Middle East - Anthony Ham [458]
DIVAN YOLU CADDESI
Walk or take a tram westward along Divan Yolu from Sultanahmet, looking out on your right for a complex of sultan’s tombs (Map) that was constructed for 19th-century sultans, including Mahmut II (1808–39), Abdülaziz (1861–76) and Abdülhamid II (1876–1909).
A bit further along, on the right, you can’t miss the Çemberlitaş (Map), also known as the Banded Stone or Burnt Column. Constantine the Great erected the monumental column in AD 330 to celebrate the dedication of Constantinople as capital of the Roman Empire, and it has been covered with hoardings and awaiting renovation for years.
GRAND BAZAAR
Hone your haggling skills before dipping into the mind-boggling Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı; Map; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat). Just north of Divan Yolu, this labyrinthine medieval shopping mall consists of some 4000 shops selling everything from carpets to clothing, including silverware, jewellery, antiques and belly-dancing costumes. It’s probably the most confusing and manic shopping precinct you could hope to experience. Sure, the touts are ubiquitous, but come in the right frame of mind and you’ll realise it’s part of the fun. With several kilometres of lanes, it’s also a great place to ramble and get lost – which you will certainly do at least once.
Starting from a small masonry bedesten (market enclosure) built during the time of Mehmet the Conqueror, the bazaar grew to cover a vast area as shopkeepers put up roofs and porches so that commerce could be conducted comfortably in all weather.
BEYAZıT & SüLEYMANIYE
Right beside the Grand Bazaar, the Beyazıt area takes its name from the graceful Beyazıt Camii (Map), built between 1501 and 1506 on the orders of Sultan Beyazıt II. The Sahaflar Çarşısı (Old Book Bazaar; Map) is nearby and the great gateway on the north side of the square belongs to İstanbul University (Map).
Behind the university to the northwest is one of the city’s most prominent landmarks and İstanbul’s grandest mosque complex, the Süleymaniye Camii (Mosque of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent; Map; Prof Sıddık Sami Onar Caddesi; donation requested). It was commissioned in the 16th century by the most powerful of Ottoman sultans, Süleyman the Magnificent, and was designed by Mimar Sinan, the most famous of all imperial architects.
Eminönü
At the southern end of Galata Bridge looms large Yeni Cami (New Mosque; Map; Yenicami Meydanı Sokak, Eminönü; donation requested), started in 1597 and completed, six sultans later, in 1663. Beside it is the atmospheric Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı; Map; 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Sat), awash with spice and food vendors; it’s a great place for last-minute gift shopping. To the west, on a platform above the fragrant market streets, is the 16th-century Rüstem Paşa Camii (Mosque of Rüstem Paşa; Map; Hasırcılar Caddesi; donation requested), a small, richly tiled mosque designed by the great Ottoman architect Sinan.
Dolmabahçe Palace
Cross the Galata Bridge and follow the shore road along the Bosphorus from Karaköy towards Ortaköy and you’ll come to the grandiose Dolmabahçe Palace (Dolmabahçe Sarayı; Map; 0212-236 9000; Dolmabahçe Caddesi, Beşiktaş; admission selamlık TL15, harem-cariyeler TL10, selamlık & harem-cariyeler TL20, crystal palace & clock museum TL4; 9am-4pm Tue-Wed & Fri-Sun summer, 9am-3pm winter), right on the waterfront. The palace was built between 1843 and 1856 as a home for some of the last Ottoman sultans. It was guaranteed a place in the history books when Atatürk died here on 10 November 1938 and all the palace clocks were stopped.
Visitors are taken on guided tours of the two main buildings: the over-the-top selamlık (men’s apartments) and the slightly more restrained harem-cariyeler (harem and concubines’ quarters).
Buses heading out of Karaköy along the Bosphorus shore