Tulip Mania

Tulips are not from Holland

Tulips are NOT from Holland. The Turks are not from Turkey. The tulip was a wild flower that originated in the Central Asia.  Tulips were first cultivated by the Turks as early as the year 1000. The Turks were horse-riding warriors who also came from Central Asia.  They migrated west taking over Asia Minor as they gradually defeated the Byzantine Empire starting with their victory in eastern Turkey in 1071 and culminating in their conquest of Constantinople in 1453.

Our word tulip supposedly comes from the Turkish/Farsi word for turban, which had a tulip-like shape. Tulips are called lale in Turkish.  When written in Arabic letters, "lale" has the same letters as Allah, which is why the flower became a holy symbol.  It was also associated with the House of Osman, better known to us as the Ottomans.  During the Ottoman Empire, the tulip was seen as a symbol of abundance and indulgence. 

It should not be a surprise that tulips are widely used as decorative motifs on tiles and textiles.  We bought some tulip tiles as gifts.  So if you think all those tulip-dominated arts and crafts are done just for the tourists, think again.

Tulips are for Tiles

Tulip Exports

The first tulip export was made by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.  He gave some bulbs to the Flemish ambassador to Anatolia, Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq in 1554.  Some of these were passed to Flemish botanist Carolus Clusius.  In 1593 Clusius became a professor at the University of Leiden, where he created one of the earliest formal botanical gardens in Europe.  Clusius laid the foundations of Dutch tulip growing industry today.  You never heard of Leiden U.?  Albert Einstein was a professor there.

Tulips are for Gardens

The tulip was different from every other flower known to Europe at that time, with a saturated intense petal colour that no other plant had.

In 1634, a speculative frenzy now known as the tulip mania began in Holland.  Clearly, tulips were only for the rich.  Some tulip bulbs became so expensive that they could cost more than an Amsterdam house!

Tulips are for Tiles

Around this time, the tulipiere and other tulip-themed ceramics became common.  Bouquets of tulips often appeared in Dutch still-life painting.

The gift of a red or yellow tulip was a declaration of love, the flower's black centre representing a heart burned by passion. 

Tulip Mania Act II

The tulip played an interesting role in the Turkish history. Tulips became an important element in the arts and could be found in clothing and carpets, paintings and pottery.  The period between 1718 and 1730 is called as the "Tulip Era", when the Ottoman Empire was at its peak of wealth and peace.

Fountain of Ahmed III

The Fountain of Ahmed III, the sultan of that era, is a classic example of Tulip period architecture.  It is a fusion of classical Islamic elements with European baroque.



Okay, Sirkeci Mansion

Sirkeci Mansion

If the weather is dismal, the welcome at Sirkeci Mansion is always warm. On our second stay, we had many discussions with Okay, the manager, and his staff.  We got to know most of the staff at the hotel.  Plus we reconnected with the Ceyda and Damla, who work as "tourist facilitators" – provide an orientation, answer your questions, give directions, etc.  

Dome of Verbosity

Afternoon tea is served in the incredible "living room" under the stained glass dome.   The room was beautifully decorated with Turkish crafts – including the tiles shown above. 

Tea Anyone?

Did you know that one fifth of the population of Turkey are Kurdish?  This is no tiny ethnic group.  By the way, the Kurds speak an Indo-European language.  They are culturally and linguistically related to the Iranians, who along with the Europeans are descendants of the Aryans.  

Sirkeci Mansion Breakfast

The coffee at breakfast is delicious. But this stay we went into the kitchen for a lesson on how to make Turkish coffee – and it was delicious. Needless to say, we went near the Spice Market to buy some Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi kahve beans to take home.  

Tulip Festivals

Tulip Mania or Tulip Festival

Most people associate tulips with the Netherlands.  There are even tulip festivals throughout the west.  The Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa was started with bulbs provided each year by Netherlands in thanks for Canada liberating the Dutch from the Nazis.  The Dutch Queen Juliana and her children lived safely in the capital, Ottawa, during World War II. The Dutch princess Margriet was born in the Ottawa Civic Hospital in 1943.  Later, she studied at Leiden University – how things come full circle – and in 2002 came back to see the Canadian Tulip Festival. 

