Redoing Istanbul’s gems

Today I wanted to repeat some of the sights of Istanbul that I had done on my previous visits.

First was the Blue Mosque, known by that knickname becase of the blue tiles in the interior. It involved some queueing and was free. While it is beautiful, my heart goes to the Ayasofya which I visited next.

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: Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.

: In the courtyard of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.

: Inside Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.

: Inside Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.

: Inside Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.

: Inside Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.

: Inside Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.

: Inside Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.

The Ayasofya was an Orthodox Church which became a mosque then a museum. The entrance was TL40 and the queue was longish (starting to be a feature in Istanbul it seems).

Just under half of the interior was scaffolded for restoration work. Pity for me, but good for the generations that will come after me. While it isn’t as intricate as the Blue Mosque, I guess it is the knowledge of its age that captivates me.

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: Looking at the Ayasofya from the Blue Mosque.

: Ayasofya mausoleums. I don’t understand why so many of the royal kids died as kids.

: An entrance to Topkapi Palace; try reading that calligraphy!

: Inside Ayasofya.

: Inside Ayasofya.

: Inside Ayasofya.

: Inside Ayasofya.

: Inside Ayasofya; on the gallery.

: Inside Ayasofya; on the gallery.

: Looking at the Blue Mosque from the Ayasofya.

: Mosaics inside the Ayasofya.

: Dome of the Ayasofya.

I grabbed a light lunch on Yerebatan St where I had stayed twice previously, 21 and 15 years ago. The Hotel Ayasofya is now gone, converted into a more upmarket place. Everything here (including my lunch from a simple kebab shop) is more expensive than in Sirkeci as it is so close to the prime attractions.

Near the hotel is the entry to the underground cisterns. The queues were out the door in both directions. I hadn’t planned on visiting it again, so it didn’t matter.

I continued to the Grand Bazaar. Strangely I wasn’t hassled by carpet sellers or anyone. Perhaps after 21 years of work, I look poorer. Or perhaps I look like I have everything already.

The number of tourists in Istanbul astounds me. With Islamaphobia in full swing, I’m indeed surprised by the number of westerners, especially English-speaking people including Americans. I had also noticed the large number of Arab tourists. Both westerners and Arabs, I believe are attributable to Istanbul being within reach of budget airlines from Europe and Arabia.