Istanbul tour on your own what to visit first. Great walk in istanbul Walking routes in istanbul

I continue my story about an independent trip to Turkey.
I decided to spend the second day in Istanbul more calmly. Planned for myself a visit to the Galata Tower, the Grand Bazaar and a ferry ride to the Eyup area. Further on the program - the funicular up the hill, which offers a picturesque view of the Golden Horn Bay.

In total, today I will have at least two observation platforms, which I adore and try to find an opportunity to climb higher in every city.
If you have not yet read my reports on the first day spent in Istanbul, then welcome - and.

Galata tower.

The tower was built in the 14th century to watch over the entrance of the Bosphorus.

Well, let's go and watch 🙂 .
The tower can be reached by tram, but I decided to walk along the Galata Bridge again to see the fishermen who were crazy about their hobby. Amazing people!

Narrow winding streets lead to the tower.

At times, the tower is lost between the houses, but I orientate myself by some “gardens” and make my way to it.

Entrance costs 25 lire. For this money, you do not have to walk upstairs. Enter the elevator, a couple of seconds and you are already at the highest point.

There is a cafe on the top floor of the Galata Tower. The most favorite tables of visitors, of course, are by the window.

Here it is, Istanbul, with a 360-degree view. The photo is hard to see, but there, on the horizon, the Sea of Marmara is already visible.

Istanbul is divided not only by the Bosphorus. The Golden Horn Bay also brings its share of traffic jams. He is in the photo below. Why the bay has such a name, I will tell you a little later.

On the left is the Bosphorus, on the right is the Golden Horn. And there in the distance - the Sea of Marmara and the entrance to the Bosphorus.

Turned Google Maps upside down on purpose to show the vantage point.

In the morning, I did not even suspect that in the evening I would again be near the Galata Tower. But more on that later.

Eyup area. Observation deck.

Since there are a lot of berths in Istanbul, ferries are not so easy to deal with. For a very long time I could not figure out where the ferries to Eyup depart from. For the same pioneers, I enclose a map.
The two red dots on the map are the ferry landings to Eyup. If you are on the Eminenu pier, then you need to go far beyond the Galata Bridge. The pier will be near the parking lot.

If you are on the other side of the Golden Horn, that is, on the Kadikoy pier, the desired pier will be to the left of the bridge.

There are no token matics nearby, so you need to take care of buying a token in advance. There is always a schedule on the pier. Thus, it can be calculated that the travel time from Kadikoy to Eyüp is 40 minutes.

The ferry serves as a fixed-route taxi, cruising from coast to coast, constantly crossing the Golden Horn Bay. Such a transfer can be used as a boat trip. The cost of the trip is standard - 4 lira.

The ferry is much smaller than yesterday's pleasure one, but there is also a cafeteria with delicious tea.

A few photographs.

A real submarine, only an old one.

On the pier I take a picture of the ferry schedule as a keepsake and go to the funicular. There is an opinion that Eyup is one of the most religious districts of Istanbul. I can neither confirm nor deny this opinion. Here I felt as comfortable as in the tourist Sultanahmet.

Teleferik nothing more than a funicular. It is located at the foot of the hill a little further from the pier.

Guess the cost of the funicular ride? That's right - 4 lira.
I forgot to say that the hillside is a Muslim cemetery. Personally, this fact did not bother me at all. I then even quietly joined the French tourist group and walked with them through the cemetery.

At the top of the hill is the famous coffee house Pierre Loti with a very picturesque terrace. The observation deck is nearby.
The Golden Horn Bay is so named because of its steep bend.

It is cool in Istanbul, the tourist season has not yet begun, so almost all the tables in the cafe are free.

And here is a large group of French comrades, with whom I went down to the pier.

Of course, it was possible to use the funicular again, but walking is much more interesting.

Grand Bazaar.

Whether you plan to shop at the Grand Bazaar or not, it's worth stopping by. The large market is attractive primarily for its color. The range of goods is quite diverse: leather goods, carpets, dishes, clothes, jewelry.

The construction of the market began in 1453, at one time it was even the center of the slave trade.

And I kept walking, looking at the beautiful ceiling, absolutely not paying attention to the local barkers.

By the way, in the Grand Bazaar area, the most profitable currency exchange.

After visiting the Grand Bazaar, I didn’t have any special plans left, but the daylight was not even going to end in the evening and I had to come up with something.
It was then that a “brilliant” idea came to my mind - to see the Sea of Marmara. On the map, the distances seemed quite sane. I had to cross the Sultanahmet area and get off at Kennedy Cadesi.
In fact, it turned out that the entire avenue was closed by some kind of construction site. I saw the Sea of Marmara only from afar.

As I walked towards the sea, I looked around. It seemed to me that the price level in this part of Sultanahmet is somewhat lower.
I don't know what kind of houses they are, but they are very nice.

A walk along the embankment did not work out for me and I decided to return to the Blue Mosque. I didn't have time to see everything yesterday. Right behind the mosque is the Hippodrome square. Another name is Sultanahmet Square.

In ancient times, horse races were held on the square, stands for spectators stood on both sides. Today, treadmills are under a five-meter layer of earth.

There are two obelisks in the square. I recognized one of the obelisks, it is from the Karnak temple. When we were in, the guide told the group about this obelisk.

At the entrance to the square is the German Fountain. If you look inside, you can see a gilded mosaic.

By this time, I was pretty hungry and decided to move towards the Galata Bridge to eat at one of the fish restaurants.

Passing by the park, Gulhane decided to stop by for a while. Near the entrance is a fountain-book.

I think it must be wonderful here in the summer. In early spring, greenery is still not enough.

In Istanbul, there is nowhere to hide from chestnuts, boiled corn and bagels. Even in the park.

I did not choose a special restaurant on the Galata Bridge. I went to the one that seemed to me prettier.
When the weather is nice, it's nice to sit outside. I chose the interior, as it was quite cool and windy.

In Turkish cafes and restaurants, all waiters and cooks are men. Perhaps such work is considered exclusively male in Turkey. Girls work as cashiers in stores, but I have never seen adult working women.

After lunch and dinner, I thought for a while about what to do with myself. The legs asked for a hotel, and the soul demanded spectacles (there were no problems with bread at all). Having expanded the map of Istanbul and having studied the sights again, I decided to look at the old aqueduct.

Aqueduct of Valens.

Everything would be fine, only the city began to rapidly plunge into twilight. I made my way to the aqueduct through some Turkish slums, wandered for a long time and finally saw it.

The Valens Aqueduct is part of the Istanbul water supply system. The bridge, as it were, connects two hills, and pipes for water were previously laid along the top. The building was built in the III century. Just think how old he is!
Special lighting gives the ancient building some special charm, and I was even glad that I decided to look at the aqueduct in the evening.

