com.

Selimiye Barracks and Florence Nightingale

2010-09-20T22:39:00.002+03:00

Selimiye Barracks and the docks of Harem seen from Bosphorus. During the Crimean War (1854-1856), the barracks were converted into a temporary military hospital. On November 4, 1854, Florence Nightingale arrived in Scutari with 38 volunteer nurses. They cared for thousands of wounded soldiers, and drastically reduced the high mortality rate by improving the sanitary living conditions until she returned home in 1857 as a heroine. During the Crimean campaign, Florence Nightingale gained the nickname "The Lady with the Lamp", deriving from a phrase in a report in The Times:

She is a ‘ministering angel’ without any exaggeration in these hospitals, and as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor, every poor fellow's face softens with gratitude at the sight of her. When all the medical officers have retired for the night and silence and darkness have settled down upon those miles of prostrate sick, she may be observed alone, with a little lamp in her hand, making her solitary rounds.

German Fountain at Istanbul Sultanahmet Square

2010-09-18T14:20:00.000+03:00

The German Fountain is a gazebo styled fountain in the northern end of ancient Roman-Byzantine hippodrome, Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul, Turkey. It was constructed to commemorate German Emperor Wilhelm's visit to Istanbul in 1898. It was built in Germany, then transported piece by piece and assembled in its current site in 1900. The neo-Byzantine style fountain's octagonal dome has eight marble columns, and dome's interior is covered with golden mosaics.

Hagia Irene over the Ruins of Byzantium

2010-09-16T21:37:00.000+03:00

Photo: Hagia Irene Church seen from Istanbul ferry over the Ruins of Byzantium.

Hagia Irene is a former Eastern Orthodox church located in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. The building reputedly stands on the site of a pre-Christian temple. It ranks, in fact, as the first church built in Constantinople. Roman emperor Constantine I commissioned the first Hagia Eirene church in the 4th century. In 381 the First Council of Constantinople took place in the church. It served as the church of the Patriarchate before Hagia Sophia was completed in 537.

After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by Mehmed II, the church was enclosed inside the walls of the Topkapi palace. It was repaired in 1846 and became the first Turkish museum. Today, the museum serves mainly as a concert hall for classical music performances, due to its extraordinary acoustic characteristics and impressive atmosphere. Many of the concerts of the Istanbul International Music Festival have been held here every summer since 1980.

In 2000, the Turkish haute couture designer Faruk Saraç produced a special show here. A collection of 700 designed pieces inspired by the Ottoman sultans, including the robes of 36 sultans ranging from Osman Gazi, the founder of the Ottoman Empire to the last sultan, Mehmed VI, were on display. The show was accompanied by music and the story of the sultans' lives and demonstrations of Ottoman-era dancing.

Fish & Bread on Galata Bridge

2010-08-27T10:54:00.000+03:00

One of the musts of travel in Istanbul is fish and bread. The Galata Bridge spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels.

MS Cristal on Bosphorus, Istanbul

2010-08-26T22:38:00.003+03:00

MS Cristal at Tophane Quay in front of luxury hotels and best apartments of Bosphorus, Istanbul.

MS Cristal is a cruise ship owned and operated by the Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Lines. The ship was originally built as the cruiseferry MS Viking Saga in 1980 at Wärtsilä Turku New Shipyard, Turku, Finland for Rederi Ab Sally. In 1986 she was renamed MS Sally Albatross, and rebuilt into a cruise ship the following year. The ship was destroyed by a fire in 1990, and completely rebuilt at Finnyards, Rauma, Finland. She was re-delivered in 1992, still named Sally Albatross. After partially sinking 1994 she was rebuilt at Industrie Navali Maccaniche Affini, La Spezia, Italy, re-entering service as MS Leeward for Norwegian Cruise Line. Subsequently she sailed as MS SuperStar Taurus for Star Cruises, MS Silja Opera for Silja Line and spent a year laid up as MS Opera prior to entering service with her current owner in 2007.

Porcelain Shop at Istanbul Spice Bazaar

2010-08-25T18:35:00.001+03:00

Porcelain plates and gifts at Spice Bazaar of Istanbul.

@ Istanbul Spice Bazaar

2010-08-25T09:00:00.003+03:00

Photo: Spice shop in Istanbul Spice Bazaar.

The Spice Bazaar is one of the oldest bazaars in Istanbul. Located in Eminönü, it is the second largest covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar.

There are several documents suggesting the name of the bazaar was first "New Bazaar". However, due to the fact that many spices were imported via Egypt in the Ottoman period, the name "Egyptian Bazaar" was favoured by the public. The bazaar was, and still is the center for spice trade in Istanbul.

The building itself is part of the complex of Eminönü Yeni Mosque, and rents from the shops within was intended to help pay for the upkeep of the mosque. The structure was completed in 1660.

