Day 1:  Roman around Constantinople!

 

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A Long-Ass Flight!

Flying from Detroit to Constantinople (or Istanbul!) was not a simple, easy task. Poor Mike had troubles on catching a flight from GR to Detroit, which put the flight to Amsterdam in peril. Fortune however smiled on the Boys and Mike landed as boarding for Schiphol started. 9 hours later, the bleary Boys boarded another 6 hour flight to Istanbul, again with minutes to spare. So when the Boys landed in the late evening in Istanbul they were in the zone. They took a 45 minute ride into the city to the Banks of the Bosporus at a very nice Hilton.

One of the great perks of staying at the Hilton is that Bone is a Platinum Member. Platinum members have access to the Executive Lounge, which meant,,,,,,,, FREE BOOZE!!!

Partying, Executive Style!

Mike and Bone dropped their luggage and boogied to the top floor where Mike grabbed a glass of the rouge vino, and Bone reacquainted himself with the delights of Lemon Schweppes and Vodka!! After 3 or 4 cocktails the Boys sinuses got back to normal and the stress of the travel diminished to the point that they started chatting with fellow guests in the Lounge.

In their chats they met a very nice young man named Khalid, who settled a little debate for Mike and Bone who were a little turned around (justifiably after the flights a cocktails) on whether Asia was on the other side of the water. To Bone who thought he saw the Blue Mosque on the other side thought maybe it was the Golden Crescent that is still on European side, Mike thought it was Asia Minor.  Khalid awarded the bet to Mike and explained that in the 13 years since Bone was last in Turkey, the Country had shifted from secular to Islam, and that the Turkish President Erdogan had built the huge Mosque in the Asia Minor side of Istanbul!

Imagine Trump, Obama, Clinton, or Bush building a Church in the States!! As Mike and Bone sucked down a few more toddies, they got the "lay of the land" of what to check out in their Stay. Khalid told the Boys to go out of their way to check out the Balat neighborhood.

After a few more as it pushed towards 11:30 PM, the Boys blearily fell forward into their beds to blissfully horizontal for the first time a 28 hours!!

 

The Taxing Taxi's of Istanbul

 

Mike and Bone rose around 8:00 AM not too jet lagged courtesy of the cocktails, and broke their fast in the Executive Lounge (hey! you can't beat a free breakfast with a great view).  The story of this city started with the Greeks with the small village of Byzantium that Constantine used to build Constantinople. which is in a little peninsula on the European side called the Golden Horn. Per the Hilton Concierge the Boys had to be very careful on making sure they did not pay more that 30 - 40 Turkish Lira (about 12 bucks US) traveling over. They were warned (as they found out) most cabbies love to bilk the Western Tourist, especially the Americans!

It In the Taxi on the way to the Golden Horn where the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque reside the boys recapped who the heck this Constantine guy was, especially since the City was named for him for over a 1,000 years!!

 

Roaming the Roman Ruins of Constantinople

Other than Octavian, the first “Ceasar” (after Julius Ceasar) there may be no influential or impactful leader in the History of Rome that Constantine. He was born in ancient Thrace, a Greek outpost (now Serbia) whose father, Constantius was a Roman General that rose to become Emperor from 306 to 337, where he was killed in the Britannia city of Eboracum (Modern Day York). It was in modern day York, that Constantine became Emperor.

As emperor, Constantine enacted administrative, financial, social, and military reforms to strengthen the empire. He restructured the government, separating civil and military authorities. To combat inflation he introduced the solidus, a new gold coin that became the standard for Byzantine and European currencies for more than a thousand years.

Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. Although he lived much of his life as a pagan, and later as a catechumen, he joined the Christian faith on his deathbed, being baptised by Eusebius of Nicomedia. He played an influential role in the proclamation of the Edict of Milan in 313, which declared religious tolerance for Christianity in the Roman empire. He called the First Council of Nicaea in 325, which produced the statement of Christian belief known as the Nicene Creed. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built on his orders at the purported site of Jesus' tomb in Jerusalem and became the holiest place in Christendom.