About Istanbul has already been written and rewritten, only the lazy did not check in there, however, when we were going there, we prepared thoroughly. It’s not that we are such wild provincials that we haven’t seen megacities. We saw it, but ... Okay, I confess, I scared everyone, remembering my impressions of the long docking and stupid running around the city - “Madhouse! Babel!". For some reason, I felt more comfortable in Bangkok for the first time.

In general, they collected information, tormented the “honored Istanbulites” from the site, but most importantly, they sat down on ready-made routes. Time was running out, only 4 days, how to cram an insane amount of sights and just interesting places into them? Although it is an inexpensive destination, you won’t run into it. And there are so many more interesting things in the world ... well, you know.

As a result, my own route was born, which I post here. Surely there will be the same sufferers, who are in Istanbul for the first time, but where to run is not clear. Those places where we did not reach and did not reach, I also include. To the one who masters it all, I will shake his courageous hand, I promise)

Sorry for the quality of the photo, a lot from the phone, it was necessary to illustrate with something. All beautiful photos.

Hotel. Originally booked this hotel: Stone House Oldcity. For four, a room with two rooms for 5 nights was less than 200 euros. But for some reason they didn't like our card, a working dollar card (we checked with the bank, all payments are open). We corresponded with them for a long time through Booking and through their website, as a result, a week before the trip, they canceled our reservation "without declaring war." Without regaining consciousness, we rushed to look for something else, the choice, frankly, was no longer so hot, but we found this option: Art City Hotel Istanbul and were generally satisfied. The hotel is located next to the Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic Mosque (Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Camii). Even here Serbia sends greetings to me)

Transport. They decided not to rush to take the IstanbulKart card, and in general they did the right thing. We only used transport once. Everything else is on foot, on 777 hills, 20 km a day. We took a transfer from the airport to the hotel at the hotel, because we arrived late in the evening, we would probably get lost until we reached the hotel in the dark, through the hills and through the narrow streets. Back to Kiwi. Taxi. For four, it worked out just fine. You can calculate the amount of a taxi trip in advance, for example,. You can also ask to call a taxi at the counter at the exit from the airport, and it is still possible to order a car in advance (city taxi service).

By public transport, you can get to the city from Ataturk Airport by metro, route map (the metro operates from 6:00 to 00:30), and also by Havatash buses (from the airport from 4:00 to 1:00).

Cards. You will definitely need the Maps.me app. Well, at least it saved us. Recommended.

First day

So, on the first day, the route looks like this: Sultanahmet - Gulhane Park - Eminenu Port and Bosphorus Boat Cruise - Dervish Dance . Actually, it's all - on the southern part of the European side of Istanbul.

First, we examine what is nearby - the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern. Gulhane Park we pass through.

To the right, before leaving the park, there is a hill with some kind of ancient pavilion, and further on, the Bosphorus is visible. I try to climb a stone fence, take pictures, but the local law enforcement officer with a machine gun drives me out of there. I don’t argue and retreat, I respect people with weapons. I can't even imagine why it wasn't possible. By the way, we do not recommend leaving the park right there, it is better to return to the entrance through which you entered it.

We got out and probably sawed for another kilometer to the pier along the highway, there were no views - on the one hand, a high fence of the railway station, on the other - some private mansions. Everything is in the dust, the cars are rushing. When we realized that we were near the station, we went into it and bought tickets for the performance dervishes(about dervishes).

Taken at the pier Bosphorus cruise at the operator, whose ships are moored immediately to the right of the Galata Bridge. The cost of a small circle is 12 lira, I don’t remember a large one, it’s not too expensive.

Right there, in the alleys, we found a big store LC Waikiki- Turkish mass-market brand, things are inexpensive, but solid. We have to dress the children. There are plenty of such stores throughout Istanbul, there are departments in any shopping center.

Second day

The second day was devoted to the northern part of the European side of Istanbul. The original route looked like this: Galata Tower - Istiklal Street - Taksim Square - Sapphire Skyscraper - Rumeli Hisari Fortress - Galata Tower. As a result, the fortress fell away, and in general, by the evening, something went wrong.

Since we don't care to go through the Hippodrome, we go through it and take pictures again - cats, mostly. By the way, at the Egyptian columns in the morning you can see people with posters, inviting to free tours in Istanbul in English and Russian. We didn’t have to, and we didn’t really believe in the free of charge of anything, but it turned out to be true. I found three similar projects, but there are clearly more of them, and among them there are definitely in Russian: Istanbul Free Tour, Free Walking Tour (2 types, in the old and new city), Free Tours in Istanbul. People write that the guides give 100%, there is no payment, but tips are desirable.

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From the Basilica Cistern we go along Yerebatan street. We sincerely advise all Instagrammers to turn here: here are the very bright hotels with equally colorful food courts (like the Kybele Hotel). Take a selfie, get hundreds of likes and become Instagram stars, we guarantee.

On the Galata bridge with fishermen and a catch, we cross to the other side of the Golden Horn Bay, from where we rise to Galata.

The tower is open from 09:00-20:30, ticket price for April 2018 is 25 lira. We didn’t go to the tower, we have a lot of lookouts in the Suleymaniye area, why do we need it. But you can.

From Galata we go to Istiklal. And then we disappear into local stores. Well, we just went to look at the prices - we woke up in the fitting room of the fifth store with a bunch of things. By an effort of will, we stop this disastrous business. Don't do it. On Istiklal we photograph the famous trams, go to the Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua and almost at the metro we remember that we didn’t eat. We eat here: Beyoglu Halk Doner(Address: Şehit Muhtar Mahallesi, İstiklal Cd. No:10, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul).

If you don't plan to hang out in the stores (though we didn't plan to, hehe), you can visit french quarter. You can get there by going around the Galatasaray school, a green building in the middle of Istiklal. Actually, the French Quarter is the Fransiz Sokagi street of the same name with Parisian lanterns: restaurants, shops, colorful houses, a flea market (nearby, in the Cukur Cuma quarter). Dine or drink coffee is advised in the Tavan Arasi cafe with a terrace, which can be reached by an old elevator. Here Turkish cuisine and moderate prices.

From Taksim, we need to take the metro to Sapphire (LevenT metro station).

More about Sapphire: in 2011 in a shopping and office center Istanbul Sapphire viewing platform opened. The building itself has a height of 261 meters - it is the tallest in Turkey. The observation deck is located at a height of 236 meters; a high-speed elevator takes visitors there. So fast that the ears are pawned like in an airplane. The site is said to have two levels. The first is completely glazed, and the second is 2.5 m. So, on our visit, we didn’t even see the second level, there was some kind of small ladder up with a platform of a couple of meters, but they didn’t let us in. I had to be content with the views through the glass. The ticket price in April 2018 is 27 lira (for students - 22 lira).

