Cruise Of The Year (5th Installment)

We do also look forward to Istanbul, Turkey as our next port of call where we anchored on Tuesday morning June the 5th at 0800 hrs. As we sail towards the harbour, Istanbul rises from the sea, a vision of minarets and domes sparkling in the light. Few cities have seen so much history as Istanbul. Even fewer places in the world have been the central points of entire civilizations. But for all its great heritage, Istanbul remains beautiful, mysterious, friendly and welcoming as clearly proven the moment we step foot on the city. This great metropolis originally began as a small commercial settlement at the opening to the Black sea. A Greek colonizer named Byzas recognized the tremendous possibilities of a trading centre at the narrowest crossing point between Europe and Asia. He also saw that the sea lanes between southern Russia and the entire Mediterranean world passed here, and nowhere else. So he founded his town, Byzantium, on the easily defended peninsula in the Sea of Marmara, which also boasted a five-mile long protected anchorage, later called the Golden Horn. Byzas had a good thing and he knew it. Although his foundation did not grow very large at first, it became quite successful and wealthy.

Nearly a thousand years later, Emperor Constantine pondered the uncertain future of the Roman Empire. He saw threatened invasions from nearly every direction, and internal decay in Rome and elsewhere. He realized that a new infusion of energy and purpose was a necessary element in the revival of the Roman- Mediterranean world. In the year A.D 313, he issued an edict of toleration for all religion, which effectively stopped the persecution of Christians.

But Rome needed a new capital, as well. His chosen site was Byzantium, since it moved the capital city closer to the older civilizations of Greece, Persia and India. It also took his military planners closer to the eastern frontier, where the threat of invasion was most serious. His vision of "New Rome" took place as he designed palaces, baths, public buildings and churches. Three great structures dominated the city : the Imperial Palace, the Church of St. Sophia, and the Hippodrome, representing government, religion and people.

The Imperial Palace housed the Emperor’s family and government in great splendour, although somewhat remote from the people. One of the Emperor’s throne rooms had a curtain of silk woven with gold and precious stones.

St. Sophia, the Church of the Holy Wisdom, was built to the "queen church" of the new empire. Constantine’s original basilica was burned down in the Nike Rebellion, so the Emperor Justinian replaced it with the present masterpiece. Designed by Isidore Miletus, the basic design is a Greek cross inside a square, capped with a massive central dome. The interplay of light and shadow in this enormous space is truly inspiring. We took a couple of shots of this amazing light trapeze using the digital camera that Izzat lent us but I think I fail to capture the amazing beauty that enthralled us because I really do not know how to use this modern camera !

The Hippodrome was conceived as a colossal stadium for chariot races, able to hold 100,000 spectators. This is one of the largest assembly structures built in ancient times. Constantine brought classical treasures here to embellish his stadium. To mark the turning point of the track, he used the Serpentine Column from Apollo’s Temple at Delphi, and the Obelisk from the Temple of Karnak in Egypt. Because of its size, the Hippodrome was also used for political functions whenever huge numbers of citizens were expected.

"New Rome" was dedicated in A.D 330 and later called Constantinople and it survived the collapse of the West by 1,000 years. The defensive position proved to be nearly impregnable. It was captured only once during the entire time, until the final siege in 1453. During the Crusades, Constantinople and the Byzantian Empire were the principal bulwarks against the expansion of the Muslim power into Europe. The strategic location of the city and the wealth of its trading network provided staying power, even after much of the outlying empire was lost. But leadership of the Muslim world passed to the Ottoman Turks, named after Othman, the founder of their dynasty. The Ottomans were a formidable military people, much dedicated to their religion, and led by seasoned officers. Their huge army was built around the Janissaries, an elite corps raised from childhood to be perfect soldiers. They resembled the western military orders, and gave the Sultans a hugely dedicated force of professionals.

The Sultan Mehmet II also made it his business to use the largest artillery pieces in the world, so that even the massive outer walls began to crumble. He surprised the defenders outflanking their defenses of the Golden Horn. He ordered thousands of his soldiers to pull boats over a point of land and launch them again inside the harbour, thus avoiding the huge chain which blocked the mouth. During the final assault, parts of the city were destroyed in the fighting, but most of the palaces and churches were gradually converted for use by the new masters. After 1453, Constantinople became the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which continues its expansion.

The Sultans built themselves the opulent residence of Topkapi, a name which means "common gate". It is lavishly decorated and the home of remarkable art collection from the most exotic parts of the world. St. Sophia was converted to a mosque, and graceful minarets were added to the corners. Although Islam does not permit graphic images in a place of worship, the Byzantine mosaics were not destroyed. Sultan Sulaiman the Magnificent had them plastered over, but otherwise unharmed. President Ataturk turned the building into a museum in 1936, so the mosaics were uncovered and restored. These can be seen there today.

Closer to St.Sophia is the beautiful Blue Mosque, with a multitude of small domes and semi domes, as well as six minarets. It occupies the site of the old Imperial Palace. Once inside, you will understand why it is called lue : the interior is decorated with some 20,000 delicate Iznik tiles with a shimmering blue cast. The 216 stained glass windows and the geometric decorative patterns complete the cheerful, airy image. When the architect began his work in 1609, he intended to surpass the beauty of St. Sophia to which many think he succeeded.


The Grand Bazaar was also built by Mehmet II the Conqueror. It is a huge covered space that houses more than 4,000 individual shops and stalls. In essence, this is an early shopping mall offering bargains, ( and we really mean bargains in the very sense of the word because in this city one is expected to bargain for everything that one intends to buy ) rarities, junks and everything in between. Such is Istanbul. It is like a market. It is loud, crowded, very diverse, and always quick to learn. Creative and clever people have made this city their home for thousands of years, and have literally changed the world.

