by Dr. Kerry Phelan (@KerryLPhelan on X/Twitter)
I’d never been to Turkey before and, to be completely honest with you, Istanbul wasn’t high up on my bucket list of future destinations. Of course I knew that there would be plenty to see for ancient history enthusiasts, and lots indeed for fans of modern history, but being a complete Grecophile through and through, I didn’t really think that Istanbul would have enough to really thrill me. Please do read on to see just how wrong I was …
The main purpose of the January trip was to carry out the necessary hotel audits of the accommodation that our future school groups would be using. Claudia and I also intended this trip as a general recce to get a better feel for what both teachers and their students would experience when in situ.
Our first proper day in Istanbul was the only rainy day that we had during the trip; how typical when we had a packed itinerary to explore most of the sites on foot! But, with the usual excitement of a visitor on their first day in a new city, it didn’t manage to dampen our spirits.
Our first stop in the morning was the Kariye Camii Mosque. Formerly the Chora Church, it was converted into a mosque in the 16th century during the Ottoman period and subsequently became a museum around 1945. In 2020, it was reconverted into a mosque and as such, suitable attire is required when visiting.
Being some distance outside of the historic centre of Istanbul (about a 20-minute drive or an hour-long walk) the small Mosque wasn’t very busy at all and this allowed us to view its exceptionally well-preserved Byzantine mosaics and frescoes without any jostling of elbows and iPhones. There are some stunning mosaics of Christ and the Virgin Mary, and really beautiful depictions of the life of Christ.
Next, we went to the the historic centre itself to visit the Basilica Cistern. And what an absolutely mind-blowing place! Originally built in the 6th century, this vast underground reservoir once supplied and stored filtered water for the Imperial Palace and its neighbouring structures. The Cistern boasts an impressive storage capacity of approximately 100,000 tons of water, and the 336 marble columns now stand as a testament to the utter grandeur of the building project. Upon descending into the dimly lit chamber, you are greeted by the sentinel-like columns that still stand guard over the pool of water glistening at their bases. A raised walkway winds through the Cistern, allowing visitors to explore the space and to try to dodge the random drops of water falling on your head from above.
It’s really quite atmospheric. One of the highlights for me was seeing the famous Medusa sculptures, one upside-down and the other sideways, set at the base of two columns. They certainly add to the surreal, otherworldly vibe in the underground chamber.
From there, we walked to the Theodosius Cistern. Much smaller than its Basilica counterpart, it is in fact the older of the two; it is believed to be built during the rule of emperor Theodosius II (AD 408-450) based on its architectural characteristics. Inside the chamber, its 32 columns topped with Corinthian capitals support a vaulted brick ceiling. Since it wasn’t as busy as the Basilica Cistern, it felt more peaceful and eerier almost, as if you were closer to the history of the site somehow. That was the case, however, until the lasers started! A light show, projected onto the columns and walls, visually narrated both the history of the Cistern and Istanbul more generally through flashing pictures and thematic music. Lasting about 20 minutes, it was a bizarre combination ancient and modern technology in one site.
On the way to find somewhere for lunch, we walked through the Hippodrome of Constantinople, which now known as Sultanahmet Square. In spite of the rain, we managed to see the Obelisk of Theodosius I; it was erected by the emperor on the spina of the Hippodrome in AD 390, though it was originally made for pharaoh Thutmose III, who ruled Egypt from 1479 to 1425 BC. The hieroglyphics are surprisingly well-preserved, and celebrate an Egyptian victory after a battle on the Euphrates.
Of more interest to me, however, was the other monument on the spina: the Serpent’s Column from Delphi. It was probably brought to the Hippodrome during the reign of Constantine (AD 306-337). Initially part of a victory tripod, the Column was set up in the Sanctuary of Apollo after the Greek victory over the Persians in the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC. This bronze monument consists of three snakes twisting around each other to form the column. Three heads must have sat on the top, which have mostly been lost; only the upper jaw of one head is left, which can be seen on display at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
If you enjoy street food, then walking around Istanbul is an absolute delight! Simit is a Turkish baked pastry that is sold on practically every corner, with other trolley stands offering hot corn on the cobs.
We actually indulged in a more substantial lunch in preparation for our next visit of the day, the Topkapi Palace. The former home of Ottoman rulers for nearly 400 years, visitors can now wander around the rooms of the sultans and see the extravagant jewels on display at this large museum. The complex itself is enormous, and it certainly needed more time than we had actually allotted to it to fully explore its immense collections of robes, weapons, porcelain, manuscripts as well as other Ottoman treasures. One of the highlights for me was the Harem, which were the opulent private quarters where the sultan’s family and concubines lived.
The Treasury is another ‘must see’, showcasing daggers and swords encrusted with gems, an 86-carat diamond, and other jewellery that reveal just how much the sultans liked their bling! There’s also a collection of religious relics – for which you will need to wear suitable attire to visit – including Moses’ staff and Prophet Muhammad’s cloak.