It seemed to us that it would not be far from Sapphire to the fortress Rumeli Hisari, which we saw from the boat during the tour of the Bosphorus. Many call the fortress one of the most interesting places on the European side of the Bosphorus. But everyone is inclined to believe that it is better to go to it in the morning, when there are few people and the sun's rays illuminate it favorably. We didn't go, but you can. Maps with bus route numbers are in slides, scroll through. You can return to Taksim like this, by bus from the bridge of Sultan Mohamed Fatih.

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We went down to the subway at Sapphire and wanted to get to the metro bridge. But they went ahead of him. It turned out that the station in front of the Şişhane bridge is a fair amount of shanghai. There is crazy traffic along the bay, a bunch of feral seals, local teenagers smoke and drink at school (*I wonder if religion allows them? Seriously?*). We had to get off at the bridge itself - there is a Haliç station. And I suspect that from the bridge there are excellent views of both the left and right banks of the Golden Horn. Well, we cross the bay on the next, third bridge - Ataturk. It is very poorly designed for walking.

A mosque looms up on the hill ahead Suleymaniye why not come in. God knows how long we go to the mosque, along the ancient narrow streets up - the masonry of houses, narrow windows and rare doors. There are few people) To be honest, we were desperate to ever get to the mosque, when suddenly we see an inscription on the wall in red paint with an arrow Süleymaniye -> Thank you, unknown kind person!

Although the mosque is already closed for visiting, the sunset from its observation deck is simply amazing! Everything was not in vain)

The third day

On the third day, the itinerary is: Topkapi Palace - 1) Sultanahmet, everything else you want to see in the vicinity or 2) the Asian part of Istanbul .

And, I forgot to say, we didn’t have a kitchen unit in the hotel room, well, cooking at such prices is simply a crime. As a result, in search of a brekfest, we went to the streets behind Hagia Sophia, closer to the strait - a bunch of establishments that serve a normal European breakfast in the morning, and not for big money, like in our hotel (6 euros per person, just in case). The owners of these restaurants said that in the evenings they lowered the blinds, creating a kind of solitude, and poured (alcohol, I mean), people dance until they drop, etc. ” put in be healthy. But if you need it, then it's there.

On Topkapi It takes a lot of time, at least three hours. There is a huge number of museum premises, including a harem. There is a separate ticket to the harem, part of our company went there, the second part was limited to the established territory. At the entrance to Topkapi - an ancient Byzantine Church of Saint Irene where the Second Ecumenical Council once took place.

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1) In addition to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern, here at the entrance to Gulhane Park is Archaeological Museum with a collection of items from the era of Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire.

Concerning museum card. All of the above attractions are included in the list, that is, they will be free on the map. But: there is no longer a three-day card, only for 5 days, it costs 155 lira. You can view a list of all places or book it in advance on the website: www.muze.gov.tr. You can buy a card directly at the box office of attractions and in some hotels.

2) On Asian sides You can get there in two ways - by boat or by subway. The metro is faster, but the boat is more interesting.

Ships from Eminonu come to two piers! Kadikoy and Uksudar are two districts in the Asian part of Istanbul. The famous Maiden's Tower is located in Uksudar, the Fashion quarter is in Kadikoy.

The route is like this: Eminönü - Uksüdar Pier - Çamlıca Park - Kadıköy District (Moda Quarter) - Kadıköy Pier - Eminönü . Or vice versa.

Pro Maiden Tower everyone already knows it, it can be seen from the board of a boat cruising along the Bosphorus, and even from observation platforms in the old part of the city. They write that there is nothing to do in the tower itself, and it looks best from the outside.

Çamlıca Park(Çamlıca Tepesi) got into our plan after rave reviews from tourists. The park is located on the hill of the same name - the highest in the Asian part of Istanbul. There are few people here, pleasant groves, flower beds, buffets and places for picnics. But the main thing is the views of the city: the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, and even the sea and the Princes' Islands.

From the park we go to Quarter Fashion, one of the two quarters of the Kadikoy district (the second is Fenerbahce). Routes with bus numbers - in the slides, scroll through.

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What to do here? A bunch of shops - from antiques to fashionable local brands, cafes, restaurants, including on the roofs. And also - the Kadikoy market, this is for those who like to get to know the cities through visiting such traditional places. They write that everything is there: spices, sweets, sausages, cheeses, fruits, but most importantly - fish and seafood. The market has a lot of fish restaurants serving the freshest seafood - from shrimp and anchovies to monkfish.

Day four

Route: Suleymaniye - observation platforms and cafes with observation platforms next to Suleymaniye - Chora Museum - Valens Aqueduct . You can not return to Valenta, but go (or go) to the Yedikule fortress, this is there the Golden Gates of Constantinople, well, remember about Prince Oleg?

Let's go to Suleymaniye right at the opening, we are the first visitors, and for this we have a bonus - the complete absence of the Chinese. I already talked about ostrich eggs hanging from chandeliers in my comments, so pay attention to them - you will not see this anywhere else. The mosque complex also includes a cemetery with mausoleums in which the remains of Sultan Suleiman I and Roksolana, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, are buried.

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Sorry for the details, but only for tourist use: there is a free toilet here. Not the one in the depths of the complex, but the one right in front of the main entrance (and very decent). Well, all usefulness is usefulness)

In the morning rays of the sun, the views from the Suleymaniye site are no worse than sunset ones.

Let's go to café with observation decks- there are a lot of them, you will definitely notice them from above and choose what you like. Initially, we were looking for this - Kubbe-i Aşk. But in the process we came here: Sefa-i Hurrem Cafe Restaurant (). And they were satisfied, they really ate. You do not eat so much, then you still have to walk somehow.

Hello! My name is Olga, and I am glad to offer the guests of our City walks of different levels of "advancement".

Hiking:

Route No. 1, which I call "Istanbul's Pioneers", includes visits to especially iconic places that every newcomer to Istanbul must visit:

Topkapi free territory, with the adjacent Gulhane Park (I tell you how and where to get a museum card, an audio guide and a transport card that works on all types of public transport)
Sultanahmet Square, where you will find an informative story about the creation of two of the most iconic buildings in Istanbul - Hagia Sophia and, in fact, the Blue Mosque.
Hippodrome Square with artifacts that have a history of more than one hundred years, after which we will go to a real cistern, where we can see what the Hippodrome looked like during the heyday of Byzantium
In the Kadyrga area, we capture two magnificent places: Small Hagia Sophia (with sunset) and Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque (lovers of the Magnificent Century - this is YOUR topic!)
We pass through the former forum of Constantine to the Grand Bazaar (aka Kapala Charshi), there we adjust the route depending on the time of the excursion - we can go “to the roofs of Istanbul”, if it is not Sunday, or we sacrifice this trip for the last point of the walk, but we will add Mario with his famous "fish in lavash".