Finding the City of Rome in decline and being a Eastern Roman, he moved the Imperial residence to Byzantium and renamed the city Constantinople (renamed Istanbul in 1923) after himself (the laudatory epithet of "New Rome" came later, and was never an official title). It became the capital of the Empire for more than a thousand years, with the later eastern Roman Empire, now being referred to as the Byzantine Empire by historians. It was the remnants of that Roman City that the Boys were about to check out. When the Turks conquered the Eastern Roman Empire they kept it the capital from 1453–1923. In 1923 the capital of Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, was moved to Ankara and the name Constantinople was officially changed to Istanbul. The city is located in what is now the European side and the core of modern Istanbul. The city is still referred to as Constantinople in Greek-speaking sources to this day.

From the mid-5th century to the early 13th century, Constantinople was the largest and wealthiest city in Europe. The city became famous for its architectural masterpieces, such as Hagia Sophia, the cathedral of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which served as the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the sacred Imperial Palace where the Emperors lived, the Galata Tower, the Hippodrome, the Golden Gate of the Land Walls, and the opulent aristocratic palaces lining the arcaded avenues and squares. The University of Constantinople was founded in the fifth century and contained numerous artistic and literary treasures before it was sacked in 1204 and 1453, including its vast Imperial Library which contained the remnants of the Library of Alexandria and had over 100,000 volumes of ancient texts.

It was instrumental in the advancement of Christianity during Roman and Byzantine times as the home of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and as the guardian of Christendom's holiest relics such as the Crown of thorns and the True Cross.

 

Sadly, unlike old Rome, much of Nouvo Roma (New Rome) is looooong gone. Regardless, the Boys started the Morning at the remnants of the Roman Hippodrome in the heart of the old Constantinople!

Istanbul’s ancient Hippodrome, was built for chariot races by Emperor Septimius Severus in the early 3rd century, and restored and enlarged by Constantine 100 years later. Today, all the seats and most of the structures are long-gone. The only hint the Boys had that the site was once was a stadium able to hold 100,000 spectators is in the shape and dimensions of Sultanahmet Square, which more or less follows the lines of the ancient circus. (Just as Piazza Navona in Rome today has the same shape as Domitian’s first-century Circus Agonalis) Looking at the perimeter, the Boys could envision how it most likely looked.

 

The Serpent Column of Constantine?

Fortunately for Mike and Bone, some monuments do remain. Perhaps the most evocative is the Serpent Column, brought by Constantine from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Also known as the Plataean Tripod of Delphi, the column was cast in 479 B.C. to celebrate the Greek victory over the Persians. Persian armor and weaponry was melted down for the column, and all of the names of the Greek city-states that fought in the battle were etched into the sides. A gold tripod, later lost, initially sat on top, supported by three serpent heads.

 

Walk like an Egyptian? Obelisk of Theodosius

The Boys then check out the Obelisk of Theodosius. The obelisk itself is actually ancient Egyptian, dating to the reign of Tutmoses III around 1450 B.C. In Alexandria until 390, it was moved to Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius I. Underneath, a marble pedestal shows scenes including the chariot race itself, and Theodosius giving the winner the laurel crown of victory. And then there’s the typically-imperial inscription in which the emperor lauds none other than himself—in this case, for supposedly moving the obelisk and re-erecting it in just 32 days. 

 

Breezing to the Blue Mosque

To the west was two huge monuments, the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, since the Blue Mosque was right next to the Hippodrome, so the Boys headed in that direction.

 

Tombs of the Sultans

Lets Go Blue Mosque!?!

 

"Our's is bigger than Yours!"

The Blue Mosque really isn't that old, but the story is. In fact it is the story that ours is better than yours. Sultan Ahmed 1 was not a great warrior and needed a grand act to commit himself to history. Following the Peace of Zsitvatorok (1606) and the  unfavorable result of the wars with Persia, The Sultan decided to build a huge mosque in Istanbul. His predecessors had paid for their mosques with their  war booty, Sultan Ahmed I had to withdraw the funds from the treasury, because he had not won any notable victories during his time, which provoked the anger of the Ottoman ulema, the Muslim legal scholars. Even then no one liked Public spending!!

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The mosque was to be built on the site of the palace of the Roman emperors, facing the Hagia Sophia  (at that time it was most venerated mosque in Istanbul) and the hippodrome, the Roman site of great symbolic significance. Or "ours is better than yours".

