Istanbul Restaurant Recommendation

Monday we thought we'd finish off Istanbul by seeing the Mosque of Suleiman the Great and the Rustem Pasa Mosque. (We'll save the whirling dervishes for next time; or maybe the time after that). We knew that the Suleiman Mosque was closed for renovation in 2010, but due to re-open for Ramadan (last month). We decided to take our chances--really, everything in this town is worth looking at--rode the wobbly train from Cankurturan to Eminonu again and then walked, through ever more interesting markets and shop districts (including another stop at the Spice Market for those honey-soaked doughnut-holes and more coffee), up to the Suleiman. Indeed, it was still closed, and even the mausoleums were closed on Monday (despite what the guide book said). But we found and had our best restaurant experience yet in Turkey, at a place called...

Well, it's called Daruzziyafe...

Once the mosque's soup kitchen, it's a pretty neat
restaurant/cultural center now, approaching five centuries
later; its purpose, preserving Turkish/Ottoman culinary
traditions 

In nice weather, you can eat on the courtyard

There's Vicki, on the left, under the ancient plane tree

Or in inclmement weather, inside; the place

was designed by Sinan the Architect, who

also did the mosque, and scores of other

incredible projects in the mid-16th century 

The plane tree we sat next to; completely

hollowed-out, yet still alive

Planted in 1550; we saw many more of these, this girth,

similarly hollow, at Topkapi

Okay, the meal: we shared a yogurt/carrot/cucumber salad,

the chef's plate, which included about every kind of lamb,

chicken and beef, and dolma, and rice, and their interesting

meatballs; and the plum drink; I am no judge of such things,

but it tasted great and, to my dull wit, had the ring of

authenticity

They say you should always save something for "next

time"; for me, it will be the mosque of Suleiman the Great;

I wish it had been this time 

Istanbul Archaeology Museums

Sunday we did the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, part of the Topkapi complex in Sultanahmet. We had actually prepared for this, and subsequent archaeology in Turkey, by viewing several DVDs we have on ancient near eastern history, from The Teaching Company. It's really difficult getting Ur, Babylon, the Chaldeans, the neo-Babylonians, the Hittites, the neo-Hittites, the Egyptians, Assyrians, the Phrygians, the Lydians, etc., all straight. We're working on it. Alas, one of the main attractions of the museum, for us, a remnant of the iron chain the Byzantines stretched across the Golden Horn to keep unfriendly ships out, was on loan to some other museum. Next time.

Main building of the Istanbul Archaeology Museum

In the ancient near eastern section, a huge Hittite relief



One of several tile dragons (also lions, etc.) that lined a street in neo-Babylon



"The oldest love poem," c. 2000 BC

Deer a favorite in ancient near eastern depictions, especially hunting scenes; 
I had never thought of deer in the near east; perhaps they were hunted-out

The Kadesh Treaty, oldest known treaty--a copy stands at the entrance to the UN--
between the Hittites and Egypt, late bronze age

The Museum's associated tile kiosk, exhibits of Ottoman tile

Just one example

In the main museum, its most prized possession, the so-called Alexander 
Sarcophagus, made for a 4th century BC king in Sidon; it is nearly the 
size of a small house, very nearly perfectly preserved, a superb example 
of Hellenistic work

A detail, Alexander spearing a foe

Greek woman/goddess

"These sandals are made for walkin', and that's just what they'll do..."

Hermaphrodite

A nearly contemporaneous bust of Alexander

Jaunty pose of a Roman woman

Some objects from Schliemann's excavations of Troy; the Museum has a whole 
big floor devoted to Troy; but understand that Homer's Troy was Troy VI--the 
place  was inhabited for aeons and a major center for centuries, abandoned and 
"lost" only in the middle ages

Me by a conjectural Trojan horse

Vicki Smokes the Nargile; Briefly

In this amazing sequence, Vicki smokes the nargile; briefly. Give her credit: most of the cool things we do are her ideas, and I am dragged along reluctantly. It seems so unfair that, much of the time, I end up enjoying them more than she does.

It starts well; a long drag...



Savoring the cool, sweet and spicy apple flavor

Reflecting on the experience

Not so sure of this...

Trying again, inhaling, exhaling (just like yoga...) ...well, not 
that kind of inhaling

Exhaling again, savoring the aroma and sweetness and 
coolness and ...

Wait a second...

Ick! Yuck! You take it!

At the Nargile Cafe

Right across the street from our "campground" was the Semaver Nargile Cafe, which I had visited a couple times for its free wifi. A nargile is the Turkish water pipe, in which is smoked dried fruit, not tobacco.  Just walking past one of these establishments is a deliciously aromatherapeutic experience.

Here's the manager, one morning, with his laptop, talking on his cell, with a cup 
of tea, puffing away on the nargile

A nargile

The Semaver's menu, all sorts of hot and cold non-alcoholic 
drinks, snacks, delicacies, and, of course...



Its nargile menu

Off the Wall In Istanbul

After Chora, we walked a few blocks further to see a remnant of the once great wall of Istanbul

Stopping for some fun and shopping on the way

And some practical matters; I needed a haircut, hadn't had

one since early June; the barber here has just finished

burning the fuzzy hairs of my ears; note the Bic lighter in

his hand; didn't hurt, but didn't smell good, either

Vicki on the Great Wall

Outside the wall, looking toward the new

town in the distance

The bus trip back to Eminonu took us through the bridal

shop district; dozens of these stores

At Eminonu I had dinner off one of the boats--a huge

hoagie sort of roll, stuffed with raw onions and lettuce and

a grilled fish fillet, seasoned with lemon juice; with an

interesting drink, sort of, pickles and cabbage in a cold red

vinegary mixture; for once, I had just one...

Seated somewhere in this madhouse

Vicki dined at her favorite foreign restaurant--now featuring

its McTurco Menu--

But from our terrace-level table there was at least a nice

view of the old train station, from which the once Orient

Express regularly departed

Chora Church

Our Saturday continued with a bus ride from Eminonu to the northern outskirts of the older city, beyond the original wall and just short of the final wall, to the Chora Church, a 14th century Byzantine church reknowned for its late Byzantine mosaics.

The Chora church is hemmed in by residential buildings and

it is difficult to get a good exterior view; this from the small

garden behind the church

Most of the great mosaics are in the narthex; that's Jesus
in the womb of Mary

Most concerning events in the life of Christ; this the

flight to Egypt

The fingers are sending some sort of Byzantine code;

digital, no doubt (nyuk, nyuk, nyuk)

Some are only remnants

The donor of the church, Metochites, offers his gift...

Another important personage with digital

issues

Mosaics had been around for a millenium or so, mostly on

Roman floors; it was the Byzantines who figured out how

to put them on walls and even ceilings, as here

A spectacular ceiling example, Christ's lineage

In the nave, the centerpiece moved a bit to the right, in the

direction of Mecca

In the side porch/narthex/whatever, a fresco of the last

judgment

Chora is known for the expressiveness, emotion, of its

figures; enlarge this to see...

Detail of the above; note the woman at the right...such

depiction of emotion is most unusual for its time