Through the square of Beyazid Mosque and Istanbul University we pass to Suleymaniye. The tombs of Suleiman the Magnificent and Anastasia Lisovskaya (Hyurrem): legends associated with the construction of the complex and a chic observation deck overlooking the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus are at your service, but first I will tell you about the abode of the dervishes of the Kalender order!
Have you heard anything about the geometric center of Istanbul in the time of Suleiman the Magnificent? I will enlighten you on this issue, and we will also visit the courtyard of the Shehzade Mosque (the one that was planted with a concubine with smallpox).
From Suleymaniye we will go down with you to the Golden Horn, cross it over the Halich Bridge and get to Karakoy, from which we will climb through the Kamondo stairs to the Galata Tower and further, through Istiklal with a retro tram, we will reach Taksim Square (We will fulfill this point if we do not go to the roofs of Kapala Charshi).

Route #2, which I call "Advanced Guest"

We begin our long journey with you from the former shrine of Christian Constantinople - the Pantokrator Monastery, which now bears the name ZEYREK, if the mosque is open, we will certainly look into it, the architectural style of this building will amaze you to the very heart. And from the height of the observation deck of a nice home cafe, under the glove box with delicious Turkish tea, I will “examine” you on the knowledge of the surroundings, which are superbly visible from this point. There I will enlighten you about the One-Day Church, which you can see just fine from there.
Through the Women's Bazaar (you will also hear the history of its name) we pass to the holy of holies of the old Istanbul water supply system - the Valensa Aqueduct and penetrate into residential areas
The Mosque of Fatih Mehmed Sultan - the conqueror of Constantinople - with a chilling story of its construction, which I will definitely tell. The very square around it and the interior decoration of the main Sultan's mosque of its time will amaze you to the very heart.
Next, by bus, we will drive to the sacred place for Muslims - the Eyup Sultan Complex. Optionally, we make a stop and go out to look at the European Mihrimah Mosque and the Edirnekapi Gate, through which Fatih entered Constantinople. Eyup Sultan is a place of pilgrimage for Muslims, since it is here that the footprint of the Prophet Muhammad and his personal belongings are located!
Bazaar with unique rose creams, rose oils and rose water from Isparta is HERE!
Through the ancient cemetery we go up to the Cafe Pierre Lotti, from where we take amazing pictures of the surroundings. I will reveal the secrets of our Family in this place!
Funicular, bus - and we are in the Balat area, which is so loved by Instagram bloggers. Let's plunge into the atmosphere of ANOTHER Istanbul!

These two routes can be adjusted during walks, the average duration is 7-8 hours. Good physical fitness, comfortable shoes, no children. Up to 4 people

The same routes can be customized for standard 4-hour walks (+1 hour as a gift) in agreement with you.

Walking in the Asian part "ISTANBUL IN THE EYES OF ELCHIN": Moda district, nostalgia tram, residential areas, cozy places, wonderful park… – Kadikoy is at your service! Then by public transport we move to Uskudar: either Kuzgundzhuk or a picturesque park for a walk is our choice. Walk for 4 hours (+ 1 hour as a gift).

Up to 4 people, children from 12 years old. Meeting for a walk strictly at Eminonu Pier to save time.

I also make individual walks according to your wishes - 4-5 hours, children over 12 years old.

Automotive:

AUTHOR'S walk "HISTORICAL RESEARCH ON THE VERGE OF FOL"- Yusha tepesi, Yoros Kalesi, Bolshaya Chamlydzha, Uskudar embankment. The legend of who is actually buried in that picturesque place? Your worldview will be turned upside down after this walk, and wonderful views from the highest hills of this part of the City will give you a fabulous feeling. Enthusiasm is not forbidden!

A company of up to 3 people - on a private vehicle, more - I order a minibus from a transport company. A VERY popular walk, in fact, and other guides do NOT do it!

These walks are strictly on Sundays, no more than 3 people (by private vehicle).

[email protected]

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Whatsapp/viber +90 530 124 75 44

For some reason, many people have the idea to spend a two-week vacation entirely in Istanbul seemed strange. Yes, of course, this is a huge and not at all a resort reserve, but “all-inclusive” is not our option, so we decided to devote a little less than two weeks to exploring the city and its environs.

First meeting

The first day of our trip is especially noteworthy for the quest to find apartments and the meeting of a gaping wife with a local holy fool.
Having put our bodies to sleep at 3 a.m. and blasted them to run at 5 a.m., solely on the permanent injection of adrenaline into the blood, we ran first to the metro in the nasty autumn Moscow rain, then along the transition to Novokuznetsk, overtaking the same as us, in most on our own, early birds with suitcases and backpacks, and then onto the air express, which we suddenly managed to catch, despite the fact that we left 10 minutes later than planned.

I won’t write about how they boarded the plane without incident, only slightly worrying about Lyova Pelman, whom the aunt in megaphones, who was flying (or not flying) to Tel Aviv, was looking for with hopelessness in her voice for more than half an hour. And I won’t write about how the stewardess was afraid of turbulence, fastening her belts to the wall right in front of my nose, and the aunt praying to our right.

Istanbul greeted us with a spacious airport, bright sun and a customs officer who shyly asked Lizaveta how to pronounce her last name.
Having overcome all the formalities, we hurried to become mobile and internationalized on the territory of a foreign land. Those. went to the Turkcell counter for a local SIM card. We had no map, except for a fairly small map of the city from the guidebook, and all hope was on Googlemaps, so we were somewhat discouraged by the fact that the Internet did not work right away. The contract itself cost 65 lira, 20 lira was put on top to get a limit of 500 megabytes of traffic, about which an SMS was even received. But all attempts to take advantage of the benefits of 3G were in vain. Only the next day in the operator's salon, the Turks themselves set up some kind of APN connection on my phone, and I finally became online not only in the apartments. Speaking of apartments, it was not easy to find them. It was not difficult to get to the district itself, but then wandering along the alleys began.

After half an hour of trying to find ourselves, we began to pester the Turks, who began immediately and very funny "to solve our problem." In a piece of paper from Bookingcom there was a phone to which they called and started a long conversation almost for a lifetime, after the second such call, a boy, an employee of the apartments, found us. Everything is not so simple with hotels here, something quite decent costs quite Moscow money, and we were somehow not ready to settle in a hostel. Therefore, an average and very good option was found - an apartment ten minutes walk from Sultanahmet.