Tulip Tails

Even today, the tulip is still considered the embodiment of perfection and beauty in Turkey.  If you thought the patterns on the tail and fuselage of the planes flown by Turkish Airlines are just  geometric designs, look again.  They are tulips.  

Last Post:  Bosphorus Odyssey

Next Post: Birth of Venice

Grand Bazaar Istanbul

Grand Bazaar – Gigantic!

Covered Bazaar

In Turkish the Grand Bazaar is called Kapalı Çarşı, which means “Covered or Closed Bazaar”.  It is not the oldest bazaar in the world – a better claim would belong to Tabriz, Persia, a major stop on the ancient Silk Road. Even though Constantinople was the main terminus of the Silk Trade Routes (see the Silk Routes Map), the Grand Bazaar was only started in 1455, just after the Ottoman conquest of Byzantium. Of course, there were commercial “forums” before then but the Grand Bazaar was covered. Perhaps we can say this was the oldest indoor shopping centre. 

 

Books on the Grand Bazaar

Sirkeci Mansion




It’s hard to believe we are back in Istanbul for our second four-day sojourn. Eight days may seem like a lot of time but in some ways it feels like we are just scratching the surface. For maps and travel advice we would recommend the book Rick Steve's Istanbul and the free Quick Guide Istanbul (author Serif Yenen), which I believe we got at our fabulous hotel, Sirkeci Mansion. The Quick Guide is a set of cardboard brochures including a glossy map and info on the Grand Bazaar.

 



Tram from Sultanahmet

Getting to the Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar west side can be reached by tram at the Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı stop. For the east side, we hopped on the modern electric tram to the earlier Çemberlitaş stop.

Çemberlitaş Column

Shopkeepers

The first thing we saw was the Çemberlitaş column. It was constructed by Emperor Constantine in 330 CE to celebrate the town Byzantium being renamed Nova Roma and becoming the capital of the Roman Empire. However, the people called it Constantinople (city of Constantine) and that name stuck.

As discussed in the Amazing Ancient Rome Walk, the Roman Empire did NOT fall in AD 476.  Rome the city fell.  The rest of the territory was still called the Roman Empire. The term Byzantine Empire is a 16th century German invention: it never existed.

Ottoman Artifacts

The Çemberlitaş column was so damaged by an earthquake in 416 CE that it is on life support with iron hoops holding it together.  The top of the column used to support a statue of Constantine that lasted until it was toppled by a storm in 1106.  The column is ugly but it’s the last remnant from Constantine, who put Istanbul and Christianity on the map and thus changed world history.  In fact, the column marked the centre of the forum, Constantinople's main square.



The Seven Hills of Nova Roma

Interestingly, Constantinople was situated on seven hills just like Rome!  The comparison was intentional since it was originally called Nova Roma.

Hagia Sophia

The first hill contains Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace.  The Grand Bazaar is on the second hill on the site of a former palace and the Forum of Constantine.  The third hill houses the Süleymaniye Mosque.

Nuruosmaniye




At its peak in 200 CE, it is estimated that Rome had 1,000,000 people. This decreased dramatically due to various plagues brought in via the Silk Routes and then the fall of Rome.  Constantinople then became the largest and wealthiest city of Europe up until its zenith in the 12^th century with a population of around 600,000 people (600 CE). 

Venice

Venice was both a trade partner and adversary of the Byzantine Empire, sacking Constantinople in 1204, seizing many of its Mediterranean territories, and carting off many treasures, including the metal decorations around the Çemberlitaş column.  Venice was one of the three largest cities in Europe in 1171 with a population of a mere 66,000 people. 

Nuruosmaniye Gate

Nuruosmaniye Gate 

Nuruosmaniye Walking north towards the Nuruosmaniye Mosque (1755), we entered the oldest gate, Nuruosmaniye, near the Nuruosmaniye Köftecisi (meatball shop).  Nuruosmaniye means sacred light of Osman, the name of the family that became known as the Ottomans.  The gate leads to the main east-west street, Kalpakcilar Caddesi or Hat Maker Street. Today this is jewelry alley.

