by Will Venn
- 11/12/2007
An ancient Turkish city which bestrides two continents and is home to a melting pot of cultures was going to be hard to digest over just three days.
To see and do everything Istanbul has to offer would take several lifetimes.
But you'd be surprised how quickly you can get a sense of this Turkish wonder, situated on the Bosphorus Strait, particularly when staying in the Old Town, in the shadow of the Blue Mosque.
Our hotel, Poem A, was a cosy if cramped hideout located just off a restaurant-strewn cobbled street, Akbiyik Caddesi, in Sultanahmet. With rooftop views across the Marmara and the stunningly night-lit minarets of the Blue Mosque looming close by, we were in a great central spot.
Moments after unpacking we entered Arasta market and lowered our defences to the rapid-fire, quick-witted sales banter of the market-stall holders.
Stray cats and food vendors now parade the area where once Constantinople's Byzantine Palace stood. Simrit (sesame seed bagel) and sutlac (rice pudding) are popular snacks to indulge on whilst waltzing past the shops selling endless lanterns, multi-coloured rugs and jewellery. Istanbul seems to have all the spice, bustle and exoticism of Marrakesh but within a European context, and nowhere is this better exemplified than in the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar, just off Divan Yolu, the main thoroughfare.
Walking through a fraction of the Grand Bazaar's 4,000 shops creates a sensory overload. A maze of jewellery stalls gives way to shops selling belly-dancing costumes, on to stores selling caged birds, next to a mosque with nearby cafés selling pomegranates and Turkish sweets. It's a rabbit warren of so many colours, lights and good-natured sales people that you almost feel hypnotically entranced to buy and take home everything you see.
Back outside we ventured down to the harbour, passing several touts offering boat trips out from Eminou and several boats offering grilled fish sandwiches. Eventually we found a vessel and sailed across the Golden Horn up as far as the Bosphorus bridge and back down along the Asiatic shoreline again.
At once the trip puts into perspective the vast size of the city, home to almost 10 million people, whose many tourists tend to confine themselves to the old town.
But it's so worth spending an afternoon to cross the fishing rod-festooned Galata Bridge, into the Beyoglu district and to discover a more modern side of Istanbul.
In this area, heading central away from the shoreline, we found Istiklal Caddesi, a boulevard full of shops, cinemas, clubs and restaurants. It's the place to head to for nightlife and we joined the Saturday night throng before seeking refuge from the crowds in Saki restaurant for a meze meal and a glass of Raki, an aniseed-based local spirit.
The following day it was time to pay homage to the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. All within close walking distance of each other, these giants of Ottoman architecture should not be missed.
The Blue Mosque is as impressive on the outside as the Hagia Sophia is on the inside, with its gold tiles, wooden discs, beautiful mosaics and arched windows. It makes you wonder what they must have put into the Byzantine builders' tea back in the sixth century to make them create such incredible structures.
The Topkapi Palace is another jaw-dropper. A former royal residence, divided into courtyards with collections of weapons, manuscripts and other historic treasures, you really need to set aside a whole day to soak up the impact of this great place.
But with the rain beating down it was time to get warm, and where better than in a Turkish hammam.
The very suggestion frightened my travelling companions away so I headed gingerly alone into the 425-year-old Cemberlitas hammam steam bath, situated along Divan Yolu, unsure of what to expect from a Turkish bath. I imagined a foam party minus the music in some incredible Ottoman building, and I wasn't far wrong.
Having undressed and wrapped myself in a pestemal I entered a large marble room illuminated only by small holes in the roof of the dome filtering light down through the steam. It was atmospheric, soothing but very hot.
I lay down on a round marble platform and just when I started feeling a little like a Christmas turkey that's been left in the oven too long a man approached me carrying something which resembled a washing-up bowl and a pillowcase full of foam.
Then I was given the scrub of my life for about 20 minutes, from which I staggered out under a cooling shower to revive myself before getting dressed and exiting headlong back into the bustle of central Istanbul again.The lingering effects of the hammam experience are such that you feel rejuvenated but want to fall fast asleep, so it was time to relax again.
We visited the top floor of the strangely named Hotel Petrol next to Sultanahmet Tram Station for "Master Oktay's Nargile", in other words a waterpipe, a beer and more amazing views of the city. The Mesale Cay Bahçesi is another good place for the waterpipe experience, in a sunken courtyard next to Arasta Market, where games of backgammon are played out on rugs and sofas.
And it was there we spent our final afternoon before returning home. A weekend in Istanbul is tantalising enough just to make you want to return and discover more of what this magical city has to offer as we sensed we barely scraped the surface.
