Undoubtedly one of the world's great cities. I guess you'd like a little more detail than that right? OK, You know how sometimes you arrive somewhere for the first time and feel like you've already been there. That doesn't happen in Istanbul. There's a feeling of permanency to the place, like it has alw
ays been there and always will. Home to the Byzantine Empire, which lasted a thousand years or so, and then seat of the Ottoman sultans, an unbroken succession that managed to last for 500. Now, by one of history's accounting errors, it isn't the capital of the Republic of Turkey. Actually it's probably much more suited to its current role as unofficial centre of everything that happens in this country.
You could spend a day, a week or a month here and not run out of things to go and look at. Just doing the essentials (and that's a fairly controversial list to put together) is going to take three days of intense sight seeing. Do yourself a favour and read a book or two before you arrive. There are several great choices at various levels of depth but the more preparation you do the more it will all make sense.
Spreading well beyond the limits marked out by successive Emperors and Sultans, Istanbul is probably Europe's most populous city but, thankfully for the tourist, the most important sites are grouped together around the Golden Horn - the bit of water that separates Galata from Sultanahmet. You're going to want to base yourself somewhere fairly close to this area and Sultanahmet, Taksim and environs have accommodation pretty much all year round. We'll mention a couple of favourites later on in these pages.
The concentration of the important sites means that you can do most of your rubber necking on foot. This is probably just as well as Istanbul's ancient roads can't really cope with the demands placed on them by today's Stamboulis and everything seems to grind to a halt on numerous occasions.
The climate is never really, really, really horrible. Well, I guess that's not strictly true but the point is that there something to be seen here at any time of year and if tanning and splashing about are your priorities you wont like the place anyway. It's often wet here, sometimes it snows but on a good day (which can be at any time of the year) it is a drop dead gorgeous place to be and you will find everything much less frantic in the winter if you can deal with the mist and those chilly winds.
It would be futile to try and do a comprehensive guide all in one go so we'll start with some of the really, really excellent things that you should see before you die and work down to the other bits and pieces as time permits. The links tastefully arranged at top and bottom of this page will give you a little information about our favourite bits and pieces of the city. What are you waiting for? Phone your travel agent.
Topkapi Palace Museum – Istanbul Holidays
The Topkapi Sarayi, built by Mehmet the Conqueror as a Sultan's Palace is a collection of buildings arranged around several courtyards. Situated on one of the seven hills of Istanbul with uninterrupted views over the Bosphorus, it was the seat of the Ottoman Empire for almost four hundred years.
It was a ‘royal residence’, and, among other things, housed a harem (yes, harem, like in the Carry On films). The harem remains one of the most popular parts of it even today, mysteriously, and it’s not even ‘in use’ anymore (perhaps people don’t realise). The harem was once home to around 300 women, who were all the sultan’s wives or concubines. Incidentally, a concubine is someone who lives with an important man, but isn’t his wife. No, not his mum either. You’d best ask a few questions yourself when you’re there if you want to know more. You can see apartments, halls and terraces of the harem, and the lavish royal bedchamber and Imperial Hall. The palace and its rooms are decorated expensively; what with all the fountains, or ‘water features’ as we call them these days. Then there’s the splendid Treasury, which houses one of the world’s greatest collections of treasure. Don’t steal anything, even if you do intend to bring it back for the British Museum, we aren’t allowed to do that anymore.
Turkish and Islamic Art Museum – Istanbul Holidays
The Turkish and Islamic Art Museum contains among the finest collection of Islamic artefacts in the world. The ex-palace that now houses the museum was the finest private residence ever built in the Ottoman Empire. The museum is renowned for its antique carpets, but contains many more fine examples of illuminated Korans, Ottoman calligraphy, carved and inlaid wood, glass, porcelain, stone and more.
The Covered Bazaar (Kapali Çarsi) – Istanbul Holidays
This, the oldest and biggest enclosed bazaar in the world, also known as the Covered Bazaar, is one of the most evocative of attractions in Istanbul. It’s a seemingly never ending maze of twisting streets lined with over 4,000 shops, teahouses, Turkish baths, mosques, storehouses, fountains, and more. Known as ‘Kapali Carsisi’ in Turkish, the Grand Bazaar is indeed the grand daddy of all covered market places, its origins going back to 1461.
Now comprised of more than four thousand shops stretching over sixty plus streets, it’s the largest covered market in the world. Want a belly-dancing outfit? This is the place! Don’t forget to haggle (‘Ere’ Bert, this bloke won’t haggle’), but don’t believe for a moment that the Grand Bazaar is just a façade put on for tourists; it’s where the locals shop too. You don’t have to buy anything at all, just exploring the alleyways, absorbing the atmosphere that’s changed little for almost 600 years, which means no Starbucks. However, one opened nearby in Istanbul in 2003, so it’s only a matter of time. Get there fast!
The Galata Tower – Istanbul Holidays
There was an early recorded attempt at flight here - In 1638 Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi strapped on some wings he’d made and ‘flew’ from the top of the tower to the Asian side of the Boshphorus. Now, we weren’t there and can’t vouch for him, but he did receive a huge amount of gold in way of reward. You can still go up the tower today, if you’re MAD. Do NOT do go up the tower under any circumstances as it’s very high and you’re certain to fall off. If anyone mentions the 1638 flight to you when you’re in Turkey, feel free to tell them about Eilmer, the monk of Malmesbury, which is in the UK of course. Eilmer ‘flew’ off the top of Malmesbury Abbey in about 1125, a good 500 years prior to Hezarfen’s attempt. Eilmer didn’t so much fly, more just plummet. You don’t have to say that bit though. He did survive incidentally, and made notes on the performance of his wings, which makes him the world’s first test pilot.
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