We started with the Sofia Mosques - where the past Ottoman Sultans were buried with their children. Due to the nature of succession & the harem structure - we saw plenty of coffins for little princes whom was done away during the infighting.
Our 2nd stop was the popular Tokapi Palace - where the Ottoman Sultanate stayed for years. I was really annoyed with this place - where picture taking was extremely limited. In the end, i gave in and bought a souvenir book, if not, there was no way to remember what I saw.
There was an intricate jewelry section - where one saw gilded & exotic thrones, the famous Tokapi Dagger, enormous diamonds and other gems. A section where beautiful, detailed clocks were gifted to the Ottoman empire. The section that i loved in particular was its Islamic artifacts - where one saw Moses Staff (the very one that was used to part the Red Sea !), David's sword, The artifacts of Prophet Mohammad (his beard and teeth, cloak, sword & banner). This section was truly amazing. Even the Sultans could visit this place - for just 1 day in a year and here i was in this holy place. There was a holy man onsite chanting non stop all day long.
Other areas that i liked were the rooms with the classic Byzantine design which were limited - due to later rulers who favored the European designs.
The harem was so-so with the exception of the room that Sinan designed for the Emperor. Now that was truly something else.
The palace is a must go, yet in a way, disappointed me the most. The areas were still under renovation or restoration - the signs and paths were incoherent even with an audio guide. The inability to take photos in most areas were off-putting. Yet - to see the Islamic artifacts - was truly an unique opportunity.
3rd Stop - Being the museum fanatic that i was, i was determined to make my way to the Istanbul Archaeology Museum - which was ranked as one of the top 10 museums in the world. At this point, my legs felt like they were dying, i was starving and just running on fumes. My friends had already given up at this point and were resting in the hotel.
I lounged in the museum cafe for 30 mins before making my way around. I had about an hour before the museum started closing. Again, despite this was Summer Season, half of the museum was under renovation and the exhibits were being rotated & some were under conservation. Being so exhausted, i just tried to hit the highlights.
Reliefs from the Ishtar Gate. This paved the way to Babylon and was considered as one of the wonders of the world.
Kadesh Peace Treaty - this first peace treaty in the world.
I was particularly sore that the most famous exhibit of them all - the Alexander Sarcophagus was in fact under restoration and not on display. Swearing under my breath, i vowed to visit Istanbul again. It was a really beautiful museum - with treasures coming from the present Iraqi, Syria & other nearby countries. This would be the nearest - that i believe - to Mesopotamia in my lifetime.
My last stop came from my love of Hagia Sofia and trekked to Little Aya Sofia. The 'trial' model in which the present Hagia Sofia was built upon. This was a miniature version before they started building the Hagia Sofia.
Away from the main tourist areas, i particularly enjoyed this mosque for its calm and residential areas. There were little old ladies sitting outside on the grass - chit chatting among themselves
We made friends with the hotel manager & owner. Before we knew it, we found ourselves being invited to a BBQ on the hotel rooftop - discussing about the state of Turkish politics.
Wonderful end to the day.
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