Our flight left Dulles Airport around 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday, September 2nd. Our 10-hour flight to Istanbul arrived around 5 pm, as there is a 7-hour time difference from the East Coast. We had a 20-hour layover in Istanbul, so we took a shuttle to our hotel, checked in, and took a cab into the historic downtown part of Istanbul to try to see a few sights and eat some Turkish food before it got too late. As a sidenote, Istanbul was Constantinople; now it's Istanbul not Constantinople... Anyone? For those of you who don't remember their world history or geography, here's a very brief summary. |
Istanbul was founded as "Byzantium" over 600 years before Christ's birth, and the name was changed to "Constantinople" in 330 AD under Constantine the Great. Until the mid-1400's when the Ottomans captured the city, it was a center of Christianity in Eastern Europe. The Ottomans, who began to call it "Istanbul", converted it to a center of Islamic culture and built incredible mosques across the city. Istanbul is unique city spanning two continents (Europe and Asia). As a Turkish City, it also technically is part of the Middle East. With over 14 million residents, It's Europe's second largest city (behind Moscow) and is the fifth biggest city in the world. The Bosphorus Strait is the only waterway connecting the Black and Mediterranean Seas, and it divides the European western and the Asian eastern parts of Istanbul. Due to its geography, it has remained a very important city throughout the ages. We didn't initially seek out a layover in Istanbul, but Turkish Airlines offered the cheapest flight we could find to Lviv without going through Russian airspace. (We wanted avoid flying from Russia into Ukraine, and wanted to avoid all airspace around Eastern Ukraine due to the current political climate.) But when the best deal included an overnight layover in Istanbul, we were excited! After arriving, we took the hotel shuttle from the airport, checked into our hotel, changed into clean shirts, and hopped in a cab to visit the historic city center and eat dinner. We had the chance to see the Hagia Sophia (or Aya Sofya, translating to Holy Wisdom), the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (also known as the Blue Mosque), and a few Turkish shops in the historic center. Unfortunately, by the time we made it to this part of the city, the Grand Bazaar (one of the main attractions we were hoping to see) was closed. We also had dinner at a lovely Turkish restaurant not too far from the historic center. Neither of us had ever been to a Muslim country, and so we had never heard the call to prayer that sounds multiple times throughout the day in Islamic nations. We arrived at the Blue Mosque (which was built in the early 1600's) just before Asr, the pre-sunset evening call to prayer. We couldn't enter the mosque because it was closed for prayer, but from the courtyard, we could see people laying prostrate on the ground within, praying as they faced Mecca. When we left the courtyard, the call to prayer sounded, and numerous people streamed into the courtyard and mosque. Being at such a famous mosque as we heard our first call to prayer was a unique experience. In contrast to the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia was originally built as an Orthodox Christian basilica. Originally constructed in the sixth century, this building was converted to an Islamic mosque in the 1400's around the time the Ottomans took over Istanbul. The minarets (and some other Islamic elements) were added when the building was used as a mosque. The Hagia Sophia was converted to a museum in the 1930's. After wandering around the historic center and some nearby shops, we ate Turkish food at a comfortable restaurant not far from the downtown area. Then we roamed the streets, indulged in some Turkish Delight, and headed back to our hotel for some rest. Here are a few pictures from our wanderings around Istanbul! Istanbul was an amazing city, with so many cultures mixed into one place. Despite the diversity in Northern Virginia, we felt being in Istanbul was eye-opening for us, as the cultural mix was different from that of Northern Virginia. Overall, everyone we spoke with was very friendly and welcoming. We enjoyed our time in Istanbul, and we had fun experiencing a culture so different from ours. After our layover, we had a short 2-hour flight directly to Lviv, where we will be spending the next 11 months. We arrived around 3 pm on Thursday, September 4th, and the Blessings picked us up from the airport! We had arrived in Ukraine!
6 Comments
Trey and Maggie
10/2/2014 03:18:47 am
Thanks! We are grateful for our safe travels as well. Sorry for the delay in response :)
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Janice
9/13/2014 12:58:31 am
Great way to take advantage of every opportunity! What you would have missed if you'd stayed in the airport!
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Trey and Maggie
10/2/2014 03:19:36 am
So true! We were glad to have showers and a real bed overnight, but getting to see Istanbul was probably an even bigger plus!
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John Morrison
9/13/2014 09:48:44 am
Really enjoyed that little history lesson and great photos. Thanks!
Reply
Maggie
10/2/2014 03:19:59 am
Of course! Glad you enjoyed it, Dad :)
Reply
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