Impressions From Turkey

My  Turkey visit was out of the blue , but the seven days of stay there brought out all the other colours of the prism .

On this portal I would like to be very clear , what I write is not a guide , nor an advise of do’s and don’ts. It is a sum total of what I saw , what I felt , what I experienced and of course  every bit that I enjoyed . So , while it is read, if any part can provide some help , be useful , it would be my pleasure .

Istanbul airport like all other international airports was huge , beautiful  and crowded. Airports are good for weight reduction. Gate B 10 or A 27 will see to it you realize your shoes should be better and your panting is not due to the stroller you are pulling but the excess 10 kg weight you are carrying on yourself .

There was a car waiting to take us to IZMIT – KOCAELI. We took the autobahn  8 to reach Izmit from Istanbul .6 lane road, speeding vehicles, hilly sorroundings, skyline marked by minarets of mosques ( while returning I counted  approximately  80 mosques that I could see )multi storied houses in shades of cream and brick, most having sloping roof, very squarish and squattish , most balconies covered and converted into living spaces . They looked so much like Swiss houses , only the flowers on the window sills were missing .Very  few people on the road. 

May be because of the drizzle which brought down the temperature to 7`C .  Later I noticed that most of the people owned their own four wheeler and the public transport system was good and frequent, which the public used extensively.

One beautiful thing that I noticed  on either side of the road was ,on the small hillocks flowerbeds were made in tray like structures. They formed geometrical designs on vertical  walls of the hills which was like our flower rangolis made on the walls of the hills. I will begin with Istanbul though our first four days were spent in Izmit as my husbands official visit was to Izmit .

ISTANBUL – The  second half of our visit that is four days were spent in Istanbul .  Istanbul gives the impression  of a busy tourist site . Innumerable hotels  , roadside eating places , gift shops ,  coffee shops , lots of  people –both Turkish and non – Turkish .Istanbul , divided into two by the Bosphorous sea. One  half in the European continent and the other half in Asia.

  

  Istanbul bridge -Left Europe - Right Asia

The European side is dominated by business and the Asian side is predominantly residential. People travel long distances to reach their place of  of work .It is a beautiful  modern city with tall buildings , trams running across the city , minarets of mosques out lined in the skies. 

Shop displaying blue pottery and carpets .

   Istanbul city street with the tram in the background.  

Taking a hotel at Sultanahmet is advisable .  Main sites like  Hagia Sophia , Blue mosque , Topkapi sarayi are all within walking distance.Places to eat out are innumerable ,gift shops are many, plus the general happy holidaying atmosphere is very contagious .

Historical , religious ,  shopping sites , tourist spots ,cruise are many . If available days are more it can be all seen leisurely . If in slight hurry, not more than three to four sites can be covered . It can be done on our own or a city tour bus can be taken .

Blue Mosque needs no introduction . See and marvel .It had become a subject of controversy due to the six minarets ( just like the Mecca mosque ). Later a seventh minaret was added to put an end to the objections .It gets its name from thousands of Izmik tiles with which its interior is built . Known to be one of the finest work of Ottoman architecture .

         Blue Mosque on a rainy day     

Hagia Sophia-- this world famous monument is an important landmark of Istanbul. A church before , was converted  into a mosque after it was conquered by the ottoman army of Mehmet II .

Hagia sophia  from outside at night

Now it is a museum . Mosaics of  Jesus , Virgin  Mary with infant Jesus , kings-Justinian and Constantine  adorn the walls .It is said  that  tunnels  were  built under it which spanned the whole city of Constantinople .it seems a lot of treasures were kept underneath  for safety from  attacks and aggressors . Now , part of Hagia Sophia  is under renovation .

   

                                     Inside Hagia Sophia

  

In the compound of Hagia Sophia there are many mausoleums dedicated to King Sultan AhmetI ,  II  , III, their queens ,princes , their wives , princes    and ministers too . The doors of each are beautifully architectured . Some are built with Izmik tiles.  Mother of pearl  is used extensively for inlay work of the doors .Ahmed Agha was known as  the mother of pearl artist . His name is signed on the top part of one of the doors. Sundays have a large number of visitors , a long queue is normal. Ticket needs to be bought for entry . 

