Istanbul

I recently got the chance to travel to Istanbul for a work-related event, an opportunity that I snapped up eagerly, with memories of my one and only trip to the historic city in 2009 resurfacing in my mind.

It was the first time in my life flying business class. The seats were new to me; I had to send a quick text to a friend to ask him how to open the tray table! The flight itself was enjoyable, with the usual amount of turbulence while crossing the Bay of Bengal. Some people can sleep soundly while flying, but I’m definitely not one of them! Thankfully it wasn’t a very long flight and I spent most of it watching (OK, re-watching) Lord of the Rings.

My group stayed at the Grand Tarabya Hotel, overlooking the Bosphorus Strait. We were welcomed with some sweet treats (a recurring theme while in Istanbul) before each checking into our hotel rooms.

The last time I was in Istanbul was with my wife back in 2009. We stayed near Sultanahmet Square, a few minutes from the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. On my first full day in Istanbul, I headed to the Grand Bazaar first thing in the morning before walking the short distance to the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque.

Whenever I’m in a new place, I almost always take the opportunity to go for a jog in the morning to explore the surrounding area. Notwithstanding the 6-degrees Celsius temperature, I spent each morning jogging along the Bosphorus Strait, where I was pleasantly surprised to see so many interesting sights including that of the sun rising over Asia.

The highlight of these early morning excursions was undoubtedly drinking coffee at Caffe Nero. I had to wait a few moments before entering because a dog was blocking the only way in, but once it spotted a canine friend across the road and dashed across to exchange pleasantries, I made my way in, admired the cat by the counter, got my coffee, and sat in the garden drinking the wonderfully warm stuff in the cold wintry morning. Bliss!

The event itself was very well-organised, with speakers from all over the world coming in to share their expertise. I don’t know if I want to bore you with the details though, suffice to say that I will definitely be on the lookout for more programs like these ESPECIALLY if they are held in interesting venues like Istanbul!

Anyway, apart from the educational event itself, I went to the usual touristy locations and some not-so-frequently-visited places including:

Istiklal Caddesi

Came here twice, in fact, on the very first night after arriving and also once more on the last day to find some last-minute sourvenirs for folks back home. I walked from Galata Tower to Taksim Square, window shopping all the way.

Eyüp Sultan Mosque

This mosque was first completed in 1458 before being rebuilt in 1800 following some earthquake damage. I really wanted to visit the mosque as it also housed the tomb of Saidina Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari, one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). There were more local tourists, or pilgrims, than foreign ones. Inside the mosque, I sat for a while studying the beautiful architecture and calligraphy.

Fatih Mosque

Named after Fatih Sultan Mehmed, the Ottoman sultan also known as Mehmed the Conqueror, the mosque complex also housed the tomb of said sultan. One striking thing about this mosque is the number of cats not just outside the mosque but also inside the prayer hall itself.

Süleymaniye Mosque

Last but not least was the impressive Süleymaniye Mosque, commissioned by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by his imperial architect Mimar Sinan. I visited the tomb of Sultan Suleiman before making my way inside the mosque itself. It was almost time for the Zuhur prayer when I got there so I joined the congregation before walking a short distance to see the more modest tomb of Mimar Sinan.

Needless to say, it was wonderful to be back in Istanbul. I am already making plans to go there once again with my family, but before that, it was a couple more flights via Dubai, and yet another Lord of the Rings movie, before safely reaching home.