Once upon a time the Chora Mosque was the Byzantine Church of St Saviour in Chora, meaning ‘church in the country’. This reference is to an ancient monastery no longer in existence, built outside the walls of Constanintople. The current manifestation of Chora Mosque, or Kariyer Camii to use its Turkish name, dates back to…
Istanbul is world famous for glorious historical sites in the old city of Sultanahmet, like the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Haghia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar, but there’s so much more to see. To make the most of this Istanbul itinerary 2 days, Taksim is a good base for exploring other parts of Istanbul. Be…
I walked into the National Palaces Painting Museum in Istanbul hoping to see a particular painting by Hasan Vecih Bereketoğlu and left having discovered a wealth of early modern Turkish and foreign artists I never knew existed. The museum is housed in the former residences of the Crown Princes and entry is included in the…
Istanbul is world famous for glorious historical sites in the old city of Sultanahmet like the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace to name a few. Once you’ve seen them, what’s next? A completely different experience awaits with this Istanbul itinerary Asian side, based at Hotel Suadiye* on the Asian side of the city. Istanbul itinerary…
Uskudar, set on the edge of the Bosphorus opposite the hipper and more popular Beşiktaş neighbourhood, is often dismissed as being too conservative and suburban. Yet once upon a time it was a vibrant and exciting city. It was founded in the 7th century BC by Greek colonists who gave it the name Chrysopolis. Whether…
While the country known as Turkey has a history going back hundreds of years, had it not been for the Turks’ decisive victory during the Turkish War of Independence in a key action in the province of Kütahya, led by Mustafa Kemal Pasha (now famously known as Atatürk, father of the Turks) in 1922, the…
Serefiye Cistern (Şerefiye Sarnıcı in Turkish) was built on the orders of Emperor Theodosius II who ruled Constantinople from 428 to 443 AD. It was constructed as a water depot to distribute supply to the inhabitants of Istanbul, then known as Constantinople. Fresh water was drawn from Belgrade Forest and its surrounds and reached the…
I’m Lisa Morrow and I was born on the 24th of July, coincidentally the same date in 1923 when the Turkish War of Independence ended. I’m considerably younger than that event but I am a Leo I love celebrating my birthday. It’s never the presents I remember but the people I was with and what…
I’d love to start this post by writing that I go to my local Istanbul street market in Göztepe every Monday but I can’t. My husband’s the one who goes. He’s known to the vendors as the Turkish looking foreigner (his mother was Italian) who buys the food for his family, rejects any apples, strawberries…
South of the Golden Horn, west of the Bosphorus and north of the Sea of Marmara, Eminonu has long been the meeting point of traders, sailors and people looking for a bargain. Back in Ottoman times, it was home to the Empire’s official Customs Office and numerous private customs houses. It’s believed that the name…