  

Explore Side Streets

The Ottoman Empire not only controlled a vast area across three continents, but had complete monopoly of the former Silk Routes.  As the hub for Mediterranean trade, it is logical that this led to an enormous shopping mall (47,600 sq. m.) covering 61 streets.  Each street was dedicated to a particular trade or bedesten.  Because the Grand Bazaar was a caravansary, there used to be places to house the camels and the people.  To ensure security, the bazaar was closed at night. 

Zincirli Han

Zincirli Han

There are many hans, multi-storey buildings surrounding an inner courtyard.  The lower floor would be for animals.  In the middle of the coral-coloured Zincirli Han is a courtyard with a marble fountain for washing.  This han specialized used to specialize in chains, zincir. Today it houses down-to-earth jewelry shops and we did not get hassled while in this han.

3,000+Shops

 

Elegant Boutique



The Grand Bazaar is an overwhelming patchwork of 3,000+ simple shops and elegantly decorated boutiques.  We generally followed the self-guided tour in Rick Steve's book.  There are some signs hanging from the arched roof above you at major intersections but it’s good to get off the main streets.  Make sure you go off the main streets into the side alleys and courtyards. There were amazing things to see – glinting gold, shiny silver, and suave silks.  I cannot see any Turkish woman wearily such slinky dresses, at least not in public. 



Colourful Lights



The photos show three of our favourite shops. The classic multi-coloured lamps made of glass can be seen throughout Turkey. In fact, many hotels and restaurants use them for decorative lighting.  Because Islam forbade images in the mosques, artists excelled in calligraphy and geometric motifs.

Exquisite Pottery

There is a lot of overpriced pottery for the tourists.  One store in the north part of the bazaar was spectacular. While the prices were high - especially for the large vases and other pieces – the quality was very high as well.  

Ottoman Dress

Another shop had incredible Ottoman clothing, supposedly antique. We were skeptical until the owner said the display robes were not for sale. Nevertheless, it was hard to believe that the displayed clothes were that old, given their great condition. 

Ottoman Clothing

In 2014, it was the most-visited tourist attraction in the world with 91,250,000 visitors – that’s an average of 250,000 shoppers each day!

Last Post: İncekaya High

Next Post: Basilica Cistern & Superstitious Romans

Topkapi Palace Paradise

Topkapi Palace: Harem Gorgeous Tiles

Topkapi Palace Paradise

Our first day focuses on the seat of Ottoman power and paradise, the Topkapi Palace - if we can ever leave the delights of our present-day palace!  The Topkapi Palace is the first place you should visit in Istanbul.  The highlights are the Harem, Divan, Bagdad Pavilion and the Treasury filled with jewels and spectacular arts. 

Note: hover mouse over photo for caption.  Click any photo to start slideshow with larger images.

 

Sirkeci Mansion Modern Delights

Sirkeci Mansion: Breakfast Buffet

Day 2: We had a slow start this AM and took our time munching through a very big breakfast with a large selection of food, both hot and cold dishes. They had a hot cheese and veggie dish that was salty. The breads were very fresh and must come from a bakery. The small roll with sesame seeds on top is the best bread so far. The coffee was very strong but smooth.
It was cloudy and cool so we'll do the outdoor sightseeing and Bosphorus boat trips on our second visit to Istanbul at the end of this trip.  The hotel sold us a TRY 85 museum card, which is good for only three consecutive days.  It was a short 10 minute walk to Sirkeci Station to get the transit card.  Our hotel was right off the tramway, which is a great service.  Each trip is very low cost (and lower with the transit card) but there are no transfers.
 

Official Sahlep Seller to the Sultan

We left at c 1100h and took the busy tram to the Sultanahmet stop then walked to Topkapi Palace.  Be sure to try the sahlep drink outside the Topkapi entrance.  This aromatic drink – made from wild orchid root, milk, honey, cinnamon and vanilla – is only available in the winter (October to April).  It costs TRY 5 at Topkapi but elsewhere in Turkey we had it for TRY 2 or 3.  Delicious!

