Italian
Today’s journey takes us to Turkey, where Istanbul is the first chapter
The column “Art, Culture, History and Archaeology” curated by Carlo Franchini continues. A journey to discover the beauties, curiosities, and charm of Italy and the world, both past and present.
Texts, photos, and videos by Carlo Franchini
The journey I have planned involves a long overland itinerary from Istanbul to Cappadocia following, for long stretches, the “Silk Road“[1] rich in many archaeological sites and cities, authentic splendors of ancient times. Aboard a Turkish Airline plane, we leave Fiumicino airport illuminated by a beautiful sunny day. The coast is getting farther away, then, almost suddenly, the eye wanders into the blue of the sea that seems endless merging with the colors of the sky. It’s been a few years since I last visited Istanbul, but the enthusiasm is strong, as if it were the first time. Come to think of it, I have never met anyone who, speaking of travels, was not fascinated by this city with the desire to return, or someone who did not strongly wish to get to know it.
Istanbul seduces, conquers, also for its strategic position on the Bosphorus Strait, which connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. And it is here, and then to the southwest, on the Dardanelles Strait, where Thrace (or European Turkey) and Anatolia (or Asian Turkey) meet. Just stop for a moment on the geographical map and then on the name to understand that the city tells centuries and centuries of history: Byzantion, (in honor of the Greek king Byzas) from 659 BC (the year it was founded), then, from 330 AD Nova Roma or Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire which over time became Byzantium, then Kostantîniyye, the capital of the Ottoman Empire and finally Istanbul. [2]
The stop in Istanbul will be very short, just enough time to breathe in that magical atmosphere and revisit only the things that have most excited me over time… the Bosphorus, Sultan Ahmet Mosque (the Blue Mosque), and Hagia Sophia or Santa Sophia.
Upon arrival the sky is overcast but it does not take away the charm of this ancient city. I walk where once was the hippodrome, now Sultanahmet Square, heading towards the Blue Mosque. The ancient hippodrome, built by Constantine, had the shape of a horseshoe, it was 480 meters long and 117 meters wide. It is estimated that this place could accommodate up to 100,000 people. The hippodrome has always been a meeting place both in the Byzantine era and during the Ottoman Empire, as well as today. The square is crowded with people. Tourists, but also locals with their families stroll around stopping to admire the various historical commemorative monuments. Obelisks, statues, marbles, visible and well preserved even today like the walled obelisk, that of Theodosius [3] sculpted in Egypt during the reign of Thutmose III [4] by order of the Byzantine emperor Theodosius (reign 379-95) and transported from Egypt to Constantinople in 390 AD.
I notice a scent that reminds me of childhood. The smell of roasted corn cobs that a street vendor has just put on the fire. I can’t resist the temptation. I approach and I am promptly offered a hot freshly roasted corn cob wrapped in its own leaf. Exquisite! Shortly after, I am in front of the main entrance of the Blue Mosque.
The Sultan Ahmet Camii or Blue Mosque, is one of the most important mosques in the city and was built during the Ottoman period between 1609 and 1617 by order of Sultan Ahmed I. Enter the courtyard surrounding the mosque to admire the many projecting domes and the 6 beautiful minarets. It is an imposing yet delicate and harmonious complex at the same time. The interior is majestic. Large domes shine in the sunlight filtering through the many small windows that surround them, highlighting the finely decorated blue tiles inserted inside, which come from the famous city of İznik or Nicaea not far from Istanbul. There are also decorations in green, red, and yellow. Even the columns are decorated and covered with blue and green tiles at the base of which some worshipers pray, giving this place a mystical and evocative atmosphere.
It’s lunchtime and so I decide to go and have something to eat inside the famous ‘Grand Bazaar’, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world.
It is no longer the one of the past that conveyed sensations of charm and mystery together from a distant time. It has been completely modernized but remains always a magical place where you can find everything. There are over four thousand small shops spread along the more than 60 intersecting streets. Jewelry, costume jewelry, the traditional and beautiful carpets. I had sworn to myself that this time I would not buy another carpet… but in the end the skill of an elderly merchant with a thick white beard, and two attentive eyes and his affable and kind manner… prevailed! Spices, fabrics, decorated lamps are among the most common products, but there are also showcases of traditional sweets including the famous and… exquisite lokum.
Tomorrow I will resume my journey towards Cappadocia, but there is still one place to revisit, very representative of Istanbul for me, the Hagia Sophia Mosque.
