A Day in Instanbul

Kathy and I departed Erbil at 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning, August 25.  A 2 1/2 hour flight to Istanbul, Turkey was to be the first leg of our journey back to the States.  We arrived at Istanbul's airport at 6:30.  We had a 12 hour layover.  What could we do in 12 hours.  Fortunately for us, our airline, Turkish Airlines, provided a FREE tour of Istanbul.  So we purchased Turkish visas at the airport, and signed up for the 9:00 a.m. tour.

The first stop of the day was the Tamara Restaurant.  We had a delicious breakfast, and we began to get to know other members of our touring party.  Our party included folks from Barcelona, Spain, Rumania, Indonesia, and as well as other countries.

 

After breakfast, we boarded the bus that would take us to the Basilica Cistern.  The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that are beneath the city of Istanbul.  It is very close to the Hagia Sophia.  It was constructed during the 6th century during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.  The underground cistern covers an area of 105,000 square feet.  It's roof is held up by 336 marble columns, each 30 feet high. The cistern is capable of holding close to 3 million cubic feet of water.  It is recorded in ancient texts that over 7,000 slaves performed the construction work. 
Kathy and I both marvelled at the work done as we walked along the catwalks in the cistern.  There is probably about 18" of water in it now.  It is mainly a tourist attraction. 

After we emerged from the subterranian cistern, we headed for the "Blue Mosque".  It is more formally known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.  We had to be in and out by noon, as that is when a scheduled prayer time would begin.

 

It is called the Blue Mosque because of the abundance of blue ceramic tiles used to adorn the interior walls. It was built between 1609 and 1616 on the site of the palace of the Byzantine emperors. It directly faces the Hagia Sophia.

Here are some images that explains why it is called the "Blue Mosque".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upon leaving the Blue Mosque, Kathy and I walked along in the Sultan Ahmet Square.  The square is the ancient site of the hippodrome.  In AD 324, the Emperor Constantine the Great decided to move the seat of the government from Rome to Byzantium, which he renamed Nova Roma (New Rome). This name failed to impress and the city soon became known as Constantinople, the City of Constantine. Constantine greatly enlarged the city, and one of his major undertakings was the renovation of the Hippodrome. It is estimated that the Hippodrome of Constantine was about 450 m (1,476 ft) long and 130 m (427 ft) wide. Its stands were capable of holding 100,000 spectators.  This is the place where chariot and horse races were held. 

Today the only visible remains of the Hippodrome are some columns that were in the center island.

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you who have studied "Walk as Jesus Walked" by Ray Vander Laan, you will recognize the relief carvings at the base of the Egyptian Obelisk of Thutmose III in the Hippodrome.  In one of Ray's teachings, he uses this particular relief to demonstrate how the Emperor had a royal box seat to sit in with his family and other dignitaries during the games.

 

From the Hippodrome it was a short walk to the Hagai Sophia.   Hagai Sophia, or  ( Holy Wisdom ) is a former basilica, later a mosque, now a national museum. 

  

The Hagai Sophia or Ayasofya, as it is known in Turkish, was actually a patriarchal Basilica that has been considered to be an embodiment of Byzantine architecture and also had the distinction of remaining the largest cathedral in the world until 1520 A.D.  Built on the orders of Emperor Justinian, its interiors were richly decorated with artistic mosaics depicting various religious scenes and were supported by massive marble pillars.
The Islamic features such as the four minarets were added over the course of its history under the Ottomans.

 

Above is the place where Emperors were coronated.  Kathy is standing at the place where emperors were seated.

 

 This is one of the tile mosaics on the wall of the church.

Hagai Sophia is one of those places that a tourist could spend days exploring.  It is a place that one truly has to see to understand and appreciate,  If I continue to write about it I will never come to an end for this blog post.  Therefore, I offer you the following excellent links with lots of photos and explanations:

Virtual tour of Hagai Sophia        and       Lots of info. on the Hagai Sophia

Kathy and I were awed and impressed by the faith and dedication of the people who would build such a temple to honor the 3rd person of the Blessed Trinity - The Holy Spirit.    However, we also know that in our present day and time, the Holy Spirit wants to build a new temple as a place for Him to dwell.  That "new temple" is the Body of Christ, the church, the unified, worldwide body of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Redeemer.  After touring the incredibly massive Hagai Sophia, I am sure that there is a place for me - one of the living stones- in the new temple of the Holy Spirit.  I am also sure that there is a place for you as well!!  May we all strive to be faithful and pure of heart so that we will give glory and honor to God as we become part of His new temple.

jw