' Frozen Turkey ' and the Wonders of Istanbul.

There would have been a lot to write about travelling ( cycling ) in Turkey but things don't always turn out as expected and in this case mother nature played a big part in deciding what it was to be. As I mentioned in my last blog, we entered Turkey in freezing conditions, but managed to survive Dogubayazit and in fact began to get used to the cold conditions. What we didn't know was that after leaving Dogubayazit we were to face with more of the unexpected. Two-thirds of Turkey was totally 'whitewashed', by whitewashed I mean covered in snow.
When we finally cycled out of Dogubayazit heading towards Ankara the weather turned for the worse. After about 65 km. heavy snow started to fall making it difficult to cycle and when it became impossible we had to stop at the nearest town to find refuge. We reached Agri and managed to find a place for the night. There was more snow in the morning so we took the coach heading for Ankara some 1,000 km away. The journey lasted about 14 hours and when we arrived in Ankara the bus dropped us at a bus shelter along the highway at 3am in the morning. The city was blanketed in snow and mist, so locating the guesthouse we intended to stay in was not an option as it was 8 km away. We then pushed our bicycles to the Terminal building 500 meters away. Luckily, the security personnels there allowed us to push our bicycles into the modern enclosed terminal to wait out till the morning. There were also other people at the terminal sharing similar problems, some sleeping on the benches. In the morning conditions remain the same and unable to leave the terminal, we boarded another coach out of Ankara towards Istanbul. There was snow most of the way and it was only after we crossed the Bosphorus bridge ( this bridge joins Asia and Europe) did we see greenery. I don't know if we would have been allowed to cycle on the bridge but it would have been a wonderful experience if we could.
Istanbul is one of the biggest cites in the world and is an open history book spanning thousands of years from the ancient civilizations , the Romans and its golden age, in the Byzantine period it was a shining star in the 'dark' medieval European history. After the conquest by the Ottomans in 1453 Istanbul continued to enjoy a glorious period of development and today it is still the European Capital of Culture. What impressed me most are the numerous relics found in the city. Everywhere you go you see relics that tell the story of when, why and by whom it was constructed. To know that many of these relics were built more than a thousand years ago is just unbelievable. For instance looking at the Hagia Sophia it is hard to imagine that what we see today is the result of it being reconstructed for the third time. It was constructed as a church by Emperor Constantine and was burned down during a riot. A second church was ordered on the same spot by Theodosius 11 and inaugurated in 415 AD. However this second church was also burned down during the Revolt in 532 AD. Emperor Justinian 1 (527-565) took the decision to build a bigger Hagia Sophia to what we see today.
During the reign of Mohamed 11, the Conqueror Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque and today it functions as a museum.
The 'Blue Mosque' is another magnificent building that dominates Istanbul's skyline. Built during the reign of Sultan Ahmed it is still in use and open to visitors free of charge. Outside prayer times, visitors can enter the mosque and even take photographs of the magnificent interior. Plastic bags are supplied to visitors for their shoes and women are required to cover their heads.
It was during the Classical Ottoman Period (1453-1800) that the Empire enjoyed the golden age of Ottoman architecture especially in Istanbul. For over 300 years this architectural style is conspicuous, evident to this day. The masterpieces of this period are the religious complexes and public buildings as seen in Topkapi Palace, Faith, Beyazit and Suleymanyie mosques and Grand Bazaar. And the list goes on.
Istanbul is teeming with tourists even during the winter and while it is difficult to identify the Europeans from the locals, many Japanese, Koreans and Chinese are the visually obvious groups seen around the tourists spots. Indonesians and some Malaysians are also seen.
Turkey is a secular state and while the population is mainly Muslims you get the feeling that the state does not control the individual's private lives. From my observations, a large number of men and women are smokers and many admit that they also drink. However I don't know if there are cases of people being convicted for drinking beer in public or caught for 'khalwat' as often reported in the Malaysian media. Most women including the elders also don't cover their heads. Their dressing seems to lean towards that of the west. Perhaps no one here wants to play God.
Turkey is certainly more expensive than Malaysia so for me I am not able to stay in Istanbul and visit the many locations where payment is required, longer than necessary. Food is also more expensive.
We will resume cycling tomorrow towards the border into Bulgaria and InsyaAllah will be at the border in three days. Thank you to those following my blog, Joe, Deen JB, Dr Lee, Leong, Sunny Soo, Hoy, and others, too many to mention. Your encouragement keeps me going. Take care.

Brrrrrrrrrr!!! Too cold to camp

Snow for breakfast anyone?

Sharing a quiet moment with Atartuk

The 'Blue Mosque'. At night

Turkish schoolgirls queue to enter the museum

At the Hagia Sophia

Inside the Blue Mosque

Aede with Svetlana Shvacheva an ICRC member
at the Grand Bazaar. The Bazaar is so large that it has
at least 20 gates

Fresh seafood available at the waterfront

Archaeological artefacts

Istanbul Waterfront

With a Turkish family

The Galata Tower used to have a Dungeon

Entrance to Istambul University

An ancient column wrapped in steel to
Counter the elements

Interior of The Grand bazaar

A seagull with its lunch

Traffic in Istanbul





The Obelisk Of Theodosius 390 A.D.







No plaque for this ancient relic
(what remains of the Hippodrome, I think)