Rome to Athens 9/15-10/1/2023 Episode 11 Istanbul Day 2 Wednesday 9/27

Today’s tour included a visit to the Suleymaniye Mosque, the Spice Market, and the Topkapi Palace.

The Suleymaniye Mosque is the second largest in the city and is known as one of the masterpieces of Ottoman architecture. The city of Constantinople was built on seven hills. Six of them are topped with Mosques, the Suleymaniye is built on hill number three and was completed in 1557. It is the center point of a complex of buildings and courtyards. There is a beautiful view of the waterfront and the Golden Horn across from the north side.

Like the other Mosques, there are three entrances – one on the North, South, and West sides. The east side is the general direction for prayer. This mosque was not nearly as crowded as the two from yesterday, so our guide had time to explain more about the practice of Islam.

I mentioned that the men all pray in a designated area, with women to the side or back as the structure allows. The men align themselves on the carpet, shoulder to shoulder in rows. Each of the Mosques had different colored carpets with lines similar to those in the picture to help with praying toward Mecca.

There are five calls to prayer each day for which some stop and others do not. If they are practicing Muslims but are otherwise engaged and cannot stop, they are allowed to wait until the end of the day. On Fridays at noon a service is held. The Imam provides a talk, there may be music, and there is prayer. Visitors may come and stand in the back if they have pre-arranged with the Imam. If a Muslim is instrumental in someone converting to Islam, he gets a ticket straight to Heaven.

On a wall outside the Mosque there is a row of faucets and some stools. These are for the men to complete ablutions or washings to prepare themselves to pray.

Also outside are two large marble tables. These are for funerals. Funerals do not take place inside the Mosque. When a person dies, the body is washed and wrapped in cloths. It is placed in a coffin, only for the purpose of transport. An announcement goes out in the neighborhood that a funeral will take place so men can come, even if they do not know the individual who died. Others would do the same for them, and so on it goes.

The coffin, with the body inside, is transported to the Mosque and placed on one of the tables outside where typically only men are in attendance. A few words are spoken, prayers are offered, and the body is transported to the cemetary in the coffin. There, it is removed from the coffin, placed in the ground – somewhat on it’s right side so the heart faces toward Mecca.

There is a graveyard on the site and headstones are typically large with lots of writing on them.

We had the opportunity to use a free restroom which was clean as could be and had the nicest attendant. On one side of the room was a row of toilets that were porcelain holes in the floor, on the other side were regular toilets.

Next on our tour was the Spice Market, or Spice Bazaar, or Egyptian Bazaar.

Set along the waterfront, the covered market has been there since 1663. We only had a few minutes to shop, and like the Grand Bazaar the combination of beautifully laid out stalls and products, the scents of exotic spices and nuts and baklavas and teas, and the hoards of pushy men who constantly call to you to enter their shop and/or buy their wares can be overwhelming.

But I will specifically mention the Shozy Spice Shop just before you go through the entrance of the Bazaar, and I know I mentioned it before – but the genuine Turkish Delight is absolutely … delightful!! (you knew I was going to say that).

After tastes of Summer Tea, Saffron Tea, and Turkish Delight (this guy knows how to sell) we boarded our bus for the last stop, the Topkapi Palace.

I mentioned earlier that the city was built on seven hills with Mosques occupying six of them. The first one of the seven is occupied by the Palace, which served as both a residence for 30 Sultans and an Administrative Center for over 400 years. Today it is a museum and library.

There are multiple courtyards and buildings, housing everything from kitchens which fed thousands each day, to the Library, the dormitories of the Royal pages (young boys primarily from Christian populations conquered by the Sultans and removed from their homes in payment of taxes), royal art and wardrobes, weapons both ceremonial and used in war, rooms of clocks and watches that were gifts to the Sultans, and jewels, including the Spoonmaker’s Diamond – one of the world’s largest cut diamonds. The diamond gets its name from a story that says the man who found it didn’t know what he had and sold it to a spoonmaker for three wooden spoons.

The palace is decorated in handpainted tiles, stained glass windows, and mother-of-pearl and ivory inlay. It houses rare and precious manuscripts and illustrated volumes.

And finally, the room with the three feet thick walls where the Sultan carried out business meetings. Only the Sultan could make himself comfortable as he carried out the business of the day.

After leaving the Palace, we walked back to the bus and returned to the ship. Another big day in beautiful Istanbul.

I’m so grateful to have had this city on our list. There is certainly lots more to see, and it is the opposite of our trips to Italy where Christian churches were built atop pagan temples. And even while feeling safe and welcomed as a tourist, and experiencing firsthand the openess in dress and style and education and jobs for women, I could not quite get past the underlying knowledge that the culture rests on a religion that is restrictive and repressive toward women and toward those who would practice other faiths.

It certainly is a reminder to pray for those who suffer persecution and oppression for any reason, and to extend the grace and love of Jesus for every reason.

Rambling back to Greece. Love to all.