If in a review about the apartments, I will publish this view from the window, then, of course, few people will come to them)) But everything is not bad at all! Inside, a fresh renovation, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and soft mattresses.

But the view from the window is something. On the street, most of the houses are occupied by shoe workshops. Real and non-tourist, istanbul life, for which we went, was very close.

However, everything is fine with garbage here, it is almost impossible not to meet a garbage truck on the street. And the central streets are almost clean.

The first impression of the city is that only merchants live here, it seems that most of the population only trades, while the locals take part in the process not only from the sale side, but also actively buy. They trade in shops, shops, underground passages, huge markets (we also thoroughly studied the grand bazaar), shopping centers - everywhere. Even just like that, dumping bags or jeans right on the ground.

Grand Bazaar

After wandering around the old city a little, we finally found the column of Constantine, which he erected in honor of the transfer of the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople. It is impossible not to note how easy it was for the rulers in ancient times in terms of commemorating something. There was no need to puzzle over the next monument - I put the phallic symbol higher and thicker on the square with a good view, and everyone is happy! About a few more similar monuments a little later.

So, from this column, going down the picturesque street, we got to the main gate of the Grand Bazaar. At all, Istanbul itself is one big bazaar, but here, as it were, the very heart.

A separate line impressed the public toilets, apparently standing here ever since. Of course, the most important market of the most important, for many centuries, the trading city of Europe and Asia, does not make such an impression on a resident of modern Moscow, as the guidebooks describe, but, nevertheless, it excites the imagination, optic nerves and receptors of the body with its brightness , noise and din, aromas of coffee, tea and food, and, of course, endless rows of all kinds of goods. This is such a feature of the human body, which is more typical for women, when the eyes and ears cannot choose one direction for looking and listening - the legs become a little cottony, the lower jaw sags, and the facial expression becomes a little silly. This is what 99% of visitors to the Grand Bazaar look like.

The owners of numerous shops, many of whose families have been working here since the 15th century, shamelessly take advantage of this, adding their own howling defirambs to their lamps, carpets, jewelry scarves or slippers to the general din. In general, it doesn’t matter what is on this or that counter - it turns out to be the best, the newest (or the oldest, depending on the client’s request), the cheapest and, in general, the most vital.

So they knew how to trade like in Satmbula only on Cherkizon, but here the service is less intrusive.

We walked along, across, diagonally and made several circles along the shopping streets, falling into a semi-conscious state, having bought a few souvenirs and completely losing the ability to navigate the terrain, when we suddenly found ourselves in Boyazit Square, falling out of this brilliant noisy anthill into sudden silence.

Egyptian Bazaar

In addition to the Grand Bazaar, tourists are also very fond of the spice market or, as it is called, the Egyptian Bazaar. Here, of course, they sell not only spices, and if you wander around, you can find anything you want. Sweets, Turkish glass lamps, teapots, ornaments, a hundred varieties of nuts, tobacco by weight, and so on.

Lamb and chicken doners are nowhere new, but in the Stambul you can eat shawarma in one form or another at any corner. Obsessive barkers compete with each other in guessing the nationality of tourists passing by - they greet Japanese, Russians, and Italians in their native language, and even more so English-speaking citizens.

It would be strange if for the city, standing on two seas (Black and Marble), the basis of the cuisine was not fish. If you wish, you can easily dine with freshly caught fish for a few hundred lira with a view of the Bosphorus. And you can buy “balyk ekmek” for 6 lira - a fried piece of the simplest nameless fish, invested in half a loaf along with onions and some other greens - an extremely simple and very tasty dish. For tourists and walking citizens, “balyk ekmek” is sold from special decorative boats, beautifully swaying near the pier.

Fish market

In the Stambul, of course, there are several fish markets - one of them is on the coast of the Marmara Sea in the European part. Small, but colorful and fragrant. In general, this Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus are full of fish. There are even swordfish. By the way, it's quite tasty;) As in any other market, polyglot sellers invite you to buy at least something. I love fish very much, and if I lived in Istanbul, would definitely become a regular in such a market.

In general, the basic rule in relation to the product is that there should be a lot of goods. If you sell glass lamps, then there must be at least a thousand of them, pocket sewing machines - be kind enough to put at least fifty on the counter, corn - build at least a dozen incredible pyramids of corn cobs. Fish is no exception.

There are also a number of restaurants overlooking the boats, on which the Turks go for this abundance of fish in the Sea of Marmara.

Hagia Sophia

No matter how we avoid visiting the most tourist-oriented sites, and no matter how topographical cretinism helps us in this, it is simply impossible not to visit Hagia Sophia while in Constantinople.

In general, to our shame, when we first visited Sultanahmed, we arrogantly decided that Hagia Sophia is the one with 6 minarets. Why is a mystery. Possibly out of greed. But about the one with 6 minarets - below.

So, we firmly decided in the morning that it’s enough to postpone, it’s time to go join the UNESCO World Fund and stomped to Sofia. Honestly, as with every attempt to visit this or that attraction here, we made several laps of honor until we found the entrance, stood in line and, succumbing to the tourist miasma, took an audio guide.
What can I say? Of course, it impresses with its size, and even more, with imagination, decoration and decoration. Although, after numerous robberies, almost nothing remained of the decoration. The columns are hard to carry away, and the mosaic is difficult to peel off from the ceiling, so they were preserved for our joy.

The mosaic, at one time, illuminated by a huge number of lamps on each tier, should have simply burned with golden fire. Imagine thousands of small golden mirrors - it's like being in an inverted mirror ball. All kinds of savages, i.e. those who were not Byzantines, at the time of the construction of Sophia, this should have struck to the very depths of the soul once and for all. Here it becomes obvious that Vladimir could not but choose for Rus' nothing other than Orthodoxy. Every normal Varangian who visited her certainly began to click in her head an adding machine that had not yet been invented at that time, counting how much there was of any brilliant goodness that could be evacuated to their homeland and put into brooches. And each of the rulers of that time and many centuries later, and even now, I have no doubt, would like to have a good pretext for wars of conquest, robberies, and extortion of their own subjects. The Orthodox tradition regarding precious metals and shiny minerals is just perfect.

The Varangians, by the way, served Justinian in large numbers as a hired squad, and, on duty, they had to attend religious events in Sofia, and since they were not quite savages, they quickly got bored with entertaining picking their nose, and they entertained themselves as best they could, leaving memorable notches and inscriptions everywhere they could reach unnoticed.

