Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [240]
Sultan Ahmed III, in the eighteenth century, “was the greatest tulip maniac known to history,” according to Dash. Ahmed was bursting with enthusiasm for the flower—he’d spent the first twenty-nine years of his life locked in the cage of Topkapı, only able to look at tulips in the gorgeous private gardens from his window—and the tulip became the most prominent feature of his long reign. Turkish historian Ahmed Refik refers to this period as the Lâle Devri, the Tulip Period. Tulip mania raged on for almost three decades, and after Ahmed, the tulip began its decline. “In the end it was so complete that the whole gorgeous panoply of Istanbul tulips—all thirteen hundred varieties and more—slowly vanished from the gardens of the empire and the memories of men. Today not a single specimen survives.”
Tünel
In Istanbul, Tünel refers to two main things: the square at the end of İstiklâl Caddesi and the neighborhood around it, which is now very trendy, and Europe’s first—and shortest, at only one minute long—underground system. Godfrey Goodwin, in Life’s Episodes, refers to Tünel as “that romantic cable car that saved one from climbing the hill up from Galata Bridge.” The system was built by French engineer Henry Gavan in the late nineteenth century at the request of Sultan Abdülaziz. The wooden cars were initially used to transport animals, but then were employed to carry European diplomats and businessmen from their offices in Karaköy to their residences in Pera. The wooden cars are no longer, having been replaced by metal ones, but, as Goodwin says, they still get you up that hill if you don’t want to walk.
Türbe
Türbe is the Turkish word for “tomb” or “mausoleum.”
Turkish Airlines
I always recommend that travelers first look into flying the airline of their destination—it’s simply another way to immerse oneself in the journey. Turkish Airlines (800 874 8875 / thy.com) celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2008, and it’s a very reliable airline with friendly, helpful, and unfussy flight crews. The airline was founded in 1933 with its first international flight, Ankara-Istanbul-Athens, made in 1947. Direct flights between Istanbul and New York began in 1994, and in 2003 the airline was noted for its low number of missing bags. I’ve found fares on Turkish Airlines to be competitive throughout the year, so it pays to check directly with the airline when you’re researching your flight options.
In April 2008, Turkish Airlines joined the Star Alliance network, allowing the airline to expand its offerings in terms of network coverage, frequent flyer benefits, etc. The Turkish Airlines Web site is particularly helpful and thorough, and one of its best features is the Flex Pricer Module. This allows online visitors to precisely define the parameters of their trips, choosing exact days of travel, cabin class, and services. With the module, passengers can quickly see how the fare changes depending on the day of the week they select. Travelers may also want to consider Turkish Airlines for destinations other than Turkey, as the airline serves nine cities in Africa, thirty-four in Europe, twenty-eight in Asia, Montreal in Canada, and twenty-two U.S. cities.
Turkish Toilets
Never set out each day without stuffing some toilet paper or tissues in your pockets or your bag, as public toilets often do not have toilet paper. Nine times out of ten, the toilets you will encounter when you’re out and about are of the squat variety, sometimes referred to as Turkish toilets. Though this topic is not the most pleasant of entries in this book, it is, in my opinion, one of the most important. Most guidebooks I’ve read over the years have provided few details on toilet etiquette and what to expect, so I am going to offer you some tips that I wish had been offered