EXPLORING HISTORY & CULTURE IN & AROUND ISTANBUL
By Marni Patterson
Türkiye is a study in contrasts. East meets West. Vestiges of Christianity reside in harmony with Islamic relics. One minute you’re looking at ancient ruins. The next minute, you’re immersed in 20th-century history. These are some places where you can experience Türkiye’s unique culture.
ON BIG BLEND RADIO: Travel writer Marni Patterson shares her adventures through Istanbul, Gallipoli & Troy. History, culture, and travel writing insights await! Watch here in the YouTube player or download the episode on Podbean.
The Ancient City of Troy: 4000 Years of History
The ancient city of Troy is on the Turkish Aegean coast, a few miles from the southern entrance to the Dardanelles Strait. For centuries, historians hunted for proof that the city existed, that there was a Trojan War, and wondered how accurate Homer’s Iliad account was.
In 1870, Heinrich Schliemann, a German businessman and amateur archaeologist, discovered remains of a large Bronze Age city in northwest Türkiye. The location matched Homer’s description of Troy. As Schliemann’s team excavated, they found that the city was actually nine cities built on top of each other, and nine layers of civilization that evolved over 4000 years.
Archaeological evidence from the sixth and seventh layers indicates that Troy was ransacked and burned between 1400 and 1200 BC. Archeologists found burnt deposits, hastily buried skeletal remains, and weapon fragments. Written accounts from the same period also tell of conflicts that could have caused a war. This indicates that there was a Trojan War, and at least some of Homer’s version was accurate.
Gallipoli: The Hell Hole of World War 1
The Gallipoli Campaign, one of the most brutal battles of World War 1, took place 50 miles north of Troy. The British wanted to occupy the Gallipoli peninsula to secure the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus Strait to gain access to the Black Sea. They sent in thousands of (primarily) Australian and New Zealand soldiers via an amphibious landing on April 25, 1915. This started the Gallipoli Campaign, which lasted until January 1916.
The Gallipoli Campaign was bloody, with around 500,000 casualties on both sides. Over 80 cemeteries in Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park serve as a final resting place for French, Turkish, Australian and New Zealand soldiers. The Respect to Mehmetçik Memorial monument shows that there can be acts of compassion even in the face of battle. When a badly wounded Australian soldier was caught in “no man’s land,” an Ottoman soldier raised a white flag and risked his life to carry the soldier to Australian lines.
Gallipoli was a significant victory for the Ottoman Empire because it set the stage for the birth of Türkiye as a modern republic. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk emerged as a military leader and became the founding father and the first President of Türkiye.
Most cities and towns in Australia and New Zealand have a monument that pays tribute to the “Men of Gallipoli,” and ANZAC Day (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) is one of the most important national holidays in both countries.
Each year, hundreds of Turks, Australians, and New Zealanders gather on Remembrance Day (November 11) to honor those who lost their lives during the Gallipoli Campaign. We were in Gallipoli National Historic Park on Remembrance Day and saw a ceremony where Turkish and New Zealand representatives honored the soldiers from both sides.
Hagia Sophia: Where Christianity and Islam Meet
Emperor Constantine II established Hagia Sophia as an Eastern Orthodox church in 573 AD, at the height of Byzantine rule in (what’s now) Türkiye. Constantinople — as Istanbul was called in the sixth century — was the center of the Orthodox Christian Byzantine Empire that emerged after the Roman Empire fell. It ruled large portions of Europe and northern Africa until Constantinople was conquered by the Ottomans in 1453.
Sultan Mehmed II converted Hagia Sophia to a mosque, but kept its original name, which means “Holy Wisdom” in Greek. It remained a mosque until 1934, when the Turkish government established it as a museum. In 2020, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan re-established the Hagia Sophia Museum as a mosque.
Hagia Sophia is the only religious place where you see Christian relics side-by-side with Islamic religious symbols. There are several Christian mosaics from the Byzantine era, and large medallions display the names of Allah (God), the Prophet Mohammed, and the four caliphs, the leaders of Islam following the death of Mohammed.
The Blue Mosque: A Magnificent Legacy of a Sultan
Sultan Ahmed I commissioned the Blue Mosque in 1609 when he was just 19 years old. His vision was to build a mosque to symbolize the power of the Ottoman Empire and surpass the grandeur of the Hagia Sophia.
When it was completed in 1616, the Blue Mosque had a main dome, eight smaller secondary domes and six minarets. This was controversial throughout the Islamic world because at the time, the Great Mosque of Mecca was the only mosque with six minarets.
The prayer hall can hold 10,000 people, and the walls and domed ceilings are decorated with over 20,000 hand-painted Iznik (traditional Ottoman) tiles. The mosque’s grand dome is inscribed with verses from the Quran. The inscriptions are positioned so that when visitors view them, their gaze is naturally drawn toward heaven.
The Basilica Cistern: A Mystical Underground Experience
The Basilica Cistern, also known as the Subterranean Palace, was constructed in the sixth century during the reign of Emperor Justinian I to store water for the Great Palace of Constantinople. It can hold up to 21 million gallons of water, which is supplied by aqueducts from the Belgrade Forest, around 12 miles away.
The Basilica Cistern is supported by 336 marble columns repurposed from old Roman buildings. Several have heads of Medusa at the base. According to some, these columns have protective properties. Others say they symbolize the influence of Greek mythology on Turkish culture. Most think they were included to add an air of mystery and captivate visitors.
The atmosphere in the Basilica Cistern is eerie but intriguing because the interior is dimly lit with reflective pools and echoes of dripping water. It has served as a backdrop for various movies, including the James Bond movie From Russia with Love and Inferno starring Tom Hanks. Today, the Basilica Cistern is used for art exhibitions, concerts, light shows and fashion shows.
What to Know If You Go
– Public bathrooms often aren’t stocked with toilet paper, paper towels and soap, especially outside Istanbul and large cities. Bring tissues, wipes, and hand sanitizer “just in case.”
– Many public bathrooms have squat toilets (i.e., holes in the ground). Ask if Western-style toilets are available. Many bathrooms have a few to accommodate people with knee and back problems.
– Women are required to cover their heads in mosques. Scarves are provided at no charge at the Blue Mosque and can be purchased for around €1 (around 48 Turkish Lira) at Hagia Sofia.
– Everyone is required to remove their shoes before entering the Blue Mosque. There are shelves along the back wall with cubby holes to store them.
– Mullahs call Muslims to prayer five times a day: Dawn (before sunrise), noon, late afternoon, immediately after sunset, and after dusk. Bring earplugs if you don’t want to be awakened at sunrise.
Marni Patterson is a freelance travel writer, photographer and videographer based in Phoenix, Arizona. Living in Belgium as an exchange student for a year led to Marni’s love of travel. She has traveled throughout the United States and Europe and is working on Asia/Pacific and Africa. She is an award-winning photographer and is a member of TravMedia, IFWTWA (International Food Wine Travel Writers Association) and SATW (Society of American Travel Writers). Follow her travels and stories https://mptravelwriting.com/
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