Turkish Origins

The Turks are not from Turkey!  They are from Central Asia.  They are believed to have originated from the Xiongnu, the "Northern Barbarians" – the bane of the Han Dynasty and cause for the Great Wall!  The Turks migrated gradually westwards and invaded Anatolia and defeated the Byzantines near Lake Van (East TR) in 1071.  After the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453, their dynasty became known as the Ottomans (Osman in Turkish) and ruled for 624 years.  At its peak the Ottoman Empire stretched from Algeria to Mecca, from Hungary to Iraq including Romania and Crimea.  The Ottoman Empire disintegrated as a result of supporting Germany in World War I.  This led to the emergence of the new state of Turkey as well as independence for the various other states. 
 

Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace: Gorgeous Iznik Tiles

The Topkapi Palace was begun in 1453, just after the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople, and renamed it Istanbul (see "Polis" section).  Wow, what a place! Unless you are museum-adverse person, you could spend a full day here. Six hours was barely enough time. The palace is arranged around four treed and grassy courtyards.

 

Topkapi Palace Harem

 

The harem is an extra TRY 15 (but included in the Museum Pass) and it was the most interesting part of Topkapi Palace. Go there first, well after visiting the Divan or council building. The magnificent tiled walls are lined with cushioned seats, which led to the use of the word divan (couch) in our language. The tiles are always geometric shapes with lots of turquoise and blue colours. Islamic artisans used mathematical precision to produce symmetry and repetition. The depiction of the human form is considered idolatry. The doors are inlaid mother of pearl and wood.
 





Topkapi Palace: The Sultan's Bedroom

The harem is the living quarters of the palace.  It is also a maze of beautiful tiles and inlaid wood.  It was the sultan's mother who ran the palace and sometimes even the country. She controlled the Sultan's his wives (maximum four) and decided who should be his four favourites, even who and when he had sex. The rest of the women in the harem were only servants and did not have sex with the sultan. The main purpose was to ensure there was a male heir. 

We did not go to a restaurant to eat lunch because we knew we had limited time.  So we took a rest on a bench in the outdoor Courtyard of Favourites with its view of Galata Tower in Beyoğlu. Fortunately, we had some snacks like halvah: it was delicious but very similar to what we can get back home.

 

Topkapi Palace Tulips & Jewels

 

Topkapi Palace: Harem

After the harem we toured the Fourth Courtyard with its gardens full of tulips.  The Turks introduced the Central Asian tulip to Europe, and today Netherlands is the biggest cultivator.  The Bagdad Pavilion has an interesting fountain pool.  We left the jewel and other treasury rooms to the end because there were too many people lined up.  The lines were shorter at the end of the day. This is another must-see – definitely spectacular arts, crafts, weapons and jewels.

We stayed at Topkapi Palace all day and were the last ones out at 17:00h!!!  Then we met some PhD students (Turkish lady and Iranian man) in the courtyard and had a long conversation.  The guards had to come and kick us out.  Then we made the long walk back to the Sultan Ahmet Parki with its colorful cascading fountain in between Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) and the Blue Mosque.   

 

Antiochland Restaurant

 

Antiochland Restaurant: What a Meze

From there were walked up Yerebatan Street to the Antiochland Restaurant. We had another good meal. The Anatolia is up Ticarethane Sk. about one long block from Divan Yolu, the main street with the tramway.  In fact I recognized the Divan Yolu intersection from one of my sister's photos from her trip five months earlier.  The restaurant provided a better type of pitta bread.  The meze (small appetizers) was particularly delicious.  We had a long discussion with the waiter about the herbs and spices used.  We also met and talked with the chef/owner.

We also talked with our neighbours at the next table who sounded British but were from Sweden.  One is a teacher and the other arranges music group cultural exchanges.  They flew down for 5 days – it is only a three-hour flight!!  They said they will connect with us on Facebook. 

We walked down a steep road to our hotel because the walk back to Sultanahmet stop was longer and we would still need to take the tram which would take even longer.  Moreover, sometimes it is so busy that you do not even get a seat on the tram. 

Last  Post: Merhaba to Turkey (Day 1)
Next Post: Hagia Sophia Dome-ination (Day 3 AM)

Merhaba to Turkey

Wow, we finally got to Turkey!

This site is about Turkey, about their people and their culture, what are best places to visit, and why you should visit those places.  It tries to make connections between what you see there and how it is relevant to you or your travels to other countries.  That is because Turkey has played a pivotal role in both the history and culture of our world.


