We arrived in Istanbul at around 2:30 pm. dragged, pushed and pulled the luggage
until we found the metro station. Had no metro card and my credit card was denied. this gentleman offered to help so I followed him to the card machine, after I gave him the money the machine suddenly didn’t work. he called me to the gate and tapped his card for me to pass. he went away with my money. I sure the fare not as much. I was left without the money and no card. Scammed. Then I realised I was cheated. I was a foreigner , tired and out of focus …. baamm! he spotted me like an eagle.
First impression of Istanbul was like… why does it take this long for me to get here? as if you arrived late at a party and everyone is done with the fun. Can you still enjoy the leftovers?
Istanbul is like an old but pretty grandma . She waved at me and uttered some words… where have you been? As I struggled to keep the luggage straight and alerted if anyone trying to touch my ass, the tram passed by the places I wanted to see.
Hagia Sofia Mosque was majestic. It was a church before and after the conquest by Sultan Mehmet al Fatih turned into a mosque. The fall of Constantinapole was sealed when Hagia Sofia was captured. backup armadas from Rome were late to fight off the Ottoman’s army. They were overconfident that no one could’ve the power to take over Constantinapole but the Ottoman finally did. it was the jewel of Roman empire.
the mosaics from the old church were still visible at some corners of the building.Free entry during prayer’s time otherwise you have to pay £25.
Topkapi Palace is next to the masjid and cost 1500 lira to enter. a huge complex that showcased the luxurious life of the Ottoman sultans. They also showcased accessories of our prophets. as far back as Prophet Musa (as).
A few yards away is Sulaimaniye Mosque. A magnificent architecture that signifies the great Ottoman empire.
As I went deep into the city, through back alleys and narrow streets, it became uglier and uglier . the streets were dirty and people looked dangerous. This is the dirtiest city I have ever been. Even KB is not as dirty as this place. I mean for four days I was there, the garbage bins were always overflowed and garbage was thrown all over the place. I have seen a garbage truck emptied the bins and the street janitors sweeping but somehow the place remained dirty and full of thrash all the time. That was Fatih district for me and we stayed about 5 mins from the GB.
The Grand Bazaar sells a lot of fake hand bags and branded clothes. and not as cheap as I hope it turned out. Nope! not for the one with shallow pockets and flies economy. We tried to bargain but the guy just gave us a nasty look and some words that could have the meaning of “ go away and don’t come back”. some played smart and put the price in euros ( but transactions were still in Lira). We made our way further up the tram line to the place called Findikaze. about five stops from Grand Bazaar towards Beciltar. On Friday there’s a market there selling all sort of things. A bit cheaper from GB and the sellers were better and friendlier.
I’m not sure which Istanbul people talked so keenly about. But I am sure won’t come back to this place again.
Basically, Turkiye is overated. profoundly misunderstood.
as a tourist attraction, the only piece of pulling factor is the weak value of Lira. But with the hyperinflation is happening there, everything is not cheap anymore. If you still got yesterday’s price either the seller is crazy or you have bought fake products with cheap materials.
I thought the Ottoman dynasty was a true Islamic kingdom but they lived as lavishly as other royalties. Bought some French furnitures for the palace in 1850s —— wonder what the locals ate to live during that time. But in Topkapi Palace the Islamic rituals and accessories were shown “ as an icing on the cake” . And one might wonder where the wealth came from as during that time they had no resources whatsoever. The empire fed the sultan’s coffer. The coal was brought in from Jordan—- an abandoned rail system is still visible there. it was attacked by Lawrence of Arabia during the uprising revolt against the Ottoman.
In Topkapi Museum, the items belong to Prophet Mohammad, his family and companions were showcased. Aren’t they belong in Madinah? so how come the. clothes of Saidatina Fatimah or the sword of Khalid alwalid and the sahabah were there in Turkiye? isn’t that stealing? We know because we have been accusing the British for stealing our history. Colonizers are all the same.
I, now, understand why Mustafa Kamal Ataturk overthrew and ended the Ottoman dynasty. When the palace became so far apart from the people “the ride on religion with hell and heavens “ could no longer hold on to power. Disintegration came eventually. Attaturk was idolised in many cities that we visited. In Antalya , for example, a banner of his portrait was hung high at the building. No Erdogan’s. Not only in that school but all over the city. He is a national hero.
As an outsider we condemned him for changing the language and banning hijab. Extreme actions were the result of extreme dissatisfaction of the masses. There is no good consequence as the result of that revolution but changes seemed to be the only option.
Turkiye is a secular state with no official religion. That’s their constitution so what Erdogan is doing looks so vulnerable. He is trying to bring back Islam to Turkiye. But right now Islam seems only to be alive in the old mosques with rituals and zikr so familiar to me. Now , I know where they came from;definitely not from Mekah or Madinah.