Both Claudia and I especially enjoyed the views from the Topkapi Palace; it’s terraces overlook the Bosphorus Strait and gives its visitors offers prime panoramic vantage point to look out over the city. It’s the perfect place to end a visit to the Palace, standing where sultans once stood and gazing out over their empire. Since we didn’t get to see all of the rooms and collections within the Palace, it’s certainly somewhere I’d love to visit again in the future.
Located in the outer courtyard of the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Irene (Greek meaning ‘divine peace’) is the oldest church of the Byzantine Empire. Built in AD 337, Hagia Irene was constructed under orders of Constantine I, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. And since it was never converted to a mosque after the Ottoman conquest – it was used as an armoury instead! – few changes were made to either its interior or exterior, and it remains the only surviving example of a Byzantine period church with a standing atrium. Today, the space is used a concert hall for classical music.
The Hagia Irene was the second largest church in Istanbul after the Hagia Sophia. A five-minute walk away, the significantly more grand Hagia Sophia is one of the most culturally significant monuments in the city. It was first consecrated in AD 360 during the reign of Constantius II (originally known as Magna Ecclesia, ‘great Church’) but it was then converted into a mosque after Constantinople fell to the Ottoman siege in AD 1453; the building was subsequently turned into a museum in the early twentieth century, although it was transformed once again in 2020 when the Turkish government announced that the Hagia Sophia would return to use as a mosque. Tourists can now only visit the upper gallery, with the lower space accessible for praying for practicing Muslims.
The Hagia Sophia that you see today is actually the third version of the building: emperor Theodosius II replaced the first church in AD 415, and emperor Justinian had to rebuild the church in AD 537 after public rioting (the Nika revolts) demolished the structure. Today, the Hagia Sophia is at least as beautiful on the inside as on the outside, with age-old mosaics, murals and stained glass. A favourite thing for me within its walls was the Viking inscription on the marble parapets in the middle of the south gallery. The phrase ‘Halvdan was here’ is written on this inscription, which has been dated to the 9th century. The inscription is thought to have been carved by a Viking soldier serving in the army as a mercenary during the Eastern Roman period.
Another ‘must see’, I think, is the Komnenos Mosaic, dated to the 12th century, depicting emperor John II Komnenos, his wife Irene, and their son Alexios. In the middle, the Virgin Mary is depicted standing with the infant Jesus in her arms.
After dinner, we took an evening stroll as far as Taksim Square in search of coffee and sweet pastries. Extending from Taksim, Istiklal Street is iconic for shopping with a huge range of local brands and international stores which remain open late. It’s bustling atmosphere and variety of street vendors were fantastic to see and it was the perfect way to end our first day in the city.
We had big plans for our second day: a day trip to Canakkale. Knowing that we were heading to the ancient site of Troy, I managed to get up that morning with something more akin to elation than effort after such a packed itinerary on the previous day! It was a long but relatively easy drive to Hisarlik (approximately 5 hours with a coffee stop en route).
Unlike the day before, and seemingly blessed by the Greek gods, we enjoyed the amazing January sunshine as we made navigated our way around the site. At the entrance – in addition to the local gods on duty! – we saw the replica of the Trojan Horse.
Numerous excavation campaigns, spread over the past 140 years, have revealed many features from all the periods of occupation at the site of Troy.
It’s layout, and the explanations on site, make it abundantly clear that there were numerous building phases – nine cities in total – distinguished by their different styles of bricklaying and architecture.
The earliest settlement level in Troy is in the early Bronze Age, 2920-1700 BC (Troy I-V), and the site was inhabited continuously afterwards until the Rome period (Troy IX).
The Temple of Athena, found on the last layer of the city, is a unique monument that is identified with the city. This monument is made of marble and, although it was built c, 240-150 BC, it was renovated by emperor Augustus centuries later. Another highlight is the Odeion, which may have been erected in honour of Hadrian’s visit to Troy in AD 124, when the nearby tomb of Ajax was also likely rebuilt.
Homer’s Troy is city dated c. 1700-1250 BC (Troy VI). This citadel covered an area of 20,000 square metres. A massive tower, 11 metres wide, and 3 metres thick and named the East Tower, was built late in this period. Evidence of fire may support the fact that the site was taken by force; nevertheless, the archaeological evidence does show that the citadel collapsed and that there was nearly a complete break in habitation for perhaps 250 years after.
Personally, I enjoyed standing on the fortification walls and looking down over the so-called Troy V/VI Gate. The Trojan plain is in the distance; indeed, much of the configuration of Troy’s landscape is similar to what Homer describes in terms of the landscape in the Iliad.