Hagia Sofia was a famous Byzantine Church

Next Post: Topkapi Palace Paradise (Day 2)
 

Merhaba – Welcome to our Turkey Blog

Mt. Edith Cavell, Jasper National Park

Our passion for travel started with doing our first ten-month trip to Europe and then moving to the gorgeous turquoise lakes of Rocky Mountains, our weekend playground.  The travel bug took root very firmly.   Then we did a three-year Round The World (RTW) trip and worked seven years in Europe.

We missed out Turkey during our three-year round-the-world (RTW) trip and we wanted to see if it lived up to expectations.  During our RTW trip travellers overwhelmingly said Turkey and Ireland were their favourite countries in Europe and that the people are so friendly (hmm, must be related).  Plus there is a lot to see and do from archaeological sites to turquoise waters and beaches. But what makes a trip most memorable is talking with the people and learning about their culture. We met so many kind and helpful people during our trip.
 

Turkey is a Big Country With Lots to See

So if you haven't gone to Turkey then make it your next destination.  Needless to say a lot of pre-trip planning helped make this trip a success.  Some practical suggestions can be found in the Getting Started page.  It is always difficult to choose which places to see.  Even though we had 31 days, there are always choices to be made.  See our Itinerary page for suggestions as well as our actual itinerary.  For additional places we considered during our preliminary planning (some of it was three years ago) have a look at the More Places page.  For recommended reading see Books & Links. 

Note that Turkey is a very large country: it is 12.5% bigger than the Texas; 70% of the size of the province of British Columbia, or virtually the same size as France and Great Britain combined.  It is essential to manage your expectations and limit the number of places to visit and especially avoid travel to many distant places (in the same trip at least).  

Note that we have added captions to the nine photos at the top of the home page.  This will provide additional information about the photo when you place your mouse over a photo.  When you click these photos it will (eventually) bring you to the relevant web page.  But when you click on a photo in a post, it starts a slide show of the photos in that post.  The main advantage is that the photos are shown much larger.


Istanbul

Sirkeci Mansion
Host, Ceyda

Day 1: Our plane arrived 35 minutes late and it seemed like so did 10,000 people who were waiting to go through passport control.  We learned that 14 million people live in Istanbul – the fourth-largest city in the world!!  It took an hour to drive 22 km to our hotel in the Sultanahmet area. 
 

Hotel Ilkay & Sirkeci Mansion

 

Once at Hotel Ilkay, we sipped delicious apple tea while listening to an orientation from Ceyda (pronounced Jay-da).  Now this is a novel idea – having several "tourist facilitators" who orient you, answer your questions, give directions, and even provide maps, public transit passes, et al.  Who needs the tourist office?
 

Sirkeci Mansion Bedroom

Ceyda showed us our room in Hotel Ilkay and offered an upgrade to their sister hotel, Sirkeci Konak (Mansion) at no extra charge.  Originally we had said no but once we saw Sirkeci we realized we would get a much larger and prettier room in a fancier hotel. 

 



Sirkeci Mansion
Host, Damla



Ah, the joys of travelling off-season.  Trip Advisor says Sirkeci costs in Turkish Lira (TRY) 464 (or EUR 157, CAD 240) in high season!!  We helped ourselves to a small serving tray of Turkish Delight that awaited us on our bed above.  


At Sirkeci, we had another long chat, apple tea included, with Damla (meaning “water drop”) and other tourist facilitators in the “living room” (see left) decorated with gorgeous stained glass and pottery pieces.  It was like a museum.  We talked about all kinds of topics until it was well past supper time.

We finally left for the Anatolia Restaurant near the Blue Mosque.  Good food and another great discussion with the waiter, who turned out to be a part owner.  His in-laws live in Seattle WA and he travelled there as well as Victoria BC on a recent trip.

Sultanahmet

Wow, no one told us how beautiful it was to walk in Sultanahmet at night.  There were food stalls and lots of people in the central park with views of all three mosques and the fountain beautifully lit up.  I could not hold the camera for a time exposure shot (no tripod) but the tablet did an ok job.  Then I remembered I had a video capability so I took a movie with my new Nikon D7100 – wow, great feature.  It was 23:30 h by time we got back.  Another typical day for the travelling duo.