The Magic Carpets of Istanbul

We spent a couple days visiting the ancient city of Constantinople, where east meets west. This is a city that was the seat of Christianity until the Turks invaded and imposed Muslim rule. Beautiful iconic gold mosaic Christian domed churches got plastered over and the Muslim images painted in bright vivid colors. When these two major religions meet, it is hard to decide which one should be shown. Do you peel off the plaster that was added to the ceilings when the church was turned into a mosque to reveal the ancient Christian artwork? Or do you keep it the way it has been for centuries with the wonderful Islamic paintings.

The streets of Istanbul are crowded and the bazaars are overflowing with exotic handmade goods. Precious spices of deep rich colors and textures are displayed in mounds on top of wooden barrels. Old men stand shoulder to shoulder on the bridge that crosses the Bosporus river throwing their lines into the water below hoping to pull dinner out of the rough waters below like they have for centuries. Yet there is also something very modern about this city. Few women wear the traditional berka and I am told that those that do are probably visitors from Saudi Arabia. Hamans are sprinkled throughout the city where men and sometimes women gather to spend the afternoon on heated marble slabs pouring cool water over themselves as they discuss the important and not so important issues of the day. Carpet store owners suck you into their shops and offer you ceremonial tea to keep you there while they talk knots and thread count of these magical hand woven carpets. And the sounds of the city also let you know you are in a much different country as the muezzins stand atop the minaret towers that spike from the numerous mosques calling all faithful Muslins to prayer. It is quite loud and they start their calls early in the morning way before you are even considering getting out of bed. As I left this city, my only thought was how soon could I come back here. I am looking forward to my return in April.