Other Tile Work

Tiles are not only decorative. In one shop in Istanbul we found a map of the old Sultanahmet district. If you look carefully at the details and then refer to a "Google Maps" view of the corresponding section of the city, you will see the panel of tiles can serve as a reasonably useful map of that section of the city.









Unfortunately, not all tiles are high quality. Many tourist-oriented stores and stalls sell very low quality samples such as the round ones shown here. These were found abandoned on the street in the city of Uchisar, possibly awaiting the return of tourist season?

Tiled Walls

The first three photos show tiled walls in the Topkapi Palace and represent among the highest level of tile work you can find.
Many of the finest tiles found in historic or culturally important buildings, were produced in the city of Izmir. Apparently, the techniques used to produce the very finest tiles in the past have been lost. However, high quality tiles are available throughout the country. Just be aware that quality costs.
In the fourth photo a tile wall decoration located on a back alley wall in Selchuk is shown.

Turkish Tiles

In Istanbul you can find an incredible range of tile art. The interior of the Sultanahmet Camii/Blue Mosque has tens of thousands of tiles of great beauty. Similarly, throughout the Topkapi Palace in same area of Istanbul, tiles were also used extensively. The sections of tiled walls shown here are ones we found in the Topkapi Palace as well as Selchuk.

Inside the Blue Mosque

You enter the Blue Mosque through a gateway into a courtyard. The inscription over the arched entrance is a work of art in itself.

The colours of the magnificent tiled interior surfaces of the Blue Mosque give rise to its name. We were told by a local that during renovations a few years ago, one of the tiles was sold off to help finance the work and brought approximately US$ 1 million. Each is piece of art.

The Blue Mosque - Exterior

The mosque is normally seen from the park area separating it from the Aya Sofiya as in the first photo. However, to get a historical perspective, you can walk over to the road named the Kennedy Caddesi along the shore of the Sea of Marmara. From this vantage point you can see the mosque with the ancient Byzantine walls in the foreground. Note that more recent buildings have incorporated parts of the 2,000-3,000 year old wall sections into their own structures.
By the way, Sunday walks for large family groups along the shoreline paths is a tradition in Istanbul.

The Sultanahmet Camii (Blue Mosque) Istanbul

One of the two great mosques in the old Imperial district of Istanbul, is the Sultanahmet Camii, commonly known as the Blue Mosque. This is an active place of worship and a magnificent building.
The mosque was built on the orders of Sultan Ahmet I between 1609 and 1616 AD and derives its common name from the tens of thousands of blue tiles lining the interior
This shows the mosque at night across the pool of the fountain separating the it from the Aya Sofya.

Turkish Delight - The Spice Market, Istanbul

The Egyptian/Spice Market in Istanbul sells, not surprisingly, spices, but also a wide variety of day-to day supplies. Less touristy than the Grand Bazaar, and more oriented to the needs of residents, you can find foodstuffs at reasonable prices. You can also find shops that sell an incredible variety of candies, nuts and dried fruits.
This bazaar lies outside the "New Mosque" (only 400 years old) which rents out the bazaar space as a source of income for upkeep of the mosque.

Flowers In The Spice Market

The Egyptian/Spice market near the ferries were gearing up for spring flower sales when we visited. This was a nice change from the winter we had escaped at home.

Old Woman - Sirince

One of the reasons Ephesus was eventually abandoned was the risk of malaria. A small town called Sirince was built further inland and higher up in the hills. It was fairly isolated and had ethnically Greek population until a population exchange between Greece and Turkey took place in 1924 as part of resolving border issues.
We were advised by our host to avoid the lower section of the town which housed newcomers oriented to tourists. Instead we headed higher up and found a charming old village.
Here an elderly local is shown wearing the "pantaloons" characteristic of traditional women's dress.

Carriage Near Ephesus

On the walk along a back road to our hotel in Selcuk from a day at the ruins of Ephesus (Efes), we came across a colourful carriage "parked" in a field. There was no indication of its purpose but possibly it was intended to ferry tourists back and forth to the ruins from town and was simply awaiting the start of the tourist season.

Selcuk Oranges Spoiling

Selcuk, which lies on the Aegean Sea at the site of the former city of Ephesus (Efes) is built on tourism and agriculture. Although tourism has been doing well as visitors view the runes of Ephesus, agriculture has not fared as well recently with the collapse of the market of local oranges. These oranges lie rotting in a field on the edge of town.

Evil Eyes Over Uchisar

The evil eyes shown here are sold to tourists to ward off the evil eye.
In the background is the fortress of Uchisar built into a volcanic formation. The older sections of the town of Uchisar is built into the same formation in the form of locally typical cave houses.
The fortress was a caravanserai on the trade routes to Istanbul. Traders were provided four days lodging under the Sultan's military protection after which they were required to carry on their journey. This was not an altruistic move by the sultan however. A system of mirrors and smoke signals linked the caravanserai to the capitol, Byzantium/Constantinople (now Istanbul) announcing the caravan and its contents. This made taxation simpler.