In fact large parts of the southern side of the mosque rest on the foundation and vaults of the Great Palace of the Roman Emperors. Several Turkish palaces were also already built there, most notably the palace of Sokollu Mehmet Pasha,  so these first had to be bought at a considerable cost and pulled down. Large parts of the Sphendone (curved tribune with U-shaped structure of the hippodrome) were also removed to make room for the new mosque. Construction of the mosque started in August 1609 when the sultan himself came to break the first sod. It was his intention that this would become the first mosque of his empire.

 

"Shoeless Mike and Bone in the Blue Mosque!

 

The Remarkable Blue Tile Roof of the Blue Mosque!

 

Face Off!: The Hagia Sophia from the Blue Mosque

Next, Mike and Bone headed to the most visited tourist attraction and the most visible symbol of the Eastern Roman & Orthodox Religion, the venerable Hagia Sophia!!

 

The Storied Hagia Sophia !

Walking over Mike and Bone were solicited by a tour guide named Tanju Abo, who was a graduate of a Turkish Professional Tour Guide Program at the University of Istanbul. He had a full-time job for the Government as a translator and attache’, he had a love of the Hagia Sophia and did tours only on the weekends.

 

Tanju Abo Tour Guide for Mike, Bone, Barak, and Megan!!

He won a tour with Mike and Bone by sharing that in his role for the Government that he gave a private tour for Barack Obama.

Even more importantly,,, Megan Fox!!!

Tanju jumped right in told the Boys that Hagia Sophia is derived from the Greek Αγία Σοφία, meaning, "Holy Wisdom"; is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum (Ayasofya Müzesi). Built in AD 537 at the beginning of the Middle Ages, it was famous in particular for its massive dome. It was the world's largest building and an engineering marvel of its time. It is considered the epitome of Eastern Roman or Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture". Even today, it is the most visited tourist attraction in Turkey.

 

Remants in the front of the earlier Hagia Sophia's

The Hagia Sophia construction consists of mostly masonry. The structure is composed of brick and mortar joints that are 1.5 times the width of the bricks. The mortar joints are composed of a combination of sand and minute ceramic pieces displaced very evenly throughout the mortar joints. This combination of sand and ceramic pieces could be considered to be the equivalent of modern concrete at the time.

Constantine himself built the first Hagia Sophia which burnt down. The second was burnt down as a revolt against the Emperor. The third and current was built by the Emperor through donations from the public, trying to make the church a public institution vs. a institution for the wealthy.

From the date of its construction's completion in 537 until 1453, the Hagia Sophia served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and the seat of the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted by the Fourth Crusaders to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was later converted into an Ottoman mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935. It remained the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520.

The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I and was the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site, the prior one having been destroyed by rioters in the Nika riots.

Inside the Hallowed Halls!

The church contained a large collection of relics and featured, among other things, a 15-metre silver iconostasis. The focal point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly one thousand years, the building witnessed the excommunication of Patriarch Michael I Cerularius officially communicated by Humbert of Silva Candida, the papal envoy of Pope Leo IX in 1054, an act that is commonly considered the start of the East–West Schism.  I

Tanju, shared that in 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Empire under Mehmed the Conqueror, who ordered this main church of Orthodox Christianity converted into a mosque. Although some parts of the city of Constantinople had fallen into disrepair, the cathedral had been maintained with funds set aside for this purpose, and the Christian cathedral made a strong impression on the new Ottoman rulers who conceived its conversion.

The bells, altar, iconostasis, and other relics were destroyed and the mosaics depicting Jesus, his Mother Mary, Christian saints, and angels were also destroyed or plastered over. Islamic features – such as the mihrab (a niche in the wall indicating the direction toward Mecca, for prayer), minbar (pulpit), and four minarets – were added. It remained a mosque until 1931 when it was closed to the public for four years. It was re-opened in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey.

 

Where the Roman Emperor would stand during a Ceremony in the Hagia Sophia

The Orthodox Church was and still is a very pageant-driven, traditional, formal culture. During the Roman-times, the emperor was a formal part of all ceremonies from weekly services to special events in the Hagia Sophia they had a special place for him to stand.

 

"Was Alexander the Great a Wino?"

