Medusa's head, Bosphorus bridge, Topkapi palace: Istanbul combines modern, medieval art

By Neeta Lal

A skyline dotted with minarets and church spires. A muezzin’s call to prayer rising over hipster music in a café. Quaint wooden houses juxtaposed with glitzy skyscrapers.

Istanbul never lets you forget that it straddles two vastly different worlds. A booming metropolis of 16 million people, it stands boldly astride the blue ribbon of the Bosphorus Strait that divides Europe and Asia. There’s visual stimulation everywhere.


The Old Quarter’s cobbled streets, heritage buildings and sepia-tinted houses abut a tapering peninsula pointing across the straits to Asia. To the south glitters the Sea of Marmara. Up in the north, embracing the sinuous curves of the Golden Horn, sprawls the throbbing entertainment district of Beyoglu.

“Istanbul was originally founded by the Thracians in the 7th century BC,” guide Tamara Qasim explains as we amble down the pedestrian-only road that unfurls from Taksim Square to the edge of the Bosphorus Strait. “The ancient city became Constantinople in the fourth century AD, and the capital of a Byzantine Christian world before the Ottoman Turks invaded it in 1453.”

Inside the Hagia Sophia
The relics of these two great powers pepper the Old City, from the mighty Church of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia or Aya Sofya) to the imperial ramparts of the Topkapý (Cannon Gate) Palace, the seat of the sybaritic Ottoman sultans.

Indeed, few cities can rival Istanbul as an open-air museum. Walking around Hagia Sophia, I’m swamped by iconic buildings which reinforce the city’s rich past. To the south lies the Blue Mosque, its minarets piercing the skyline. The ornate pavilions of the Topkapý Palace sprawl just behind us. The old Roman hippodrome next-door has an Egyptian obelisk as its centrepiece.
As I navigate the throngs at Hagia Sophia, unable to tear my gaze off its 55-m-tall dome, the guide explains the sixth century shrine’s many avatars: “The monument built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian was first a church; it then became a mosque under Mehmet the Conqueror and is now one of the most important museums in the world open to people of all faiths.”

Medusa’s Head

Weaving my way in between people clicking selfies, I inspect the monument’s spectacular mosaics of Christ, the Virgin Mary and Byzantine emperors and the Viking graffiti etched on the balustrade of the south gallery.
The adjacent Topkapý Palace — located on the tip of the peninsula on which the Old City stands — can be a whole day’s excursion. Considered the pivot of the mighty Ottoman Turkish empire, it is befittingly ostentatious. We move from room to room, admiring precious treasures such as the famed Topkapý Dagger and a hair of the Prophet Mohammed as well as the grand Circumcision Room with stunning Ottoman tiles.

Aerial photo of the Bosphorus Bridge

Vibrant energy pulsates Istanbul’s every nook and cranny. At the city’s most famous avenue, Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian thoroughfare in the Beyoglu district, I’m engulfed by boutiques, restaurants, patisseries and galleries. Not far lies one of the world’s most famous souks — Grand Bazaar, showcasing a fascinating array of merchandise — oudh, frankincense, pottery, apparel, jewellery, food, footwear, handbags. Or, perhaps you’d like to buy a gold leaf painting?


In the souvenir shops nazar beads, nazar magnets and nazar key rings make eyes at you. Friendly shop-keepers beckon to sample their wares. Dates, dry fruits, fruits, juice, baklava. There’s baklava with walnuts, baklava with pistachios, baklava with pomegranates, baklava with chocolate, baklava in the shape of lips...
Going Underground
In a city of frenetic tourism, the Basilica Cistern, the stunning underground water complex built by Emperor Justinian in 532 AD, is a serene albeit spooky place. Also known as the Sunken Palace (or Yerebatan Sarnici), it transported water to Istanbul from the Belgrade Forest through the immense Byzantine aqueducts. The cavernous complex, supported by 36 giant Corinthian columns, could hold up to 17.5 million gallons of water for consumption during frequent invasions.

Topkapi Palace and Chimneys of Harem
The cistern’s two mammoth Medusa heads, resting in the far corner of the complex on plinths, draw me instinctively. “In Greek mythology, Medusa was a female monster with snakes for hair,” says Tamara. “Anyone who looked into her eyes instantly turned into stone.” The Basilica Cistern’s eerie atmosphere has fascinated others as well. James Bond rowed across the place in From Russia With Love while Dan Brown set the climax of Inferno here.
The Grand Bazaar

Sailing on the Bosphorus is a quintessentially Istanbul experience. Daily boats stop at a number of points along the rivers’ length, like Anadolu Kavagi at the entrance to the Black Sea. “A lot of life happens on the water in Istanbul,” a hostess on my cruise liner explains as belly dancers and whirling dervishes swirl around us.

“Whether you live or work near it, it is but natural to gravitate towards the Bosphorus. It’s a place that pulls you in.” And as I gazed over the river’s shimmering expanse, Arabic music filling my ears and the city lights twinkling in the distance, I could see why.

HOW TO REACH: Turkish Airlines offers direct connections from some Indian cities to Istanbul

BEST TIME TO VISIT: April to May, September to mid-November

WHERE TO STAY: LUXURY Hilton on the Bosphorus is centrally located with rooms starting at $150;

MID-RANGE: Basileus Hotel, tariff $100 BUDGET: Angel’s Home, tariff $50

WHAT TO DO: Tour heritage sites such as Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern. Visit Grand Bazaar for shopping and wrap up with a cruise on the Bosphorus
(The writer is a Delhi-based journalist)