After I had spent far too much money at the on-site souvenir shop, we went for lunch in the port area at Canakkale – with a compulsory photo opportunity at the replica of the Trojan Horse used in 2004 film, Troy, with Brad Pitt and Eric Bana – and then we spent the remainder of the afternoon looking at hotels for our future school groups. The drive back to Istanbul that evening was certainly a quiet one after such a busy day!
The next morning and afternoon were spent carrying out more hotel audits in Istanbul – we visited at least twelve hotels – we’re nothing if not thorough! After a late lunch, we wanted to explore some more of Istanbul, and so we decided to risk temptation and set off towards the Grand Bazaar. While it was bustling with shoppers and tourists alike, it surprised me by being much less crowded than I expected. We strolled through the maze of shops, colourful ceramics, handmade rugs, and kaleidoscopic lanterns. The Grand Bazaar architecturally quite striking; this covered market is one of the largest and oldest in the world, with its construction dating back to the fifteenth century and ordered by sultan Mehmet II shortly after the conquest of Constantinople.
Less that a 10-minute walk away, the Spice Bazaar – also know as the Egyptian Bazaar – was built in the 17th century. Its market stalls are stocked full vibrant pyramids of spices, herbs, tea, nuts, sweets, and pastries. There’s so much to see – with plenty of vendors doing their utmost to draw you with free samples and tastings – that the whole experience is best described as wonderful assault on the senses.
As it grew dark, our feet didn’t feel quite weary enough from the day’s adventures and so we headed over to the Galata Tower. The Tower itself is impressive enough from the outside, but we were enticed inside by the promise of an impressive 360-degree view of Istanbul by night. And we certainly weren’t disappointed!
A short lift-ride takes visitors up to the seventh floor – after which you have to climb two flights of stairs to the observation deck – and the top of the Tower does indeed have amazing views of the city: the iconic mosques, glistening glass skyscrapers, and the shimmering waterways of the Golden Horn along the Bosphorus.
The origins of the Galata Tower date back to AD 527, when a wooden tower called Megalos Pyrgos was built by the Byzantines. The current tower was built in 1348 by the Genoese as part of larger fortifications (mostly lost now). Over the centuries, it has served the city in terms of military defence, fire detection, as a prison, and as a meteorological observatory. The museum inside the Tower also has a very small but interesting collection of Roman artefacts!
We walked back to our hotel via Istiklal Street again and Taksim Square, taking in the last of the night’s lively atmosphere.
On the last morning, we had sufficient time to squeeze in one last crucial visit before our respective flights back home that evening: the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. For me, this visit what the absolute pinnacle of the whole trip; I could’ve written this entire blog just on the artefacts that I saw within the Museum!
The Museum itself is an impressive one: the displays are modern and well- planned, with a low lighting scheme which serves to highlight the importance of the objects themselves. I really liked the setting but, because of the dim conditions, reading and photographing some of the explanatory signs was sometimes tricky.
For me, some of the best pieces include a larger-than-life marble head of Sappho, found in Smyrna (Izmir), which is a 2nd century AD Roman copy of a type belonging to the Hellenistic period.
Of course, I had to seek out the fragment of the bronze serpent head from Serpent Column, which was discovered near Hagia Sophia in the mid-nineteenth century.
In spite of my incomparable love of Demosthenes, it was a treat to see (yet another!) bust of Alexander the Great. Dating from the 2nd century BC, this depiction was found in the lower agora of the city Pergamon and is thought to belong to a statue of either Alexander himself or a god/hero depicted in his likeness.
But my favourite of all – and entirely worth a flight to Istanbul in its own right! – was the so-called Alexander Sarcophagus. Made of Pentelic marble, the hunting and battle scenes decorating the sides have been made with stunning features.
The battle scene on one of the long sides depicts the Battle of Issus of 333 BC between Alexander and the Persians. Rather than belonging to Alexander, who is depicted on the Sarcophagus with his trademark lionskin, it thought to have belonged one of his commanders, Abdalonymos, the last king of Sidon. The Sarcophagus was discovered in 1887 by Turkish archaeologist, Osman Hamdi Bey, when excavating the underground royal necropolis at Sidon in Lebanon. Overall, it’s very easy to see why the carving is regarded as one of the most exquisite examples of Hellenistic art ever discovered; the detail of the figures and the animals are astonishingly realistic.
Ultimately, I spent so long videoing the Sarcophagus and taking multiple pictures of it from every possible angle that Claudia thought that I had gone into hiding so as to miss my return flight and have longer in the city!
It really surprised me just how much I enjoyed this brief visit to Turkey. Truly, Istanbul is a destination like no other; the city is sprawling and exciting metropolis in which continents meet and cultures combine. From the churches and mosques, to the palaces and the countless street carts, to the bazaars and the trendy high-end shops,
I really loved the exciting contrasts of ancient and modern found all around the city. And I’d certainly go back again tomorrow – if the bosses would let me!!