Within the Hagia Sophia are a set of 10 foot vases that date from Alexander the Great, that the Greeks used to transport wine for the troops. Mike and Bone both felt that if a soldier fell in one of those and drowned, not only is it a noble end, but the best damned way to go!

Mike and Bone checking out the Hagia Sophia!!

 

A Fat Baby with the Virgin Mary!

Fortunately for history, the Turks were fairly lazy in converting the Hagia Sophia to Islam in that rather than destroying or painting over Christian mosaics and structures, they simply covered them with fabrics. Once it was converted into a Museum, the treasure trove of Christian art was uncovered and returned to the world!

A Traditional Roman Column in the Hagia Sophia's Courtyard

After a solid hour of history (including a lecture on how sound "stays" in the Hagia Sophia after it is empty!) with Tanju, the Boys bid his adieu and had their next "experience" with the Turkish Taxis!

The Boys had booked a Tour through the Hilton for the Topkapi Palace and they needed to get back to the Hotel. Mike and Bone spent 30 lira on the way over. Two taxi's both tried to bilk the Boys 80 lira for a ride back. They found one that would take 40 and headed back.

 

Touring the Topkapi Palace !

They got back to the Hotel ONLY to have to go back to the same place! Once back in behind the Hagia Sophia, they met their next Tour Guide, that explained how and why the Ottoman's built their palace where they did. Mike and Bone’s Tour Guide explained that following the end of the Ottoman Empire, the Topkapı Palace was transformed into a museum in 1924. The beginnings goes back to the start of the Ottoman Empire!

After Sultan Mehmed II's conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the Great Roman Palace of Constantinople was largely in ruins. So the Ottoman court was initially set up in the Old Palace, which is today the site of Istanbul University in Beyazit Square. Sultan Mehmed II ordered that construction of Topkapı Palace to begin in 1459, which became the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman Empire!

The palace complex is located on the Seraglio Point, a promontory overlooking the Golden Horn, where the Bosphorus Strait meets the Marmara Sea. The terrain is hilly and the palace itself is located at one of the highest points close to the sea. During Greek and Byzantine times, the acropolis of the ancient Greek city of Byzantium stood here.

Mike and Bone learned that Mehmed II established the basic layout of the palace. His private quarters would be located at the highest point of the promontory. Various buildings and pavilions surrounded the innermost core and winded down the promontory towards the shores of the Bosphorus. The entire complex was surrounded by high walls, some of which date back to the Byzantine acropolis.

The Tour Guide told the Boys that Ottomans called the Topkapi, "the Palace of Felicity" and set up a strict, ceremonial, codified daily life ensured imperial seclusion from the rest of world.

One of the central tenets was the observation of silence in the inner courtyards. The principle of imperial seclusion is a tradition that was codified by Mehmed II in 1477 and 1481 in the Kanunname Code, which regulated the rank order of court officials, the administrative hierarchy, and protocol matters. This principle of increased seclusion over time was reflected in the construction style and arrangements of various halls and buildings. The architects had to ensure that even within the palace, the sultan and his family could enjoy a maximum of privacy and discretion, making use of grilled windows and building secret passageways. To this day visitors are encouraged to keep it down t

Later sultans made various modifications to the palace, though Mehmed II's basic layout was mostly preserved. The palace was significantly expanded between 1520 and 1560, during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. The Ottoman Empire had expanded rapidly and Suleyman wanted his residence to reflect its growing power.

As they wandered through the couryard they learned that by the end of the 16th century, the palace had acquired its present appearance. The palace is an extensive complex rather than a single monolithic structure, with an assortment of low buildings constructed around courtyards, interconnected with galleries and passages. Few of the buildings exceed two stories. Seen from above, the palace grounds are divided into four main courtyards and the harem. The first courtyard was the most accessible, while the fourth courtyard and the harem were the most inaccessible. Access to these courtyards was restricted by high walls and controlled with gates. Apart from the four to five main courtyards, various other small to mid-sized courtyards exist throughout the complex. As Mike and Bone walked through the courtyard, Bone decided to convert!!!

 

Mike and Turk-Bone !