Speaking of building. IMHO, for the construction of this pearl of architecture, an unsuccessful place was initially chosen, because the churches built on it before Hagia Sophia were constantly burned down. Either a fire or an uprising is a bad trend. But the Byzantine emperors were stubborn and self-confident people, so Justinian ordered to build a sort of colossus all in the same place. And he did not lose - several times the temple was partially destroyed, including the destruction of the dome, as a result of earthquakes, plundered by Christian brothers, and then completely turned into a mosque, and then into a museum.

We, as always, were “lucky” in that the building is now under restoration and we were not able to fully survey its space, but we were able to see the main treasures - the surviving mosaics. We were especially impressed by the couple of Empress Zoe and her third husband, Konstantin. On her example, we can observe the continuity between ancient and Byzantine art - with each change of spouse, the mosaic was not completely redone and a new one was not created - they simply laid out a new portrait and changed the name of the emperor.

In a separate long monologue, the audio guide told us about the outstanding and very best examples of Islamic art - medallions with the names of Allah, the prophet and caliphs. We looked at them and scrolled through the file again. And looked again. Let's leave it without comment.

In general, visiting Hagia Sophia left a double impression. It is a pity for the plundered treasures.

Sofia on the left and Sultanahmet on the right.

Sultanahmet

Sultanahmet is both the name of the district and the name of the mosque. The mosque is active, but since there are a lot of tourists who want to stare at the interiors and Muslim tourists, it is equipped for visiting the infidels. There is a separate entrance where tourists are given bags for shoes, scarves and skirts - so that they do not embarrass the worshipers with their appearance. The mosque is not open all the time, but only when nothing sacred and important happens. Nothing supernatural was found inside the mosque.

Galata Tower

Another one hundred percent tourist place is the Galatia Tower, but it is impossible to pass by. Because nowhere else see Istanbul from above. You can see the tower from everywhere. Over the centuries, the tower has been a prison, an observatory, and a fire tower, but initially it was built to monitor the Bosphorus. However, in this photo, the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus is on the left and a little further.

Walking around Istanbul (Turkey)

The first tower was built here at the end of the fifth century, but, of course, what tourists are shown now is a remake of the fourteenth century. The tower acquired its modern look even later, but in the last century an elevator was built inside the tower. They let you inside for 13 liras from the nose, and upstairs on a narrow annular terrace a whole crowd of onlookers-tourists crowds. From above Istanbul just as beautiful as when walking through the narrow, dirty streets. By the way, we found out that the Asian coast, although a little less colorful, is incomparably cleaner.

obelisks

There used to be a hippodrome on the current Sultanahmet Square. Rather, she herself used to be a hippodrome, if we didn’t mix anything up. As at every decent hippodrome, obelisks also stood and still stand at Constantinople. I have already written that with the monuments and ideas for their creation, the ancients had a much easier time than now. Often it was not even necessary to create anything new, because Byzantium had the whole of Egypt, almost at hand, crammed full of all sorts of columns, obelisks and sphinxes. But, unlike the builders of the city on the Neva, the rulers of Constantinople gave more preference to classical phallic forms and imported columns and those same obelisks. At the same time, oddly enough, but the only monument of obelisk construction brought directly from there is the Obelisk of Theodosius, delivered from the southern part of the Great Temple of Atum-Ra-Amon, in Thebes.

It was originally built for the thirtieth anniversary of the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III, by the way, in 1460 BC. By order of Emperor Theodosius, with considerable effort, he was uprooted from his native land, loaded onto a boat and sent to his current location. We must pay tribute to the Byzantine riggers - although they dropped the obelisk so that it burst across itself, they dropped it successfully - it burst evenly. Or maybe it simply did not fit entirely on the barge, yet it was almost a third more? But this question will forever remain under the veil of secrecy.

Not far from him perched another obelisk. Although taller, it is less straight into the sky than its Egyptian neighbor. This is an example of local creativity - the obelisk of Constantine (do you feel the variety in the names of the columns of the city?), Installed by Emperor Constantine VII in honor of, suddenly, Basil I. They say that earlier it was covered with sheets of gilded bronze, which hid the general imperfection of the forms of the column, and which were safely torn off from it by the crusaders and melted down into crosses.

Comparing these two identical in essence, but somewhat different in shape of the monument, you begin to understand what “Do not scatter” means. The Egyptians still manage to amaze the imagination with the clarity of execution. Maybe they did not invent any horrors like rococo, but they learned how to create huge geometric shapes masterfully.
It looks very sad next to these neighbors the Serpent Column, which was three intertwined snakes, created from the weapons of the defeated Persians by Greek craftsmen for the Delphic sanctuary of Apollo and, correctly, obtained from there by the zealous collector of beauty in the face of Constantine. In 1700, snake heads were crushed by an unknown herpetophobe. Only one head survived, which is now shown separately from the body in Istanbul archaeological museum.

Istanbul

Istanbul impressive in size. In addition to the Asian and European coasts, the city includes the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara. Of the four islands, we visited only the largest, there is nothing special to see there, and we went for the sake of visiting the beach. The same cats, traders, restaurants. I was pleasantly surprised by the ban on cars - they move around the island only on horse-drawn carts.

big Istanbul constantly teeming with people, ships, trams. Everyone is running somewhere, speaking a wide variety of languages.

We constantly tried to leave the tourist routes, turned into lanes, looked in the doors, looked for places where there would be more beggars and punks. The photographic material, of course, still needs to be processed, but here I will show a few frames of a more real one. Istanbul than polished sights.

We even chose apartments on a working street full of shoe shops. The attitude of the Turks to all the ruins is amazing. On the ancient walls of Constantinople - almost 20 kilometers of well-preserved walls - the locals grow parsley and tomatoes, and the wreckage of 1880 stuck to our house successfully played the role of a garbage dump.

On the European Istanbul embankment, tourists cluster in only one place - at the piers opposite the Egyptian Bazaar, the rest of the embankment is a narrow strip of concrete along a slightly wider strip of boulders heaped along the coast. Local fish in any convenient place.

Muslims, as in Moscow, do not fit in the whole crowd in mosques, so there are moments when suddenly the streets are covered with rugs and filled with worshipers.

People

I can’t generalize the people of Istanbul, break them into groups, and generally somehow systematize the people who fill the streets of the city, I can’t. An attempt to list all the ingredients of the crowds on the streets has failed: shopkeepers, restaurant barkers, tourists, beggars, devout Muslim women, white-collar workers, policemen, tourists, scavengers and dozens of other isolated groups are mixed into a special cocktail in such a way that the human mass does not turn into one gray whole, as in Moscow and dozens of other cities.

