| Men sit performing
ablutions, washing their hands, feet and face before entering to pray.
A separate entrance for visitors is located at the back of the mosque,
and the removal of shoes is required before you can enter this place of
worship. Head scarves are available for the women, and covering your head
is considered a sign of respect.
A necessary,
but involuntary hush falls over the visitors as they enter Istanbul’s most
famous mosque. The enormous interior is decorated with countless startlingly
blue iznik tiles, which give the mosque its colorful name. Stained glass
windows provide a break in the ongoing maze of blue. Lush, wool carpets
cushion your step and gigantic chandeliers hang so low that some individuals
almost have to duck.
The actual
worship area is roped off to prevent the tourists from disturbing those
at prayer. It is still possible to see the elaborate mafil or chair from
which the imam, or prayer leader gives the sermon on Fridays.
Topkapi
Palace
One of Sultanahmet’s
highlights is Topkapi Palace; home to Ottoman Sultans for 400 years. The
last Sultan to occupy the palace was Mahmut II, who lived there until 1839.
The great palace consists of four courts, and each court permitted only
people of a certain standing to enter. The inner courts were the most secluded
and fewer people were allowed access.
Entering the
palace is done through the Court of Processions, behind Aya Sofya. This
court was open to all and beautiful gardens line the path leading to the
Second Court and the Middle Gate. Resembling the entrance of a medieval
castle, the Middle Gate is built of graying white stone with a turret on
either side. Gold Arabic writing above the huge black door reminds you
of the history associated with the palace.
The Second
Court, open only to people on Imperial business, includes the palace kitchens,
which now contain an impressive collection of Chinese porcelain. The Divan
Salonu, or Imperial Council Chamber is also located in the Second Court.
The gate to this room is astounding – ornate gold lattice covers windows
and a glass door, alluding to the room’s importance. Inside, long red sofas
provided a place for the councilmen to sit, while the Sultan looked on
from a separate room behind a grill high up on the wall.
The Third
Court was even more secluded and open only to the Imperial Family, palace
staff and other important people. The Treasury is located inside the
Third Court, and although you must pay extra to enter, it’s definitely
worth a trip – if only to see the Spoonmaker’s Diamond. This 86 carat monstrosity
is the world’s fifth largest diamond.
Included in
the palace entrance ticket are the Seferli Koiuiu - rooms which house the
robes, kaftans and uniforms of the imperial family. The size of the kaftans
gives you a pretty good idea of how large the Sultans were.
The most sacred
of all rooms in the Third Court are the Mukaddes Emanetler Dairesi. Holy
Muslim relics are kept here and include sandals worn by Mohammed, impressions
of his feet, dust collected from his tomb, and even hairs from his beard.
The Harem is
probably the most amazing and interesting part of the palace, and by far
the most elaborate. As this was the private quarters of the Sultan and
his family, the rooms are ornately decorated and the tiles on the walls
easily rival that of the Blue Mosque. Only a small percentage of the Harem’s
300 rooms are open to the public, and are only accessible by guided tour.
Unfortunately, the tour takes only thirty minutes, when you could easily
spend hours wandering through the clandestine area.
Many people
perceive the Harem as more of a brothel than a family residence. In fact,
it was closer to a breeding ground than anything else. The word Harem is
derived from an Arabic word meaning, “the thing or person that is forbidden”,
and refers to the living quarters of the Sultan and his family, not just
the women.
The concubines
were mostly foreigners, and were brought to the Harem at an early age where
they were schooled in many areas, including Islam, Turkish, music, embroidery
and dress. There could be anywhere from 300-800 women in the Harem at one
time, and they would have led completely different lives depending on where
they fit into the hierarchy.
The most powerful
woman in the Harem was the Dowager Sultan, the mother of the current Sultan.
She often took part in the running of the palace and political matters,
as she would have been raised in the palace as a concubine and thus, sometimes,
knew more than her ruling son. The Sultan could take up to four Wives (though
some had up to eight) and they were the second most powerful women in the
Harem. The Blissfuls - women who had born a child of the Sultan - numbered
from six to eight and were the second most powerful women after the Wives.
All Blissfuls started out as Favorites - special concubines that had been
chosen for the Sultan and with whom he would have sexual relations. There
could be between four to ten Favorites, and occasionally the Sultan would
choose one himself. The Wives, The Blissfuls and The Favorites all had
special apartments separate from the other concubines.
Other ladies
of the Harem would have to stop and bow their heads when the Sultan went
by, and weren’t allowed in the inner, more private part of the Harem. The
majority of concubines were just plain old servants and had little or no
contact with the Sultan.
