ISTANBUL, TURKEY:, Guest Post by Kathryn Mohrman

Istanbul, Turkey.  Hagia Sofia at Sunset

My friend, Kathryn Mohrman, an avid and excellent photographer, visited Turkey earlier this year when she was on her way to Ethiopia.  She has graciously agreed to share some of her photos and impressions of her visit to Turkey. Kathryn is a professor at Arizona State University and travels widely for her job as director of several projects with partner universities in China and Vietnam. You can see photos from her trip to Lalibela, Ethiopia, at her 2/17/14 post on this blog.  I have known Kathryn since we were students together at Grinnell College in Iowa. Here is her report of part of her trip to Istanbul.

Around Christmas and New Year's, 2013, I traveled to Istanbul to see the only city in the world that straddles two continents.

Olives, tomatoes, and cheese are standard items for a Turkish breakfast

Breakfast in my hotel.  I became especially fond of soft yoghurt with local honey (the small dish on the left).

The most impressive structures in Istanbul are the mosques.  The Hagia Sophia was originally built as a Byzantine Christian cathedral  in the 6th century, converted to a mosque in the 15th century, and is now a museum. It is huge!  The great dome is 184 feet above the floor of Hagia Sophia. The medallions around the nave are the names of important prophets. The small structure near the center of the photo (where the altar would be in a Christian church) is the mihrab, the niche indicating the direction of Mecca, and thus the direction to face for prayer.

Blue Mosque

About four blocks from my hotel, on the opposite side of Sultanahmet Square from the Hagia Sophia, is the Blue Mosque.  It gets its name from the predominantly blue Itzik tiles in the interior.

Tahrir Square

Early on I went to Tahrir Square, site of significant protests not too long ago.  It was peaceful when I was there, but I noticed a significant police presence (lots of police cars and soldiers in the background).  Tahrir Square is rather small--I was expecting something larger given the importance of the place in recent history.

Trams go throughout Istanbul

This is the main street running downhill from Tahrir Square toward the Golden Horn

Inside the Grand Bazaar

Istanbul is known for its covered markets, and the Grand Bazaar is THE grand bazaar.  I found it overwhelming.  After an hour or so, I fled.

Rustum Pasha Mosque

I also walked around open-air markets that were frequented by local people. But I found mosques to be more peaceful, even with lots of tourists. On the day I took a food tour of Istanbul (see my post for 7/3) we stopped at Rustum Pasha mosque, known for its wonderful tile work.  Unlike the situation in larger mosques, we could walk throughout the mosque when there were no services.

Entrance to Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace, former residence of the rulers, is a must-see.

Whirling Dervishes

I also attended a whirling dervish religious ceremony.  I'm not a particularly religious person but I found the ceremony to be very spiritual.