Day 11 (4.11.2023)

Day 11 (4.11.2023) - Istanbul

Today is the last day of our tour. We first visited the Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning ‘Covered Market). We were given two hours there. Before the trip I had looked up this market on the internet and had decided not to spend time there as I have no interest in shopping in market catered mainly to tourists.

Instead, because we were given two hours to shop on our own, I wandered off outside. I saw some local cafes and shops, a small mosque (only locals, no tourists)...

A small mosque outside the Grand Bazar.

A peek into the mosque.

It's very quiet at this mosque, no tourists, only locals.

Then, I stumbled upon a beautiful underground reservoir - Theordosius Cistern (Şerefiye Sarnıc in Turkish). It was built by Roman Emperor Theodosius II between 428 and 443 to store water supplied by the Valens Aqueduct. The Aqueduct of Valens was redistributed by Theodosius from its original supply to the Nymphaeum, the Baths of Zeuxippus and the Great Palace of Constantinople. This redistribution led to the construction of the Theodosius Cistern.

The area is about 45 by 25 metres (148 by 82 ft) and the roof is supported by 32 marble columns about 9 metres (30 ft) high.

What made the visit more amazing (as compared to the Yerebatab Cistern that we visited later) was a 30 minutes spectacular lights show. The images told stories about the history of Turkiye. The entrance fee was 400 lyra. I highly recommend it.

The little sitting on top a colourful art piece outside the Theordosius Cistern

Some spectacular Lights Shows videos I took:

...and some photos

Then I went back to the Grand Bazar to meet up with the group for lunch. After lunch we visited the Yerebatab Cistern, it's much bigger than the Theordosius Cistern, but to me, it was not as interesting.

Above a view inside the Yerebatab Cistern

Below from the opposite angle

Photo by Godfrey

Next, we visited the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya in Turkish), it was originally built as a basilica for the Greek Orthodox Christian Church. However, its function has changed several times in the centuries since.

Byzantine Emperor Constantius commissioned construction of the first Hagia Sophia in 360 A.D. At the time of the first church’s construction, Istanbul was known as Constantinople, taking its name from Constantius’ father, Constantine I, the first ruler of the Byzantine Empire.

The first Hagia Sophia featured a wooden roof. The structure was burned to the ground in 404 A.D. during the riots that occurred in Constantinople as a result of political conflicts within the family of then-Emperor Arkadios (395 to 408 A.D.)

Arkadios’ successor, Emperor Theodosios II, rebuilt the Hagia Sophia, and the new structure was completed in 415.

However, a little more than one century later, this important basilica of the Greek Orthodox was burned for a second time during the so-called “Nika revolts” against Emperor Justinian I, who ruled from 527 to 565. Unable to repair the damage caused by the fire, Justinian ordered the demolition of the Hagia Sophia in 532. He commissioned renowned architects Isidoros (Milet) and Anthemios (Tralles) to build a new basilica.

The third Hagia Sophia was completed in 537, and it remains standing today.

From 1935—nine years after the Republic of Turkey was established by Ataturk—to 2020, the legendary structure was operated as a museum by the national government. Beginning in 2013, some Islamic religious leaders in the country sought to have the Hagia Sophia once again opened as a mosque. In July 2020, the Turkish Council of State and President Erdoğa reclassified it as a mosque.

Video by Godfrey

Lying between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque is a beautiful park, Sultanahmet Park, with a large fountain in the middle.

The Blue Mosque - official name Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii) . The mosque is one of several mosques known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.

Construction of the mosque with six minarets began in 1609 and was completed in 1616.

The building of the mosque is attributed to Ahmed I, the 6th Caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate and 14th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, he was just 13 years old when he became Sultan in 1603. The construction of the mosque was ordered by the young sultan, at the age of just 19, decided he wanted a building more impressive than the Hagia Sophia. Ahmed I died one year after the completion of the Blue Mosque, he was buried right outside the walls of the mosque.

Below are some interesting street scenes in Istanbul captured by Godfrey

This fully-packed last day of our tour ended with a grand finale - a farewell dinner in the rooftop Fine Dine Istanbul Restaurant of Hotel Arcadia Blue. It offers a panoramic view of Istanbul, on one side the Sultanahmet Mosque and Hagia Sofia, while on the other side the Bosporus and Marmara Sea. It was spectacular watching sunset and when the two mosques illuminated against the backdrop of the night sky.