Eastern Turkey

Bruce — Mon, 31 May 2004 03:44:57 +0000

A journal covering 15 days spent in Eastern Turkey, May 2004, on an Explore! itinerary... Sunday 16 May Arrival in Istanbul. Monday 17 May In Istanbul we first visited the Blue Mosque, so called due to the blue motifs on the wall tiles. Unusually for a mosque it has 6 minarets. Opposite was the much-photographed Haghia Sophia, a converted Byzantine church, unfortunately closed during our visit. Topkapi Palace was the seat of the sultans during the Ottoman Empire. It offers views across the Bosphorus to the Asian part of Istanbul, and to the Maiden's Tower. Control of this waterway contributed to the power and wealth of Byzantium, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, later renamed Constantinople and subsequently Istanbul. Basilica Cistern, a vast underground water store, was built during Byzantine rule in 532AD. It lay undiscovered by the Ottoman Turks for the first century of their rule. Basilica Cistern The Grand Bazaar is a vast vaulted market where traders have done business for over 500 years. The smaller Spice Bazaar seemed more genuine and less geared towards the tourist. Tuesday 18 May We caught an early morning flight to the Black Sea port of Trabzon where we visited a Byzantine church, also called Haghia Sophia, and famous for its frescos. Inland at Sumela is a monastery perched on the high cliff face of Mount Mela. Inhabited from 400 AD, it was abandoned in the 1920s during a forced population exchange with Greece resulting from the establishment of the modern Turkish state. Sumela Monastery A long bus journey took us to Erzurum, a mountain-locked town at ...

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Eastern Turkey