The spice bazaar is crowded at all times of the day . 86 shops in one row Selling spices , herbs , sweetmeat  plus  artefacts in few shops . You can choose from 21 varieties of tea  .  With the usual tea and green tea there is rose tea , cinnamon tea , love tea , basil tea ,apple tea , ginger tea  ,to name a few . 

  Spice  Bazaar

                                        

    New Mosque near Spice Bazar

Next to it is the new mosque , huge in structure and stature built between 1597 –1663. Inside it is open and  grand like all other mosques. It is beautifully lighted . This is the first mosque  I visited  and what struck me as unique was women were allowed inside for prayers .There is a separate place created for women by Jalis      ( in some countries women pray at home  men are only allowed in the mosques ). Both these are at the banks of the Marmera sea with a lot of floating crowd . Its a place for a Sunday  outing .

Both these are at the banks of the Marmera sea with a lot of floating crowd . Its a place for a Sunday  outing .

Grand bazaar is the place you can do your shopping –small and big .It is a huge covered market, having 11 gates and takes up a whole city quarter  housing 4000 shops selling carpets, mats , jewellery –gold and semi precious stones, trinkets, blue pottery , shawls , turkish hand bags ( using woven cotton  mats, thick and strong ), hanging filigreed candle holders and many more. Something like Newmarket  of Kolkata or Moore  market of Chennai on a bigger scale with numerous lanes and possibility of you going in circles . 

                 Grand Bazaar - Carpet shop                         

     

 Lamp shades & artifacts

The Bosphorous cruise is another enjoyable experience.There are whole, half a day and two hours tour .It shows the sites on either side of the banks . Palaces , bungalows , holiday homes of the rich and the famous , five star restaurants .The ship people give you a running commentary on the passing scenery.

Bosphorus   Sea cruise

The Topkapi sarayi.  Words falls short to describe its beauty, its history , its expanse the  articles kept on show in the palace .There are thrones of solid gold inlaid with rubies , emeralds, diamonds and pearls . The big stones are the size of small potatoes .Cradles, swords, crowns , jewellery  in gold and precious stones all real and of course beyond our imagination .You can see a 84 carat diamond . One throne is from India taken away by Nadirshah  and presented to an Ottoman ruler.

    Topkai- Near the entrance

                                 

Inside palace

The kitchen section showcases all types of equipments used to make jams , jellies juices and preserves which were a regular part of their daily menu  along with all other items of food . The crockery , cutlery , pitchers , glasses , teacups , bowls were all Chinese  bone china, again inlaid with gold  rubies , emeralds, diamonds and pearls . All handles were of ivory and precious stones .

There are other sections showing their dresses , textile, talking about their imports, festivals, markets etc.It takes half a day to see the palace in its full grandeur .

 IZMIT. We crossed the Bosphorus  sea to enter Kocaeli district . In Ismit ,we were put up in the Emexotel. The hotel was cosy and comfortable and the staff warm and cordial .Turkish people don’t speak English but their script is English . So you could read everything and understand nothing .why did someone say ‘ignorance is bliss’.

The hotel staff and I used a lot of sign languge and the mobile was particularly  useful when I showed pictures of my house , children , city . They in turn introduced their parents , siblings and fiancé. Special thanks to Emre, Damla, Zainab, Jasemyn from the restaurant side . They really take care of you . Ready to help you with your menu selection . One thing , they are always busy working even if the restaurant is empty .At the reception ,Sinam , Eylem ,Duygu,  inspite of their work schedule took time to answer my questions, enquire after my day , guide me about my outings.

        Mr.Emre & Ms.Damla of Emexotel  restaurant

Ms.Sinam ,Ms. Eylem Ms.Duygu of Emexotel Reception 

Mr. Sarhad ,the restaurant manager ,with his knowledge of English was our friend in the evenings .Thanks to all of them .

Major part of my stay was in Ismit in Kocaeli and the later part in Istanbul .

Why Ismit ? Here I would like to extend a special thanks  to  ENPAY ------A transformer component manufacturing engineering company  which not only invited my husband on official basis but were also kind enough to accept me as a guest .