Selime - Caves In The Cliff

At the downstream end of the Ilhara Valley lies the town of Selime. You can see caves carved into the cliff wall.
Some caves were made to house animals or to form part of a dwelling. Smaller caves were carved out to house pigeons which were widely raised as a source of guano to be used for fertilizer since the area is otherwise poor in soil nutrients needed for agriculture.

Painted Cave Chruch - Goreme

Inside an old Christian church carved out of a fairy chimney in the Open Air Museum in Goreme. The paintings are fresh and extensive. There are literally hundreds of such churches in the area.
Note the eyes have been destroyed. This was done hundreds of years ago as a result of a desire to avoid depictions of Christ and other religious figures.

Goreme - Fairy Chimney Ruins

These fairy chimney formations have been carved out to form stables (and possibly dwellings) but have partially collapsed.

Goreme Landscape

In central Turkey lies a small village (approx 2,000 people) named Goreme. The town is built using formations called "fairy chimneys" and cliff walls to for caves which form parts of houses and hotels.
Early Christians built churches and homes in caves in this area. Churches still contain painted walls and ceilings. As a result the area has a large World Heritage site and museum which you can visit.
The rock is relatively soft volcanic material and to this day is still used as part of housing structures and animal barns.

A Typical Istanbul Carpet Street

Istanbul streets are generally small and crowded. This one is lined with carpet shops selling carpets and kilim. If you want a carpet, you will find it in Turkey. If you don't you will still be approached by salesmen eager to convince you to buy one (or more). It is all part of the experience and should be taken in stride - you cannot avoid them.

Wooden Building Ruin - Istanbul

In the back streets of Istanbul's Sultanahment district (the historic section near the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, etc.) are old wooden hoses originally built for nobles in the 17 and 18 hundreds. Some are converted into hotels. Some are in virtual ruins. Wooden buildings are a novelty in Istanbul.
This casualty lies awaiting either restoration or replacement is between the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Caii) and the Lesser Aya Sofya mosque (Kucuk Aya Sofya) - not to be confused with the Aya Sofya of tourist interest.

Balik Salata

Istanbul is divided into three sections by the Golden Horn (Halic), the Bosphorus (Bogazizi) and the Sea of Marmara (Marmara Denizi). Given it is a city of between 12 and 17 million inhabitants (depends on who you ask) many commute using the ferries.
As in most places, fast food sellers locate small stands near the commuter entrances/exits serving the ferries. This stand is at the Resadiye Caddesi/Kennedy Kaddesi. Instead of burgers and fries common in North America, and generally unavailable in Turkey, you get a bun with a fried mackerel and shredded lettuce with a "special sauce". This is a "balik salata", just the thing for a quick bite for the ferry ride home. Also addictive, much like burgers!

Shard Mosaic

Two things are unavoidable in Istanbul (and most other cities) - carpet and ceramics salesmen. On one ceramics store in Istanbul, an exterior wall was completely covered in pottery and ceramic shards yielding this colourful mosaic.

Colourful Hotels - Istanbul

Wandering around Istanbul you find a wide variety of hotels. These colourful buildings are along the Yerebatan Caddesi (street) near the Aya Sofya.

A Cup of Chai

As you walk around Istanbul (or anywhere in Turkey, for that matter) you can buy "chai" which is the local's tea. It is not to be confused with "tea" served to visitors on request. That is simply tea bags and hot water.
Chai is made in a two layer kettle system. The lower kettle is simply hot water kept hot on a (typically) wood or coke stove. The upper level is the tea, very strong tea, brewed for about 45 minutes before being ready to serve, at which time it is poured into one of the glasses shown and diluted about half-and-half with water from the lower section. The saucers shown are typical as are the sugar cubes. If you want some, ask for "chai sekker" - hot, sweet and cheap.

The Clothesline.

Part of the fun in visiting a city like Istanbul is wandering off the beaten path. In one such digression we came across this clothesline in a lane. I loved the colours against the painted wall.

Istanbul - Chestnut Seller

These colourful carts are common in Istanbul. As you near one, the aroma of roasted chestnuts makes your mouth water.

Turkey - February 2007

In February 2007, Dayle and I traveled to Turkey, a country I have have wanted to see since childhood. Its connection to western cultural development is the reason I visited. The warmth and friendliness of the people we met and the remnants of the past, still readily accessible, are the things memories are made of. Go visit Turkey - it will exceed your expectations!

We visited Istanbul and loved it. It is also a very safe city and affordable country. If you like the "old" Paris, you will love Istanbul in the springtime. From there we traveled to central Turkey to the village of Goreme, notable for its cave houses and old Christian church/cave ruins. Then onward to Selcuk, on the Aegean and the site of the ruins of Ephesus. Finally, back to Istanbul and then home.

We traveled just like the locals (no tours - everything booked by the seat of our pants), saw an incredible range of sights, and had the most incredible adventure of our lives. Highly recommended.