istanbul: the aya sofia, blue mosque, hippodrome, etc. area

[mrnyc]

sultanamet is the original neighborhood in istanbul and the most popular tourist area.
located here are the byzantine aya sofia, ottoman blue mosque, the roman basilica cistern & hippodrome, etc.


sirkeci terminal (1890) was the end of the line for the famous orient express (1883-2009).
today its serves a handful of commuter and regional trains.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%B0s...rkeci_Terminal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orient_Express
http://www.seat61.com/OrientExpress.htm

























aya sofia (532AD) -- annnd this is the 3rd aya sofia!!!
the greatest catherdral for over 1000yrs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_S...ustration_urns

























dome











lattice









two beautiful lustration marble urns taken from pergamon
they date to the hellenistic period












greek relics uncovered outside









guard outbuilding



rear gate -- the architectural style here is turkish tulip period (early 1700s)




rear wall around the grounds




aya sofia hamam
http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2...nbul-location/











blue mosque aka sultan ahmed mosque (1609-16)
the last great mosque of the classic period
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Ahmed_Mosque











the lively blue mosque courtyard
















the family is celebrating the boy’s pending circumcision
he has no idea what he is in for…!








inside the blue mosque






















the hippodrome (203AD)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodr...Constantinople


obelisk of theodosius -- he brought it here in 390AD
originally built for egyptian pharoah thumosis III in luxor around 1490BC
the obelisk has survived 3500yrs in astonishingly good condition!










the serpent column
removed from the temple of apollo at Delphi






the walled obelisk (900AD)
originally covered in brass plaques, taken away by latin crusaders in the 4th century






lale music









behind the blue mosque




back view of the blue mosque




got random chicken? yep




pomegranite juice & guy carrying food on his head outside arasta market




arasta bazaar
http://www.arastabazaar.com/
originally rent went to blue mosque upkeep






lokum






evil eyes and narghile hookah cafes




coals for the hookahs




neighborhood










fixer upper!














funky hippy hotel lobby cafe
http://www.kybelehotel.com/







lale restaurant aka the world famous pudding shop
thee boomer era hippy meeting place in the 1960s
traveling harvard students came up with the idea for the lets go travel book series here
also, it’s infamous as the place where billy hayes got the hashish in midnight express
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pudding_Shop
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Express_(film)




the old pudding shop message board wall




divan yolu -- the imperial processional road
laid out by constantine the great 300AD
it runs from the seraglio point to the golden gate of the city walls
there it meets the road to rome
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/g...DivanYolu.html




milion post is the official start point of the mese
the mese is what the divan yolu road was called in roman times
the structures were raised in the 1400sAD




roman basilica cistern aka the yerebatan sarnici in turkish (532AD)
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/g...Yerebatan.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_Cistern








the two mysterious medusa head fragment pillar posts











the tear column pillar
supposedly a tribute to the slaves who built the cistern









little aya sofia (527AD) -- it was locked up
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Hagia_Sophia











the little aya sofia little cemetery on the grounds





*** and that is the end of a thread on the most popular tourist area of istanbul ---
next time we go over the golden horn to checkout the city and galata/beyogulu nightlife ***