Not once did we get into any trouble, although I hoped to film the riots, and we did not shun the non-tourist streets at night. Small groups of police officers on Taksim Square and in the vicinity (by the way, armed, unlike the Moscow “anti-dissenters” regiments) added drama, but there were no pogroms or overthrows of power during our visit.

07/09/2016

Article text updated: 01/06/2019

Let me remind you that yesterday we had a very long day: from 9 am to 9 pm we traveled from Kemer to Istanbul, visiting on the way the most famous landmark of Turkey - the lime travertines of Pamukkale. Since it was still a long way to the end point of the travel route, we stopped in the city of Eskisehir (Eskişehir). Today I will tell you how we got to the hotel in Istanbul, I will show pictures taken on Sultanahmet Square at night and during the day, from a walk along the picturesque streets of the city.

From Eskisehir to Istanbul can be reached by a long road (distance about 310-324 kilometers) or a short one, by ferrying from Yalova to the Istanbul port of Yenikapı, once in the European part of the city, not far from Sultanahmet Square. The price is 126 lira if you book a ticket in advance via the Internet (site ido.com.tr/en). Then we will save 100 kilometers of travel and have a chance to arrange another excursion: sail across the Sea of Marmara by ferry. However, this way to get to Istanbul has two drawbacks: 1) you need to get to the port of Yalova at the exact time indicated on the ticket; 2) according to the terms of car rental, you need to notify the rental company, and they barely speak English ... Okay ... Let's drive around Turkey for an extra hour, it's interesting!

In the morning we got up, had a leisurely breakfast, lay in the hotel, wandered along the street, left ... And, not reaching 50 kilometers to the end point of our journey, we got into a severe traffic jam. Fifty kilometers - 5 hours (however, they made a stop for rest and lunch at a roadside cafe). At some point, a lamp came on, announcing the end of gasoline in the tank, and on toll roads in Turkey, let me remind you, gas stations are located only after 50 kilometers ...

In general, they regretted ten times that they did not sail to Istanbul by ferry! We reached the Bosphorus Bridge only at 18 pm.

Probably, Muscovites are no strangers to such dead traffic, but for us, the residents of Yekaterinburg, such a trip was not psychologically easy. By the way, I was surprised by the Istanbul public transport system: while we were fried in traffic jams at the entrance to the Bosphorus Bridge, buses scurried along the dedicated lane every three minutes.

Another adventure in Istanbul: how the Galata Bridge was moved, and 4 kilometers were left to the hotel, the navigator died. More precisely, not just dead, but led somewhere into the slums. Oh, what it's like to drive through the labyrinths of ancient streets after 5 hours in a traffic jam!..

There is also a girl from the rental company calling:

- Sir, tell me where to pick up the car tomorrow?
- So we have not yet decided where we will spend the night, I will tell you later.
- What? I say, where will the car be parked?

Her English is bad, we agree that as soon as we check into a hotel, I will reset the address by SMS.

This time we decided not to stay at the Emin Hotel, where we spent our first night in Istanbul. We needed parking, so Booking chose several cheap hotels that have this option in their descriptions. The first on the list is Amaros Apartments (GPS coordinates: 41.003975, 28.966510), which is 900 meters from the Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) and one and a half kilometers from the Sultanahmet Park with the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii), Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) and the Cistern Basilica (Yerebatan Sarnıcı), which we wanted to see tomorrow. The price of accommodation is 75 liras (25.6 dollars).

In general, the advice is this: if the navigator does not catch satellites, you need to stop after every second intersection, check the map and then you will find the right place quite easily. Only now, Amaros Apartments got lost in such pampas!.. We drove past the address twice, there is no sign anywhere. I stopped the car, I go to ask the kid standing on the sidelines:

- Sir! Where is Amaros Apartments located?
“Mmm…” he doesn’t understand, in English.
— Amaros?
- Aaaaa, so there it is! - and points to a steel door with a business card hidden under the glass.

It turns out that parking is not included in the price of the hotel. The owner of Amaros Apartments takes us to the guy who showed us the location. He turned out to be a security guard. The cost is 25 lire. Robbery! Guard! Well, there is no longer any strength to go somewhere to look for another option.

While we are unloading things from the trunk, I hear an old man sitting on the steps of the house opposite, asking the guard in Russian:

- And you, how much did you take from foreigners?
— 25 lire, one night total…
- Hey guys! Do you speak Russian? What were they silent about? I exclaim in surprise.
- And what did you communicate with us in English? ..

It turned out that they came to work in Turkey from Uzbekistan. And we met the citizens of this Asian country several times in a cafe in Istanbul, they work as waiters.

The area in which Amaros Apartments is located looks like a slum, the streets are dark. But I want to shoot Istanbul at night ... I ask the owner of the hotel:
How dangerous is it to wander around here at night?
- You've been watching TV. Istanbul is a very safe city. Don’t worry, go where you want,” he replies, almost offended in his voice.

I had enough strength to just stomp to Sultanahmet Square (it was still crowded at 20:30 in the evening) and take a couple of pictures.

On the streets of Istanbul. A little history of the city

In the morning it turned out that there was no breakfast in our hotel. I missed this point when choosing a hotel. The room has a stove and refrigerator, plates and pots. Want to save? Then cook yourself. At first we were upset, but it turned out that not everything was so scary: if on the first evening we were shocked by the prices in the restaurants of the tourist part of the old city, then here, in the Fatih district, for 20-30 liras per person (7-10 dollars ) can be excellent.

Istanbul is a city with an ancient history. It is unusually beautiful and colorful for a photographer. Before going to see the sights, we decided to take a walk along its alleys.

In the backyards, many buildings are not in the best shape, but it is all the more interesting to wander here.

The first settlements on this land appeared 3000 BC. But it was not yet a city until Greek colonists arrived in the 7th century BC and founded Byzantium. Their leader was King Visas (in Greek, Βύζας), who in ancient Greece was considered the son of the god Poseidon and Keroessa, the daughter of Zeus and Io.

In the first half of the IV century (c 330 - 395 years) Byzantium became part of the Roman Empire. During the reign of Constantine I the Great, the city was called New Rome, and it became the imperial capital. But the name did not stick, the capital became known as Constantinople.

Having become the capital, the city developed rapidly: palaces were erected, the hippodrome was being rebuilt, and a huge church of the Holy Apostles was being erected.

In 395, Emperor Theodosius I the Great dies - the "Time of Troubles" begins: his sons cannot share power, the country breaks up into the Western Roman and Eastern Roman Empires. In 476, the Western Roman Empire disappears, and Constantinople remains the capital of the Eastern. Abroad, it is called the Byzantine Empire, although the citizens themselves say that they are Romans, that is, Romans, and their empire is Roman. In Ancient Rus', Constantinople was called Constantinople, and the country was called the Greek Kingdom, since its inhabitants spoke the Middle Greek language.

