istanbul: the fatih quarter
a look some sights around a bit of this historically conservative, but steadily gentrifying area of istanbul's old city, including:
kariye museum, land walls, sehzade mosque, beyazit square & cemberlitas
on the way --
america’s own malcolm x right up there among celebrated modern muslims
kariye muzesi (chora church museum)
is in the edernikape neighborhood of the fatih quarter
fatih park
stuff in front of the museum
kariye muzesi aka chora church, kariye camii or kariye kilesi (400AD)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chora_Church
one of the most beautiful examples of a byzantine era church
much of the decoration is from the 1300s
restored by the byzantine institute of america in the 1940s
the chora interior is…well, hold your breadth…!
perhaps the most famous image in chora church --
the anastasis or resurrection
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection
the byzantine land walls of theodosius (b. 413-14AD) at topkapi gate
this is edernikape gate - near kariye muzesi
treacherous to climb on!
views
dolmus van on left (aka dollar vans in nyc, except legal here)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Share_taxi
*** before the mosque pics below,
try this on -- you have to download it,
but its worth it --
it’s an audio clip link
to an iphone memo we made of the
call to prayer (adnans) from multiple
mosques echoing around cemberlitas --
highly recommended listening! ****
https://www.box.com/s/6285b5f8e8a357996794
sehzade camii (mosque)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Eehzade_Mosque
^wiki sez:
The Şehzade Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Suleiman I in memory of his eldest son by Hürrem, Prince Mehmet, who died of smallpox at the age of 21 in 1543, though the cause for his death is disputed. It was the first major commission by the Imperial Architect Mimar Sinan, and was completed in 1548. It is considered by architectural historians as Sinan's first masterpiece of classical Ottoman architecture.
the mosque courtyard (aylu)
womens prayer area in back
meanwhile, they were filming a movie in the backyard!
a sehzade mosque masoleum (turbe), i think of one the grand viziers, not sure
^ a note on mosques and mosque etiquette -
the historic mosques are always a kulliye or complex that include one or more medrese or koran schools, an imaret or public kitchen for the poor and a caravansari to house pilgrims. There are also are or were related turbe or masoleums, a cemetery and a hamam or turkish style bathouse nearby. also of note there are no images in mosques. muslims do a ritual wash called wudu in the aylu or courtyard before they go in. women cover their head with a scarf and you take you shoes off before you enter - needless to say there is plenty of fantastic and soft turkish carpet to walk on inside, a nice benefit for weary touristas!
beyazit meydani or square
(fka forum tauri & forum Theodosius in Constantinople)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_Tauri
istanbul university (goes back to 425AD)
main campus gate (1866-70) -- pick one
beyazit serasker firewatch tower (1828) on campus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyaz%C4%B1t_Tower
beyazit camii mosque (b.1501-1506)
2nd oldest mosque built after the ottoman conquest,
but the oldest original
cemberlitas square (fka forum constantine)
the column of constantine (330AD) is quite a survivor:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Column_of_Constantine
around cemberlitas sq
hookah café rooftop views
got aircon?
so many ships on the sea of mamara!
narghile or hookah gear
keeping the hookah coals hot on the right
below is sultanahmet pocket park, so that brings us to
the end of fatih area and this thread
*** hope you enjoyed some sights from a morning in fatih - more istanbul to come
***
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