Or just temporarily! Bone bought a hat to "blend in an be one of the (Turk) boys! Which brought the intended laughter and looks by everyone they walked by!  As the tour progressed Mile and Bone thought that the facilities were nice but somewhat utilitarian compared to Versaille, or Buckingham Palace. 

 

The Main Courtyard of Topkapi

 

The Sultans "ahem", Private Rooms

The Tour Guide relayed in the Sultan's Chamber that he would lay or sit on a bed while orders of business with his military or bureaucrats would be given out, much like Bone's ex-wife!!1

 

The Palace using the Roman Walls

 

While the Ottoman Turks built the Palace, they wisely leveraged the wall that the Romans (or Byzantines) built around Constantinople which absolutely explains the form and dimensions of the Palace.

 

The Armory in the Palace

Mike and Bone were led through the many rooms and chambers that are accessible to the public today, including the Ottoman Imperial Harem and the treasury, called hazine where the Spoonmaker's Diamond and Topkapi Dagger are on display in the Armory.

The museum collection also includes Ottoman clothing, weapons, armor, miniatures, religious relics, and illuminated manuscripts like the Topkapi manuscript thst detail the "rules of code" in the Palace.

 

Lunching on the Bosphorus!

The Tour Guide "advised" the Boys ( with most likely a little lira involved) that the Restaurant on the Palace Grounds was the place for lunch. The foods was pretty average but the view of the Bosphorus sitting on the Golden Horn was spectacular!  Afterwords, they finished the tour.

The Sultan's Sitting Room?!?

Mike and Bone ended the tour with a review of the Sultan's Sitting Room where he conducted most of his business, while he did  some business in his bedroom, (as evidenced by the large average progeny produced per sultan!), "Outsiders" met him in the the Sitting Room

 

Mike and Bone at the tip of the Pennisula of the Golden Horn!

Mike and Bone wandered around a little bit after the tour, took a few more iconic pictures then haggled a cab back to the Hilton.

Never Tell Mike and Bone, :Don't!": The Hilton was just a few blocks from Taskim Square which as supposed to be a party spot in the past. Everyone at the Hotel told the Boys that the neighborhood had gone downhill and wasn't safe after dark.  Hmmm  . . . ..  Where were the Boys from ... Detroit !! Where they scared,   Nooo ..... So, off to old Taskim Square they went!!!

 

Taking in Taskim Square in the Evening

 

Taksim Square has been a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the central station of the Istanbul Metro network. Taksim Square is also the location of the Republic Monument which was crafted by Pietro Canonica and inaugurated in 1928. The monument commemorates the 5th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, following the Turkish War of Independence. Taskim Square despite the unwarranted warnings was a vibrant, busy, cool place with lots of people walking around. Mike and Bone stopped in a local Kebop Shop for a fairly good sandwich. However it left the Boys VERY thirsty, which fortune smile on the Boys by providing them them a poet,,, James Joyce, or better still the James Joyce Irish Pub !!!

 

Only Mike and Bone can find a Irish Pub in Instanbul!

 

Taksim Square has been a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the central station of the Istanbul Metro network.

The word Taksim means "division" or "distribution". Taksim Square was originally the point where the main water lines from the north of Istanbul were collected and branched off to other parts of the city, hence the name. This use for the area was established by Sultan Mahmud I. The square takes its name from the Ottoman era stone reservoir which is located in this area.

 

Taksim Square is also the location of the Republic Monument which was crafted by Pietro Canonica and inaugurated in 1928. The monument commemorates the 5th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, following the Turkish War of Independence.

 

Taskim Square despite the unwarranted warnings was a vibrant, busy, cool place with lots of people walking around. Mike and Bone stopped in a local Kebop Shop for a fairly good sandwich. However it left the Boys VERY thirsty, where fortune smiled on the Boys by providing them them a poet,,, James Joyce, or better still the James Joyce Irish Pub !!!

 

Only Mike and Bone can find a Irish Pub in Instanbul!

Bad Boys with Beers !

Mike and Bone stumbled on the James Joyce Irish Pub, which is the only authentic Irish bar in Istanbul! It has been around for years and has become an integral part of the Istanbul bar scene. Immediately two Guinness'es were ordered, consumed and then replaced, at which point they were lubricated sufficiently to enjoy the amazing scenery!

 

An Amazing Moon over the Bosphorus!!