Constantinople - An Empire Conquered
I arrived in Istanbul on Tues., the 22nd of August. This was the real art historical pilgrimage for a Byzantinist! Of course, the first stop I made had to be Justinian's Hagia Sophia.
Our first day and a half, I dragged Carissa around to the primary sites of interest in Sultanahmet, the old city... Hagia Sophia, the Hippodrome, the Mosaic Museum with its floor mosaics from the Great Palace, the Milion and Cistern Basilica. Our hotel was in the Sultanahmet area, so all of these were a stone's throw from our breakfast terrace.
I could describe each of these monuments in more detail; and will definitely post a couple highlights. But after the initial 'wow' of taking in my surroundings, I was struck by how little remains from the capital of an empire. This feeling would sink in further once I reached Rome and could compare the ruins of the Eternal City with Constantinople. There were church facades and fountains around every corner, but also arches and walls and columns that marked the ancient urban fabric of Rome.
The cultural memory of Byzantium is much more difficult to tease out/discover. It lies under the prayer carpets of certain mosques in the fragments of opus sectile. It is preserved in a few, scattered mosaics; saints and feast cycles that still cling to the brick walls of churches turned mosques made museums. Likewise, this cultural memory dictates the route of the Divan Yolu and its long, straight metro tracks which cut past our hotel. The tram follows what used to be the main road of the empire, becoming the Yeniceriler Caddesi near the bazaars. Walking on foot, I could figure out the locations of two of the imperial forums that once lined this route; those of Constantine the Ist and of Theodosius. Most obvious among civic markers, however, were the great Theodosian land walls. Our trip to the western districts of the city involved a misadventure of incorrect bus tickets and confused destinations. But we did catch a glimpse of the walls (hard to miss, really) as we hurtled along the four-lane highway paralleling them the whole way down the Golden Horn. Evidently, the capture of the land walls and the storming of Constantinople is still celebrated every 29th of May.
Our first day and a half, I dragged Carissa around to the primary sites of interest in Sultanahmet, the old city... Hagia Sophia, the Hippodrome, the Mosaic Museum with its floor mosaics from the Great Palace, the Milion and Cistern Basilica. Our hotel was in the Sultanahmet area, so all of these were a stone's throw from our breakfast terrace.
I could describe each of these monuments in more detail; and will definitely post a couple highlights. But after the initial 'wow' of taking in my surroundings, I was struck by how little remains from the capital of an empire. This feeling would sink in further once I reached Rome and could compare the ruins of the Eternal City with Constantinople. There were church facades and fountains around every corner, but also arches and walls and columns that marked the ancient urban fabric of Rome.
The cultural memory of Byzantium is much more difficult to tease out/discover. It lies under the prayer carpets of certain mosques in the fragments of opus sectile. It is preserved in a few, scattered mosaics; saints and feast cycles that still cling to the brick walls of churches turned mosques made museums. Likewise, this cultural memory dictates the route of the Divan Yolu and its long, straight metro tracks which cut past our hotel. The tram follows what used to be the main road of the empire, becoming the Yeniceriler Caddesi near the bazaars. Walking on foot, I could figure out the locations of two of the imperial forums that once lined this route; those of Constantine the Ist and of Theodosius. Most obvious among civic markers, however, were the great Theodosian land walls. Our trip to the western districts of the city involved a misadventure of incorrect bus tickets and confused destinations. But we did catch a glimpse of the walls (hard to miss, really) as we hurtled along the four-lane highway paralleling them the whole way down the Golden Horn. Evidently, the capture of the land walls and the storming of Constantinople is still celebrated every 29th of May.
The life of the modern city, however, still seems to pulse in the waves of the sea surrounding it. I was surprised to find so many boats and ferries moving about on the water. Huge barges, too--the Bosphorus provides a shipping lane to the Black Sea. We made the trip by ferry at the end of our week.
Our first introduction to Istanbul, though, was the "walking tour" that Carissa and I took the first evening after we'd arrived. We meant to just meander through Sultanahmet, exploring with the guidance of Lonely Planet. We got turned around in the small streets below the Hippodrome. A young boy with his shoe-shining box showed us how to reach the shore via Aksakal Sokak (he was a good businessman, and drove a hard bargain for his navigating help)... Then, we ended up hiking the promenade along the Marmara the entire way up to the top of the point and to the Topkapi Palace! It was a long walk when the majority of other persons were men with their shirts off, swimming and/or fishing. Nor were we successful in finding the promised restaurant at the end of the walking tour until a day or so later. Oh well. This is generally the way of things. It takes at least three tries to do something once.
Our first introduction to Istanbul, though, was the "walking tour" that Carissa and I took the first evening after we'd arrived. We meant to just meander through Sultanahmet, exploring with the guidance of Lonely Planet. We got turned around in the small streets below the Hippodrome. A young boy with his shoe-shining box showed us how to reach the shore via Aksakal Sokak (he was a good businessman, and drove a hard bargain for his navigating help)... Then, we ended up hiking the promenade along the Marmara the entire way up to the top of the point and to the Topkapi Palace! It was a long walk when the majority of other persons were men with their shirts off, swimming and/or fishing. Nor were we successful in finding the promised restaurant at the end of the walking tour until a day or so later. Oh well. This is generally the way of things. It takes at least three tries to do something once.
posted by Kristine at 8:00 AM
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