Here is Hagia Sophia, with its dome and four minarets appearing in all its majesty. Dedicated to “Hagia Sophia,” the wisdom of God, it was a strongly desired Byzantine Christian cathedral by Emperor Justinian who restored it in 532 where, in the mid-4th century, the church commissioned by Constantius II had been built [5], destroyed later by a fire and rebuilt. In 1453, following the siege of Constantinople, it became an important mosque of the Ottoman Empire. The interiors and exteriors of the building were restored and four splendid minarets were erected, the same ones that can still be admired today. Crossing the threshold, you enter the mosque, which is one of the most significant examples of Byzantine architecture. The two very large domes richly decorated, the side aisles supported by columns inlaid as if they were lace, the marbles that adorn it, the walls richly decorated with traditional Byzantine-style representations are now a world heritage site. Extraordinary mosaics of Emperor Constantine, John II Comnenus (Byzantine emperor 119-1143), St. John Chrysostom (Patriarch of Constantinople 344-407), and Leo VI (866-912 Byzantine Emperor) at the feet of Christ seem to shine in the faint sunlight filtering through the windows. Up high, inside a small dome, hidden by some drapes, a representation of the Madonna with the Child stands out. They are all authentic masterpieces of art. Then the large beautiful chandeliers that illuminate this wonderful mosque complete the engaging scenery. It is truly a “spectacle of incomparable beauty” as Procopius defined it in his “De Aedificiis” [6].
Santa Sofia has its legends. It is said that whoever drinks the water from the well inside three times in a row can be healed from any illness. Just as the water that seeps from the weeping column makes those who pass by, touching it, serene and in harmony with the world.
It’s almost evening and a small cruise on the Bosphorus seems to be the best way to admire the sunset that illuminates this wonderful city with its soft colors. Along the waterfront, I see villas and ultra-modern buildings, captivating restaurants and lively bars that blend harmoniously with the many landmarks and ruins of ancient Constantinople. On the shores of the strait, there are many minarets of mosques, remnants of the walls of the fortresses from the time of the Crusades, the Galata Tower (commissioned by Rosso Doria, the first Genoese governor who called it Christea Turris, the Tower of Christ). Then the boat reaches one of the bridges that connect the Asian side to the European side: a very modern steel bridge, a true engineering feat. A little further on, there is Rumeli Hisar Fortress, built between 1451 and 1452 by order of Sultan Mehmed to prepare for the siege of Constantinople and prevent Byzantine ships from bringing supplies to the city through the strait. Sailing on the strait is like flipping through a history book.
If we continued, we would reach the Black Sea, also known as the Northern Sea, so named to distinguish it from the White Sea, or Mediterranean Sea. In Indo-European tradition, black was indeed the color associated with the north and white with the south. Perhaps because the south is always much less cloudy and sunnier than the north?
A dinner in a typical restaurant on the shores of the strait, while the bridges and the city light up making the atmosphere full of charm is the best way to say goodbye to Istanbul! Tomorrow we leave, heading to Pergamon!
[1] “…Term indicating that set of caravan routes and commercial paths connecting East Asia, particularly China, to the Near East and the Mediterranean basin, coined by the German scholar F. von Richtofen (Seidenstrassen). The term primarily encapsulates the intense trade and cultural exchanges linked to commerce, of which silk was the main product, occurring between East and West from the 1st century BC.”
Source: https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/via-della-seta_%28Dizionario-di-Storia%29/
[2] “The name İstanbul may derive from the medieval Greek phrase “εἰς τὴν Πόλιν” (pronounced “istinˈpolin”), or from the Ionian dialect phrase “εἰς τὰν Πόλιν” (pronounced “istamˈbolin”), which means “to the City” or “in the City”… In this way, the Greeks referred to the “City of Cities,” as Constantinople was known during the Byzantine era and beyond.”
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul
[3] Flavius Theodosius Augustus (347-395) was a Roman general and emperor
[4] Thutmose III (1481 BC – 1425 BC) was a pharaoh of the XVIII Egyptian dynasty. Source: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thutmose_II
[5] Constantius II (317-361) was a Roman emperor of the Constantinian dynasty
[6] Procopius of Caesarea : Byzantine historian, active in the second and third quarters of the 6th century as court historian of the Emperor Justinian. Born in Caesarea of Palestine at the end of the 5th century, at least from 527 he held prestigious positions at the Constantinople imperial court… He was the author of an important historiographical work in eight books (De Bellis), a treatise on the buildings built by Justinian within the empire (De Aedificiis).
Source: https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/procopio-di-cesarea_%28Enciclopedia-dell%27-Arte-Medievale%29/