The Spice Bazaar is an “L”-shaped building, consisting of 88 vaulted rooms, almost all of which are now divided into an upper and lower story. Monumental gateways are at the ends of both halls, with chambers above each entranceway. The main entrance is in the southwest corner, facing the Yeni Mosque.

Inside Sultanahmet Blue Mosque

2010-08-25T00:53:00.007+03:00

Inside Sultanahmet Blue Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. While still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction.

At its lower levels and at every pier, the interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, made at Iznik (the ancient Nicaea) in more than fifty different tulip designs. The tiles at lower levels are traditional in design, while at gallery level their design becomes flamboyant with representations of flowers, fruit and cypresses.

The upper levels of the interior are dominated by blue paint. More than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs admit natural light, today assisted by chandeliers. On the chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that were meant to avoid cobwebs inside the mosque by repelling spiders. The coloured glass for the windows was a gift of the Signoria of Venice to the Sultan. Blue tiles on the main dome have given the mosque its nickname.

Pope Benedict XVI visited the Sultan Ahmed Mosque on 30 November 2006 during his visit to Turkey, turned towards Mecca in a gesture of Muslim prayer and conducted "Silent Prayer", having removed his shoes, paused for a full two minutes, eyes closed in prayer, standing side-by-side with the Imam of the Blue Mosque.

Two girls studying Qur'an inside Sultanahmet Blue Mosque in a silent corner.

Building Bridges Between the Cultures

2010-08-23T22:38:00.002+03:00

Galata Tower & Bridge

Istanbul 2010, European Capital of Culture, building bridges between the cultures.

MS Silver Spirit on Bosphorus, Istanbul

2010-08-23T12:47:00.003+03:00

MS Silver Spirit, on Bosphorus, Istanbul, originally uploaded by voyageAnatolia.blogspot.com.

MS Silver Spirit is a super-luxury cruise ship operated by Silversea Cruises. The ship is the sixth and largest ship of the Silversea fleet; it entered service in 2009. Silver Spirit features 270 ocean-view suites, providing the largest suites of the fleet. Silver Spirit features six different restaurants, a spa measuring 8,300 square feet and the Stars Supper Club with live music, dancing and night-club style entertainment. On 23 December 2009, Silver Spirit departed on her maiden voyage from Barcelona, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal. Following this sailing, she undertook her maiden transatlantic voyage from Lisbon to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. On 21 January 2010, Silver Spirit embarked on her inaugural voyage, a 91 day voyage around America.

To the City » Book Review

2010-03-30T18:58:00.000+03:00

An Englishman who has lived in both New York and Istanbul, John Ash is one of the great masters of poetic clarity. His books on the Byzantine world and ancient Anatolia are widely admired for their elegance and candor. "These poems believe intensely in the world they bear witness to.so vividly do they believe in the happenstance they behold that at times they go for quiet, unemphatic ways of talking, perfectly registered" Rain Taxi.

To the City » Barnes & Noble.com

Antique Oil Lamp

2009-12-20T19:17:00.001+02:00

Antique Oil Lamp, originally uploaded by voyageAnatolia.

Bellini in Istanbul, a Book Review

2009-10-01T13:28:00.000+03:00

The event at the center of this refreshingly conceived cycle of poems is Italian painter Gentile Bellini's sojourn in Istanbul in 1479. Poems undulate out from this experience as the poet carves poetic sculptures that explore the themes of art, archaeology, and the idea of cultural transmission. These insightful contemplations are delicately honed by the author's own experience in Turkey, ultimately fashioning a mirror to history that reflects the landscape of self.

Read more on this: Bellini in Istanbul, Barnes & Noble.com

Cat at Istanbul Kavak Pier

2009-08-08T12:38:00.001+03:00

Curious Cat at Istanbul Kavak Pier, originally uploaded by voyageAnatolia.blogspot.com.
Curious cat at Istanbul Bosphorus Kavak Pier.

Galata Tower

2009-07-20T22:30:00.001+03:00

Galata Tower, originally uploaded by voyageAnatolia.blogspot.com.

The Galata Tower, called Christea Turris (Italian, "Tower of Christ") by the Genoese, is a medieval stone tower in the Galata district of Istanbul, Turkey, just to the north of the Golden Horn. One of the city's most striking landmarks, it is a high, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline and affords a panoramic vista of Old Istanbul and its environs. More >>>

Galata borrows its name from Galatians, Celts of Anatolia, stayed here for a while on the way to ancient Ankyra (Ankara), Pessinus (near Ankara) and Tavium near Yozgat today. More >>>

Hagia Sophia

2009-07-20T08:06:00.003+03:00

Hagia Sophia, originally uploaded by voyageAnatolia.blogspot.com.

Hagia Sophia, "The Holy Wisdom of God" viewed from Sultanahmet. Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the completion of the Medieval Seville Cathedral in 1520. >>