Since Constantinople was located on two continents, it began to develop rapidly: trade, cultural and diplomatic influence grew. Although in the year 92 there was a revolt "Nika" (in Greek means "victory" or "to win"), as a result of which the city was severely destroyed, and 35 thousand people died during the suppression of the uprising.

After the suppression of the uprising by Emperor Justinian, the capital is rebuilt. The famous Hagia Sophia is being built - the temple, which for more than 1000 years was the largest in the world (height - 55.6 meters, dome diameter - 31 meters): only in 1626 in Rome they broke this record by erecting St. Paul's Cathedral (136.57 meters height and 47 meters diameter of the dome).

With the construction of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople becomes the center of the Greek Orthodox Church. And while the city prospered for decades as the center of the Byzantine Empire, its wealth made it a target for conquerors, and for centuries armies from all over the Middle East attacked its inhabitants. In 544, the plague claimed 40% of the inhabitants of the metropolis.

In 1204, the knights of the Fourth Crusade, instigated by the ruler of Venice, stormed the capital of Byzantium - one of the richest and largest cities of the Middle Ages. The "liberators of the Holy Sepulcher" decided not to save Jerusalem, where they were originally heading, but stopped in Constantinople. The Latin Empire was born. Hagia Sophia was looted, manuscripts were burned in fires, priests from Europe seized ancient relics and took them out of the country (isn't it reminiscent of the actions of ISIS in Syria? The organization is banned in Russia).

Fifty years later, the crusaders were expelled, but Constantinople was never able to restore its greatness. Also, the Ottoman Turks begin to capture neighboring cities, cutting off the oxygen to the capital.

2000 years before, guest workers began to descend from the Altai mountains, sending their slings to Asia Minor and the Balkans. Byzantine emperors settled them on the outskirts, in eastern Anatolia, to protect themselves from the Persians. But while Constantinople fought Europe, fats became a problem...

In 1452, a year after the birth of the future discoverer of America, Christopher Columbus, in just four months and 16 days, on the orders of Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror (Fatih), the Rumelihisar fortress (Rumeli Hisari) was built in the narrowest place of the Bosphorus. Now it is a tourist attraction in Istanbul, and then it was a means to block the road to the Black Sea for the Empire.

Weakened by constant invasions, being cut off from neighboring cities by the Turks, the capital of Byzantium held out for 53 days under siege and fell on May 29, 1453 ... The last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos died defending his city.

Almost immediately, Constantinople was declared the capital of the Ottoman Empire and renamed Istanbul, and in Russia, which saw Constantinople as the center of religion and enlightenment, they decided to declare Moscow the Third Rome and the heir of Byzantium: after all, the Monomakh's hat and barka (a wide collar with stones in the royal robe) were received from there. ), and Prince Rurik, the founder of the Rurik dynasty, is the brother of the Roman Caesar Octovian Augustus, and the White Klobuk (a symbol of church independence, transferred by Constantine the Great to Pope Sylvester, from him to Constantinople, from there to Novgorod, then came to Moscow) came from Byzantium. And our word "king" is a modified "Caesar".

In general, our country has a long history of relations with Istanbul. Here they also lost sight of the fact that in 911 the Prophetic Oleg spoiled the gates of Constantinople, nailing his shield to them. In 941-944, Prince Igor did not lag behind Oleg, and Igor's widow Olga was baptized in Constantinople. Well, in 988, our Grand Duke Vladimir I Svyatoslavovich fell for Anna, the sister of the Byzantine emperors Vasily II and Constantine VIII:

“If you don’t give me a girl in marriage, I will capture your Constantinople before the Turks.”
- And you first cross yourself!
- Delov then ...

So, because of the prince-lovelace, the imperial priests began to tell the Russian people which god to pray, and the sculptor Salavat Shcherbakov got a chance to disfigure Borovitskaya Square in Moscow by installing another tasteless idol there in 2016.

We got distracted somehow... The fall of the Byzantine Empire became the cornerstone, separating the Middle Ages from the Renaissance, and greatly influenced the development of modern civilization: the Turks, having captured Constantinople, blocked the trade route from Europe to Asia, which made it necessary to swim for Indian pepper and Chinese consumer goods, skirting Africa. But this is a long time, they decided to equip the ships of Christopher Columbus in order to find a shorter way. This is how America was discovered...

Well, the Turks developed Istanbul, invited Catholics and Orthodox, mixed them with Muslims and Jews to get a multicultural society.

In 1520-1556, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent made Istanbul a major cultural, political and commercial center. In the middle of the 16th century, 1 million inhabitants lived here.

Istanbul was the capital of the Ottoman Empire until the First World War, until it was occupied by the allies of the Entente.

The occupation was the cause of the Kemalist Revolution, which ended with the Treaty of Lausanne and the emergence of the modern Turkish Republic. Ankara became the capital of the state, and Istanbul remained in the shadow for a long time. In 1940-1950, new squares, boulevards, squares and avenues were built in the city. It is a pity that due to construction, many buildings were lost.

In the 1970s, the population of the city grew dramatically, it began to expand and turned into one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.

In 1985, many historical areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 2010, the European Union declared it a Capital of Culture due to its rich history and great culture, important both for Europe and for the whole world.

Here, talking about the turbulent history of Byzantium, Constantinople and Istanbul, we quietly went to Sultanahmet Square, located on the site of an ancient hippodrome. Here, despite the abundance of tourists from all over the world, it is nice to sit, stare, relax before visiting the main attractions of the city.

I suggest watching an entertaining video that shows the history of the emergence and disappearance of countries on the territory of Anatolia.

By the way, the Egyptian obelisk (Dikilitaş) is the oldest “building” in the city: XV century BC. Emperor Theodosius I ordered in 390 to expropriate him in Luxor. On the sides of the monument there are hieroglyphs telling about the successes of Pharaoh Thutmose III, and on top - the pharaoh and the god Amon. The original monument, erected in honor of the ruler's thirtieth birthday in 1460 BC in the city of Thebes, was 37.77 meters high and weighed 542.94 tons. It was hard for the Byzantines to drag it, so they broke it off to 19.59 meters.

One thing I didn't manage to photograph in Istanbul while walking through the streets of the city was the cats. They are the real symbols of the city. A rare photo report of a tourist will do without the mustachioed inhabitants of Constantinople.

This concludes my review of a walk through the streets of Istanbul and a session of stuffing with historical references. In the next, last chapter of the story about a trip to Turkey, let's see how the Sultanahmet Mosque, the Hagia Sophia Cathedral and the Basilica Cistern and others look like inside. Stay connected, my friends!