Istanbul : confluence of cultures
How interesting would be to reside on one continent and go to work on
another. One can so easily do that in Istanbul with bridge over Sea of
Marmara connecting Asia to Europe. With almost 65% out of 12 million
population inhabit on the Asian side But European side is the nerve
point of Istanbul's cultural heritage.
Turkey may have just applied for EU membership but country has already
set a tone to be EU country. The best example of this change over is
Istanbul airport. This is modern, spacious and more functional airport
than most I have come across. Despite being governed by traditional
Islamic party, Turkey remains secular in character. Mosques- symbols
of Istanbul are as much tourist monuments as prayer halls with open
access to both sexes and all religion. Guards outside mosque however
provide plastic bag to carry your footwear and even provide wrap for
those who are scantily dressed. Islam is major religion but weekend is
Saturday/Sunday. During Ramadan no special concession with less
working hours are offered as in Middle East.
But in terms of tourist security, it still has some work to
do.Visitors to Istanbul need to be agile so as not get duped by smart
operators. Unfamiliar language, some crooked people and currency
complication can make visitors easy victims. Lira has so many zeros on
her currency that it takes few days to get used to. By then, you may
have accepted 10 cents as a dollar. Beware of touts who tempt you to
go to pubs only to leave in the clutches of Mafia rogues. Tourist
police are at service and I am told they are not corrupt.
Most of hotel rooms are small like in Western Europe but not that
expensive. One can get better deals over internet than booking it
locally. Restaurants are plenty and night life is abundant. Sultana is
one such joint which have belle dancing, Turkish folk dances over
dinner. Direct booking would cost 60Euro, going through hotel be
40Euro inclusive of transport. I also had an opportunity to have
dinner at Cirgan Palace Kempinsiki Hotel - on the banks of Bosphorous
by far the most luxurious palace I have ever been.
My work kept me locked in convention center located next to Hotel
Hilton overlooking Black Sea. With just a half day at my disposal, I
visited Sultan Ahmet - Blue Mosque, the most celebrated site of
Istanbul. It is believed to have been built by some of the same stone
masons who helped construct the Taj Mahal. Interior walls of the
mosque have 20,000 blue ceramic tiles and 260 stained glass windows.
This and other mosques have unique architecture of central spherical
dome along with semi spherical domes placed in cascading fashion.
Minarets too are slender with top end similar to Cathedral. Near by
Turkish Islamic museum houses the relics of different period of
history, they also have carpet section forming the richest collection
of carpet art in the world.
There is so much to see, observe and enjoy not just in Istanbul but
all over Turkey that only package tour of minimum 7 days would do
justice to immense natural, historical, cultural legacy provided that
Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires of the past.
posted by goggly at 11:03 AM
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