Eunuchs were
also a key component of the Harem, although they were likely never allowed
inside. Their main jobs were to guard the Harem, do minor chores such as
lock and unlock the gates, and accompany the women on trips outside of
the palace. There were usually around 100 Eunuchs, the majority of whom
were black men who had been castrated outside the palace grounds.
Very little
information on life in the Harem is available, as it was such a private
place and any woman who left was forbidden to talk about their experience
as a concubine. Things changed slightly from Sultan to Sultan, but the
hierarchy within the Harem remained much the same.
Most tours
take you to the hamam, or Turkish bath, which has a surprising amount of
gold decorations. The Sultan bathed in a special area partitioned off by
a gold cage. This was because while bathing, he would have been quite vulnerable
and unable to protect himself, so he bathed behind the gates for his own
safety.
The rooms where
the princes were schooled are also included in the tour. Iznik tiles cover
the walls and gold bars turn the windows into cages. Low sofas and cushions
created a relaxed classroom.
The Sultan’s
private room, also covered in colorful tiles, has a large water fountain
that served two purposes - making noise to cover any classified words said
by the Sultan in his chambers, and cooling the room during hot weather.
A massive, beautifully decorated hall near the Sultan’s rooms was used
for entertainment. A huge covered seating area was reserved for the Sultan,
and from here he would watch various dancers, musicians, and poets.
The chambers
of the Dowager Sultan would are richly decorated with the same incredible
tiles found in the rest of the Harem. The size and the grandiosity of the
rooms emphasized her power and importance.
The last portion
of the tour is a walk down a fairly plain looking hallway called the “Golden
Way”. It is said that the concubines would wait here for the Sultan
on special days, when he would walk down the corridor tossing coins at
the girls.
The Fourth
and final Court, again only for family, is often referred to as gardens
as it occupies a natural and spacious area. From here you have an incredible
view of both the Bosphorus and the rest of Sultanahmet, with its multitude
of mosques and minarets piercing the skyline. One wall of an open building
is covered with bright Iznik tiles, an accumulation of pure color and artistry.
Walking among the gardens and colorfully decorated walls give you a sense
of what it might have been like to be royalty in the days of the Sultans.
Dolmabahçe
Palace
Dolmabahçe
Palace was built to replace Topkapi when the 19th century Sultans desired
to be more European. The result is a palace that is both European and Oriental,
and extremely lavish and extravagant. The massive white gates look like
thick, metal lace and are protected by guards dressed in a green suits,
white hats and boots. Passing through the entrance brings you to a fountain
surrounded by colorful flowers and trees, and the Bosphorus is right at
your fingertips.
Like Topkapi,
Dolmabahçe has a Harem, and again, guided tours are compulsory.
Dolmabahçe has a much more modern feel; there are paintings on the
walls instead of tiles, carpet instead of stone floors, and regular furniture
such as sofas, armchairs and tables. Some of the sofas are covered
with Oriental silk and outlined with gold decorations, and the hardwood
floors are adorned with Turkish carpets. Several ceremonial halls contain
enormous chandeliers, columns and intricately decorated walls. Like Topkapi,
there are special rooms for the Sultan’s Mother, the Concubines and the
Wives.
Atatürk
spent part of his life living in Dolmabahçe, and one of the highlights
of a visit to the Harem is seeing the room in which he died. The bed where
he took his last breath is covered with a bedspread bearing the Turkish
flag, and a clock on the bedside table is stopped at 9:05 a.m., the time
of his death on November 10th, 1938.
The other main
structure of Dolmabahçe is the Ceremonial Suites, the portion of
the palace where the governing and business took place. The extravagance
of this building is overwhelming as every inch is luxuriously decorated.
Huge, airy, and filled with gifts from other countries and dignitaries,
it is a museum of treasures.
A dazzling
staircase with a crystal balustrade leads to marble columns, Sevres vases
and soft carpets in a huge hall. The final room of the tour, the throne
room, is perhaps the most breathtaking. A chandelier that weighs more than
4000 kg hangs from the ceiling, but this isn’t even the most awe inducing
sight in the room. The ceiling is painted in a manner that rivals the Sistine
Chapel. An upper level is painted to look as if marble arches extend out
onto a balcony, but in reality is just a three dimensional painting on
a flat wall.
The ground
level of this huge room has half domes built into the wall, flanked by
more columns. Thick velvet curtains cover the windows and the area beneath
the chandelier is roped off. This room is still sometimes used for special
ceremonies or meetings.
Eurovision
Song Contest
Along with
Sertab Erener’s win at the Eurovision Song Contest in Latvia last year
comes the honor of hosting the event in 2004. Participants from 36 European
countries will meet in Istanbul from May 12th to 15th to compete for this
year’s title. All eyes will be on Istanbul as the city plays host to the
most exciting song contest of the year!
The following
is a list of articles that Dawnelle has written for the magazine:
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