last Post: Istanbul

The day after Roger's meetings ended we headed back into the old city and visited the Topkapi Palace together.  Mehmet II built this palace for himself and family between 1459 and 1465 and it remained the main residence for the following Ottoman Sultans until 1853.  It was built as a series of pavilions contained by four enormous court-yards. Up to 6,000 people lived in the compound as it not only housed the women of the harem (over a 1,000) and servants, but also government employees, soldiers, etc. as the palace additionally served as the head of government.

The courtyards and collections in the main buildings were very nice, but the best part of the tour was, of course, the harem quarters.  While the harem quarters in the Dolmabahce Palace (which was built to replace the Topkapi Palace) were dark and subdued, the harem quarters here are elaborately decorated and open.  At each palace, the Sultan had his main quarters in the harem as that was the family residence.

 I love this photo of the stairs as it conjures up great movie scenes.  As the story goes,
a servant of the Sultan saved his life from "protesters" when he threw hot coals onto them from above.  This staircase was an entrance to the Sultan's private quarters.

Roger listening to the self-guided tour of the Harem as Janice takes the photos.

 On the last day of our trip we toured The Church of the Holy Savior in Chora (Kariye Museum).  They are not entirely sure when the building was constructed, but there are thoughts that the original building could date from the fourth century as Chora means out in the country and the wall surrounding the city was built at that time.  Records mention it directly by the 8th century and it was during the 12th century that the beautiful mosaics and fresco's were added to the chapel.

 After the arrival of the Turks in Istanbul, this building was converted into a mosque.  In l948 it was made a museum leaving no Islamic element in the building except the 19th century minaret outside in the corner.  Of the monastery complex, only the church section has survived.

 This is a photo of part of the original Valens Aqueduct, built by Emperor Valens in the last 4th century.  It brought water from the Belgrade Forest and mountains over 125 miles away to the supply the palaces and fountains of the Byzantine capital.  The aqueduct supplied the city's water until the late 19th century.

Well, the journey is over and all I can say is we had an amazing holiday.  I hope everyone gets a chance to make it to Istanbul one day.