Kocaeli is situated at the intersection of land and railway routes between Asian and European continent . Izmit , Kocaeli and others were one of the first cities established in the region called Bithinia.A city named Astakos was established in 712 BC.The people of Astakos settled in present day Ismit in 262 BC.Then it was called Nicomedia after the founder of the Bithinian kingdom . It remained as the capital  till Nicomedia was declared as the capital city of the Roman empire in 284 BC It became the 4^th largest city in this era . It lost its importance when emperor Constantine declared Istanbul as the capital .

ISMIT  is a total industrial & automobile  hub   . One of the shops also called itself “ Doktor Otto “.It was a pleasure to see a TATA logo  from India in that distant  land.

Ismit is a hilly area , while driving on either side you will see densely built      houses . The landscape  and the skyline is not different from what you  see  while you drive down from Istanbul .

The Marmara sea , ships , flying birds , clouded skies ,picturesque houses are all so invigorating . People who can burst into poetry or pen down descriptive paragraphs , this is the place  away from the hustle bustle of the city , shopping malls and markets . you can lose yourself  and become a total nature person .

 Kocaeli town on the bank of Marmara sea

Places to visit in Ismit 

All the sites are in the city area. You drive through twisted roads , lanes , bye lanes, up and down .Not possible on our own . Local help is needed . Public and private transport is available ---- provided  one has the time . The other constraint is the language  as English is  not spoken by many. Most of the tourist sites  are  reconstructed after they were majorly destroyed by the earth quake of 1999. So, many of the old architectural features are not there . But it is still worth the visit .

Ismit clock tower –was constructed in 1902  by Kazim Bey  to celebrate the 25 th  anniversary   of the sultani accession to the throne . It is built on the neo classical style using travertine stone .

                                                   Ismit clock tower

Suleiman pasha bath house  --It is the earliest ottoman bath house built for both men and women . Much of it is reconstructed now . It remains closed in the afternoon.

 Izmit-Suleiman pasha bath house  

Saatsi  affendi mansion – It was built in 1776 . One of the earliest mansions . It is an exquisite example of civil architecture. There are hand carved adornments both in the exterior and interior .  Many such grand mansions are there built by nobles and kings exhibiting  architecture and designs in wood and red stone . The most praiseworthy part is that they are maintained  by the state  and not allowed to deteriorate in the hands of time and tide .

Orhan mosque  --A Turkish hero Gazi Suleimaan Pasha built it . It is one of the earliest mosque of Ismit .It is rectangular, the walls are made of both brick and stone and  has a wooden roof . Mehmet Bey,  Yemi kuma are other  mosques of historic importance . Basically they all have the Namaz hall  , there are alcoves , ceilings have painted roofs with geometrical or flower designs interspersed with quranic verses .

                                                    

      Orhan Mosque - Painted ceiling

    

 Alcove with Quaranic verse

The best thing in these mosques is there is no restriction on women. All are welcome in the house of ALLAH  --The Merciful.

Pasa Suyu –( suyu means water, surmised it from the water bottles, how clever of me ). It is the single  water resource of Ismit existing since the Roman and Nicomedian Era . Ruins of the waterways and aqueducts still exist .

All the shores take care of holiday entertainment . Martyr’s Gine, Darica bird sanctuary , temali park have been optimally used for sports of different kind ,sailing , rowing , trekking thus giving an opportunity to the locals as well as the outsiders to see and enjoy Ismit from every angle .

The main city area is beautifully there on the hill side .The market place is full of shops  of different types ---a cake shop, next to it a clock shop , then a restaurant , then a gift shop , vegetable shop , every type of shop all together .Banks , offices , photo studios , travel agents all next to each other . So much like Indian hill stations .

The Marmara sea , lovely  grey , and cold( it was raining those days )The sea had places all around it . Hotels , parks , houses, restaurants. Sitting in one of the restaurants , having a cup of Turkish coffee with potato fries , watching the ships can make your day.    

Ismit is a town , in my four days of stay not one vehicle  or  person flouted the  traffic lights . Empty roads , no policemen but cars stopped 10 feet away and people crossed only  at the pedestrian crossing . No monitoring .Felt a little saddened that in our country there is so much of pushing and edging , infact ,when a conscious soul  waits for the green signal other vehicles zoom past him with a smirk on their face .

Like Swacch Bharat the PM has to give a call Surakshit Bharat for people to take  heed.

