Greatest Layover Ever?

Another work trip overseas = an offer I couldn't refuse.  It wasn't confirmed until the week before I left that I could even go to Indonesia, making for a fairly short preparation time.  And after all, sometimes the anticipation is the best part.  Luckily, I had an excellent geography professor at BYU who helped with some background info:  Indonesia is one of the world’s largest archipelagos with a matching cultural diversity, was a former Dutch colony, and has the largest Muslim population in the world.  Seeing Islam outside of its typical Arab context intrigued me.  It’s also on the Pacific "ring of fire", so volcanoes galore (not all of them active).

To boot, in my online flight searching I found a roundabout itinerary that included a 12-hour layover in Istanbul, Turkey. Who could pass that up?  In all, it took 36 hours and 4 flights between Washington, DC to reach Jakarta, Indonesia--a new record for me.

Istanbul was excellent!  I found 12 hours to be just long enough to see a few major sights, and just short enough that there was hardly time for eating and no time for shopping.

I forgot to copy the phrases page from the guidebook before I left so I never even learned to say "thank you" in Turkish, but the people were friendly and clearly accustomed to English-only travellers. Mercifully, the airport is connected to the metro and there was just a simple transfer to a tram that took me to Sultanhamet, the old part of the city where everything I wanted to see was practically next door to each other.

First stop:  Hagia Sophia (aka Aya Sofya or "church of the Holy Wisdom").  

 

I'd remembered learning about this architectural wonder during a humanities class at BYU and had to pinch myself for the chance to actually see it in person.  There were previous churches built on this site before its construction (completed in 537 AD), and I just couldn't get over how massive and open the space felt inside and the fact that it was still standing, dome intact, nearly 1500 years later.  The dome was, indeed, beautiful; but it was its strength, through earthquakes and upheavals both religious and political, that left me in awe.  It was built as a Christian church, converted to a mosque, and today is a museum that honors both.  In some ways, I think this makes it even more appropriate as a symbol of Istanbul.  The city was a Christian capital of sorts, became the head of the Ottoman Empire and received treasures and relics from across the Muslim world, and today is an odd balance of both, trying to function as a secular state balanced between two continents and two world religions.  They clearly want to be considered part of Europe, and they have some physical justification for that claim, but no European city has so many mosques and beautiful Arabesque architecture.

Just behind the Hagia Sophia is Topkapi Palace where the sultans lived.  With such limited time I made a beeline for the Harem and wasn’t disappointed.  It wasn’t just a few rooms for his concubines; it was practically a private city within the palace that was off limits to males (unless you were a eunuch) and ruled by the sultan’s mother.  Sounds like quite the dramas played out there, but I was focused on the architecture.  There were rooms with tiled walls in bright turquoise, cobalt, and red designs; beautiful geometric designs on the ceilings, and rooms with fountains along the window sills to keep them cool in the summertime.   

Beautiful area, but it would still feel confining after a while. Back in the general area of the palace complex there were rooms to see the treasuries, with case after case of jeweled and golden items, and a wing to see Islamic relics.  Around the time I saw the room where he would meet with his grand viziers, I thought of "Aladdin", not realizing as a kid that sultanates were a legitimate form of government in some parts of the world even today.  It was too early in the year to enjoy the gardens, but you could tell that in three weeks they’d be gorgeous.  Even then, they offered a glimpse of the Asian side of Istanbul across the Bosporus Strait.

From a tourist perspective, the nice thing about mosques is that they don’t have a closing time, aside from during their prayer times, so I put these off until last.  Walking back past the Hagia Sohpia, I crossed a small park to reach the Blue Mosque.  I’d never heard of it until researching this trip, and was excited to finally enter a mosque.  It was built by Sultan Ahmed I and is notable for several things, including the number of minarets.  Most mosques have one or two, this one has six--and the only other mosque with that many is in Medina.

There was a wall of faucets and stools right outside the mosque for men to wash before entering to pray.  Regardless of faith, we were asked to remove our shoes and cover our heads.  I had a lesson before I left in wrapping my scarf around my head, but the scarf wasn’t cooperating very well (or my head was too big and round for that particular scarf).  Either way, a bit of a struggle but worth it. 

 

So nice to have a place to sit, rest, and meditate for a bit with no one bothering you.  The outside looked more impressive than Hagia Sohpia, but the inside has these massive columns to support the dome.  They’re impressive in their size, but it made you appreciate Hagia Sohpia’s dome even more.  However, this mosque had a pretty paint job with red and cobalt designs on a white background.

Once I had my fill, I opted for a short walking tour I’d found in the guidebook as a sort of "victory lap" to my trip.  Not sure how victorious I was, though, as I struggled to even find the start of it in the short street and narrow alleyways of that neighborhood.  They might have street signs on every block, but I rarely saw them and instead had to rely upon the kindness of strangers (who again, were overly accommodating to someone who couldn’t say anything in their language). I’d been warned about getting lost in the Grand Bazaar, and since I didn’t have the time for such luxuries I made a beeline through it, but was nearly distracted by all the stalls selling bright, shiny objects.  Again, it was probably a good thing that my carryon was already full.  I reached Seluman's Mosque as Friday prayers were ending, and couldn’t get over how many men kept coming out from behind the flap (there wasn’t a door at this entrance, but a heavy canvas flap they exited from behind).  It’s probably the same feeling someone would have if they came to the Conference center in Salt Lake right as General Conference is ending.  When there was finally a break in the crowd for me to enter I ducked in, and quickly decided this was the cutest mosque I’d seen that day.

Pink dome with a floral pattern, need I say more?  Leaving the mosque, the streets felt a little too dark and empty so I proceeded as quickly as I could.  A good idea, except I quickly became turned around in a very hilly neighborhood until a local personally escorted me out and down to my destination:the Spice Market.  Alas, by that time they were all closing for the night.  Even the ubiquitous kebab stands were closed, thwarting my dream of eating a tasty lamb dish.  I was grateful to find that Café Bambi was still open, and even more grateful that after a disappointing Doner Kebab I was able to visit the confectionary next door for some Turkish Delight.  I bought a few samples and discovered that their pomegranate and pistachio was indeed delightful.

I was excited for my trip to continue, but just felt like I was leaving this city too soon.  Thank goodness for return flights!