On our second full day of staying in Istanbul, Turkey, we visited a palace called Topkapi Palace. It was really neat, not only because of how big it was and how many rooms there were, but also because of how elaborate the designs on the walls and ceilings were. Another place that we visited was the Blue Mosque, which was cool, but it was being renovated, so we didn’t get to see much. A couple times while we were walking around and between these sites, local men approached us and said “You look like you want to buy a rug.” We all thought that was a pretty funny opening line for a sales pitch and wondered if it worked on anyone. Sadly for these guys, we did not in fact want to buy a rug.
Our final destination for the day was called Suleymaniye Mosque, which was fully renovated as of 2010. It was so pretty and had the biggest chandelier we’ve ever seen. Inside that mosque, a very friendly lady came up to us and wanted to teach us a bit about Islam and answer any questions we had. She was very nice and welcoming. After the semi-eventful day of walking around and looking at buildings, we found a Turkish dinner spot called Tomtom Kebap for some delicious kebabs and wraps. It was very good, and worth the half an hour wait outside waiting for a table to open up. Turkey is a very different place from others that we have visited, which is part of what I like about it. The people are mostly very nice, and the food is quite tasty!
Topkapi Palace was built in the 15th century and stood through the Ottoman Empire as a home to various sultans and their families. A year after the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1923, the palace was turned into a museum in 1924. UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site in 1985.
Another 1985 addition as a World Heritage Site is the Blue Mosque (below). Photography was not allowed inside this functioning mosque so we only have a handful of outside shots. The Blue Mosque was built in the early 17th century and was designed to overtake the church-turned-mosque Hagia Sophia as the most important worship site in Istanbul, if not the Ottoman Empire.
The Suleymaniye Mosque (below) was much less crowded, but was actually our favorite of the ones we visited. Built for Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century, this was actually the largest mosque in the city until 2019.
The Spice Bazaar (below)
Love the Suleymaniye Mosque photos! Love all these amazing sites!! Love the Topkapi Palace too! Really enjoy reading what you and Findlay have written, Tate! These posts are educational and great!!
I learned so many things from your post Tate! Thank you for continuing to share your experiences and knowledge with us!