There are a number of malls in ismit , 7 to be exact ,City centre, Real, Dolphin , N City and others . All of them were exhibiting winter clothings with a lot of discount .

 All the above sight seeing was possible courtesy Ms Sule part of Enpay  family . She came as a guide and we parted as friends . Always laughing ,always ready to show me around .we had a nice time together . She was a part of my many pleasurable moments in Ismit .

 Izmit sightseeing with Mrs Sule

HEREKE  -I had kept a day aside for a visit to Hereke . 30 Kms away from Ismit, towards Istanbul by the shores of the Marmara sea . I had read about its  carpets famous the world over .  Courtesy  ENPAY  and Ms Sule  I  visited one of the most reputed carpet factories  HAN HALI CARPETS . A two storeyed wooden  building showed me the worlds most exquisite carpets . We cannot have everything but we are lucky if we get to see some excellent handicrafts like this at least .Their speciality is silk carpets .There are different designs geometrical and floral, some looms use  many as 58 threads of different colours . But the most impressive as per me were the portraits. Each feature , each detail so knitted that they looked more like photographs than hand woven carpets .

         Hereke Carpet in its full glory

             

Trying my hand at carpet weaving

There was this second type of carpets which length wise showed steel grey colour and when viewed from the other side it would be royal blue .They are appropriately highly priced and their clientele showed photographs of queen Victoria and dignitaries like heads of states , royalties   and other world leaders.

People in Turkey are fair skinned , beautiful peaches and cream  complexion, dark hair . Women use a lot of eye make up and very fond of dark lipstick , mostly scarlet. Being the onset of winter , stylish overcoats , high boots were the order of the day.  Jeans , skirts , T shirts , blouses were  a common sight. Less than a percent of women used the hijab or the burkha .

Food is all non vegetarian  . On request getting veg food is not difficult . Also if one doesn’t take beef it has to be mentioned. The quantity served is more than enough for one .The main dish ( veg/ non veg / mushrooms ) is served with a lot of salads , greens, a small bowl of rice . Black olives, green olives marinated in olive oil are served , but one has to like the taste. They consume a lot of mushrooms, olives ,salads , all types of nuts and lots of Chai ( tea )Prices are also very reasonable . Fruits, yogurt, soup,  boiled eggs, omlette, berry jams , spinach parathas, cheese and onion parathas are very suitable for the Indian palate .

Don,t miss Simit – round , ringed shaped , with a lot of seasame seeds crisply baked bread , a turkish delicacy.

Lokma  sweet dish- round crispy vadas soaked in sugar syrup . very tasty. If Bengalis are reading , it is 90% like our very own ‘ Ras bara’ 

Baklav  --Turkish pastry .Square, dry fruit filled thin layers of crisp  sugared khari

          Baklav & Turkish delight shop

                                                

    Jewellery shop

 

                                      

Turkish pizza- baked thick roti topped with minced meat and cheese .

Try  --Coban kovurma ( Pieces of meat baked with vegetables ), Kori Suslu Tavuk            ( White chicken korma with small tomatoes ) Karides guvac (shrimps in casserole ).

 If we listen care fully , there are a lot of words of hindi . Davet ( Dawat ) , Duniya , ( Duniya ) , Dikkat ( Dikkat ), Sarhad ( sarhad) , Chai ( chai ). 

Nobody asks you for a tip  .Some places a box is  kept with “ Tips “ written on it. But nobody bothers you . It’s a relief because all the time one is not worried whether to give  tip  and how much .

Need to write this . Children and mothers are the same every where. A mother gave her son a packet of cream biscuit and promptly the child pried open the biscuit and started licking . You should have seen the mothers look of frustration but the child kept on lickng .  Wherever there were railings kids would run and the circus would begin inspite of  admonishing mothers running behind . 

All good things come to an end they say . No , they are the beginning of all those lovely reminiscences . We also came back with our eyes ,head and heart full of that lovely land called Ismit and Istanbul 

Don’t miss the country if you have a chance .

Sikha was able to say the above because of the 2 young boys - 

• Asim - her part time official photographer and full time husband who turned the blogs from reading in prose to vibrant travel accounts.
• Varun - her part time tech-help center and full time son-in-law who being from the advertising world thought this to be a cool thing to help with .

Please leave your comments below , would love to know what you thought of my above experience .