These two Turkish women spoke fluent German; they told me they had spent many years as household workers in Germany. Most of the women we saw in Istanbul in 2009 did not wear hijab. These two had just come from prayers in the mosque and were dressed in their finest. Photo by Barbara Newhall
Jon and I took the kids to Istanbul back in pre-ISIS, pre-Arab Spring 2009. What we experienced was a energetic culture with a complicated past, great food and beautiful people. Not to mention gorgeous architecture: the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and Suleiman’s tomb, just for starters.
Gravestones with Arabic calligraphy. Photo by Barbara Newhall
Lucky for me, the endless halls of the Grand Bazaar and the lively shops of the pedestrian street İstiklal Caddesi made for some serious shopping. I came home with some hand-woven rugs and my favorite thing, hand-painted china.
Maybe you’re thinking today’s not the day to fly into Istanbul Atatürk Airport. Put Istanbul on your bucket list anyway. The day will come. Humanity has a way of righting itself, I’ve noticed.
The ever-bustling pedestrian shopping street İstiklal Caddesi. Photo by Barbara NewhallThis İstiklal Caddesi shop was packed to the ceiling with china handpainted in Turkey. Photo by Barbara NewhallSquares of Turkish delight candy in a shop window along the İstiklal Caddesi. I took home a box of it. Fortunately for me, I was the only person in the family who appreciated its delicate sweetness and gentle texture. Photo by Barbara NewhallIn an Istanbul park, a street vendor offered me handwoven cloth with blue beads. It was cheap. I bought it. Photo by Barbara NewhallIn Instanbul’s Grand Bazaar, a merchant offered hand-stitched pillows and hand-woven rugs. I took home a kilim rug. Photo by Barbara NewhallExterior walls of the ancient Hagia Sohia basilica-turned-mosque-turned-museum. You can read more about my fraught visit to the Hagia Sophia in an earlier post. Photo by Barbara NewhallDome of the Rustem Pasha Mosque in Istanbul. Photo by Barbara NewhallMore candy for sale. I resisted. Photo by Barbara Newhall
Turkey is a really interesting place. My favorite site, actually, was the ancient — and pre-historic — ruins of Troy. Having read the Iliad so long ago and tried to visualize the setting.
Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.
Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.
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Love your photos! We were there in 2014. It was one of our favorite trips.
Loved Turkey as well, Barbara! The food, people & the places in your photos—as well as our stay in a luxury cave hotel in the otherworldly Capadoccia!
Turkey is a really interesting place. My favorite site, actually, was the ancient — and pre-historic — ruins of Troy. Having read the Iliad so long ago and tried to visualize the setting.