All sorts of goods are for sale in the market – with a fine array of jewellery shops amidst the touristy carpet, shawl and Turkish sweetie shops. There was an amazing range of Turkish tea glasses, some of which are so amazingly bejewelled you would really only want to have them as display pieces!
It is easy to get lots in the Grand Bazaar, but this can happily lead to interesting blinds alleys – such as the little square of bookshops in which I purchased a book that explains the different symbols on Turkish carpets. They are often so beautiful, it is interesting to know that the symbols have meanings too. Last time I was I pilgrimage here we visited a carpet shop where they showed us how the carpets were made, from the beginning of catching and unravelling the silk cocoons right through the weaving on the looms (hand operated in this particular place). (Rather embarrassingly, I was given a carpet by the shop as a gift - possibly as an encouragement to bring a group there if I returned to Turkey again. I’ll let you know if we go there!)
We also visited the famous Spice Market which is a real tourist trap, selling far more than spices – dried fruits, sweets, Istanbul bookmarks, umbrellas and bags. Need I say more?!
Following our visit to the markets, we headed to the outskirts of the city to St Saviour in Chora. The church is visited by many hundreds of people each day who come to admire the beautiful mosaics and frescoes. The story of the childhood and marriage of Mary are shown, up to the point of the birth of Jesus, at which point his story takes over on the ceiling of the ‘room’ next door. The story of the life of Mary is based on the Gospel of James. This gospel is not to be found in the Bible – nor even in the Apocrypha. The church is small but packs a powerful punch through its beauty. Those people who worshipped here took seriously the call to give glory to God, and did this through creating a house of prayer that was (and is) filled with beauty
Lunch was taken in a seafood restaurant, following which we sailed along the Bosphorus, allowing us to admire the fine mansions that line the shoreline. Some are crumbling nicely with an air of faded grandeur, whilst others are obviously newly built showing off the money that is within the means of some (very few) members of the Turkish population.
Arriving back into Istanbul near the Spice Market allowed for time to explore this area a little more. Nearby are two very fine (and quieter) mosques (and therefore giving more space for reflection). The larger one is called the New Mosque. It is a place that is quite busy during prayer times as we found as it was near the time for the call for prayer and people were gathering.
On the other side of a small market square, hidden up some stairs is my favourite mosque - the Rüstem Pasha Mosque. It has the most exquisite decorative tile work in vivid blues, green and reds – and no two walls are the same. Very few tourists visit this mosque, but it is very busy during times of prayer. I decided, however, that it might be okay to join the people in prayer. Alas, I entered the entrance door only men are meant to use, and so has to be rescued by the guard as I searched for the entrance to the ladies' section!
Via a Turkish Coffee House, and a fascinating Mercers’ Quarter, we ambled our way back the hotel, only to journey out later in the evening to gaze on Haggai Sophia and Sultan Ahmet Mosque by night (thankfully not by rain as well!)
No comments:
Post a Comment