Beyond the ancient walls, Mehmet built one of the holiest shrines in his new capital, the Mosque of Egypt, which signifies the sacrifice of Abu Ayyub Ansari, a personal friend and Standard Bearer of Prophet Mohammad. Ayyub led an early assault on the city in the year 670, and died there. His tomb was discovered during the 1453 siege, while Mehmet’s soldiers were digging gun emplacements. The Conqueror felt that he owed his victory to Ayyub, and built the very first imperial mosque in his honour within five years. It has been rebuilt and expanded many times since then.

As the compound of buildings around the mosque increased, so did its reputation. Later Sultans came there at their accession to be invested with the Sword of Osman. Devout Muslims of all races asked to have their tombs close to the hero’s remains, and a vast complex of simple graves and sumptuous mausoleums developed there.

Turkey itself which is twice the size of California and with a population of 70,413,958 and having Turkish as the official language although Kurdish and Arabic are also spoken. The capital of vanished empires, Istanbul is a true crossroad, the only city on Earth to span two continents. This meeting place of Europe and Asia, of Christian and Muslim, is one of the great adventures a traveller ever encounters. The Stalls are classified as the world’s largest bazaar, something that resembles that of Morocco, where Ainul did get lost there during her first visit to the city some two years ago, At Istanbul we visit these ancient mosques and churches and of course the Topkapi Palace which displays stunning jewels made famous by the film "To catch a thief" an Alfred Hitchcock thriller.

Most memorable of our visit there is the hours that go with the intentions to purchase leather jackets and silk scarves. The shop keepers go all the way to try to convince us to buy his stuff and to justify their costs. They have develop the art of persuasion to the point of making the whole bargaining episode very interesting and stimulating. At the end of it all, we end up the ‘loser’ and decides to purchase our leather jackets and the scarves at a much reduced cost from their original offers. We think we win the bargain but do we, really ?

Part of the day’s tour involve taking us to a special Turkish restaurant where we are given authentic Turkish food as well as entertained by their music and singers and also their belly dances. We notice that the Turks are very handsome and tall people as far as their men are concerned but their ladies are of average looks although they are equally tall. As usual, we are all invited to participate in their dance later on and Ainul is seen to enjoy dancing away on stage with the rest of our tour group. As usual I choose to abstain from these dances knowing that I have two left feet when it comes to dancing !


Back to the ship, that night as usual at the Princess Theatre "I Got Music" is the show for the night. It is a musical show to celebrate the music of the famous and infamous pop icons, which include the likes of Cher, Tom Jones, Neil Diamond, Barbara Streisand, Carly Simon, Lionel Ritchie and Britny Spears. As usual the show is very entertaining but we decide to have an early night to recover from the fatigue of the day’s tour.

We are still in the region of Turkey and find our next landing at Kusadasi (Ephesus) on the following Wednesday afternoon of the 6th of June at 1200 pm. The panoramic view of the city from our ship as we set sail into its harbour cannot but bring into our mind the fascinating history of the city in years past. Kusadasi is better known as a Historic Crossroads of Empires and Shadows of Statures.

Just a few years ago, Kusadasi looks like any other sleepy fishing village. There were only a few buildings of note. Castillo de Santa Catalina, a Genoese castle dating from the 13th century, was later used as a base by the pirate Barbarossa and his brothers. There is also a large Caravansary built in 1613 by the Turkish Governor Mehmet Pasha. Originally designed as a haven for passing merchants and their camels, it has now been renovated as a luxury hotel. The local bazaar has also grown to be one of Turkey’s largest markets for leather goods, jewelry, and oriental rugs. Only the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is bigger. The whole town has been transformed into a center for tourists, with access to Aphesus and the entire Ionian coast.

Ionian Greeks settled this part of Asia Minor as early as the 10th century BC. They founded cities around the finest natural harbors in the Mediterranean, and rapidly became an important commercial zone. The conflict that led to the Greek-Persian Wars also began here. The Greeks resisted the encroachments of the Persian Emperor Darius, and later his son Xerxes. When Athens and mainland Greece supported their cousins against Persia, the conflict became general, and ended only when the Persians failed to subdue the Greek cities.

Kusadasi is very near to the major archeological site, the ancient city of Ephesus. Once a Roman provincial capital, Ephesus is home to several of Christendom’s holiest sites. St Paul preached at the Great Theatre and the ruins of Ephesus’s Basillica cover the resting place of Christ’s most beloved disciple , St. John the Apostle. Whitewashed stone houses rise in tiers behind the market district ; the city’s medieval walls still stand. The palm-lined boulevard is the centre of town life, with thousands of merchants offering wares to rival the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. It is a short visit and we have to be on board ship by 1900 hrs.

That night ‘s Princess Theatre show is Mickey Finn and Cathy Reilly of husband and wife who are both brilliant musicians, with Mickey known as the Piano Wizard and Cathy as the Banjo Hall of Fame reputation. Between the two of them they produce simply magnificent and fantastic musical performances that thrill us from curtain up till curtain down one hour later. With the kind of shows that we enjoy every night at this magnificent ships’s theatre, we really feel it is money worth in every sense of the word on this cruise. Likewise we cannot say any different to the past cruises that we have been in too. The way to an enjoyable and relaxed holiday, there is nothing like being on a cruise.



More photos here.