Travel to Turkey: our itinerary ideas to discover Istanbul: Current Woman The MAG

Hagia Sophia, once again a mosque

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Symbol of the mixture of cultures between East and West, Hagia Sophia, all in cupolas, marble and gold mosaics, is considered by some to be the eighth wonder of the world. Basilica built in the 6th century by the Emperor Justinian on the model of the Roman Pantheon, it becomes the most important monument of Christendom. Converted into a mosque in 1453 after the capture of Constantinople by Sultan Mehmet II, it sees its name translated into Turkish: Ayasofya. Every Friday, the Sultan leaves his palace to Topkapi and take a walkabout before going to pray. Five centuries later, Atatürk, the first President of the Republic of Turkey, gives the building a second life. In 1934, he turned it into a museum to, he says, "offer it to humanity." Last summer, a new chapter in the turbulent history of this Istanbul emblem opened with the announcement of a new conversion: Hagia Sophia and the Byzantine Church, Saint-Sauveur-in-Chora, resumed their function of mosques.
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In search of the trendiest district

A former Greek colony called Chalcedon, the port of Kadiköy became Ottoman in 1326, long before the fall of Constantinople. Throughout the era of the sultans, it sheltered in particular the Christian communities. It is an important agricultural market and the starting point for maritime transport from the Asian side of the Bosporus to the European side of Istanbul. This district is now a cultural hotspot but also a vibrant place, untouched by mass tourism, whose quality of life always attracts more Istanbulites. In 2018, the British magazine Time Out has ranked it among the "50 most connected neighborhoods in the world".

Like in the old days at the Grand Bazaar

Ibrahim Husain Meraj / Wikimedia Commons

It is easy to get lost in the middle of the sixty or so aisles where no less than 4,000 shops, organized in neighborhoods, are overflowing, as in the past. Each street has its own specialty: leather, textiles, jewelry, carpets … It's at Grand Bazaar that merchants flocked from all over the Mediterranean to sell their goods. Built in the city center, the Kapali Çarşi ("Covered market" in Turkish) has retained its soul despite the many metamorphoses undergone since its creation in 1461. Destroyed by a fire in the 15th century, it was resuscitated by Suleiman the Magnificent but an earthquake ravaged it again in 1894. Much more than just a market hall, it is one of the largest bazaars in the world. If the last renovation in 1956 made it lose its traditional aspect, it remains a labyrinth conducive to daydreaming.

Suleiman the Magnificent, the native child

The tenth sultan of the Ottoman dynasty, Suleiman I profoundly transformed and enlarged the Empire in the 16th century. Westerners, impressed by its luxurious lifestyle, qualify it as "Magnificent". In the East, he is called the "Legislator" for the profound changes he brings about in key sectors of society: economy, justice and education. Polyglot and accomplished poet, he brought the country into a cultural golden age. He came to power at the age of 25, and remained there for 46 years, ensuring the longest reign in Ottoman history.

The must-see Topkapi Palace

Arif Yasa / Pixabay

In the 15th century, six years after the capture of Constantinople, Sultan Mehmet II ordered the erection of a new palace on the ancient Byzantine acropolis which overlooked the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of ​​Marmara. A strategic location for the 26 Ottoman rulers who will succeed one another. This is where the Sultan and his court, which will number up to 4,000 people, live in near self-sufficiency amidst sumptuous gardens. But it is also the administrative center of the city. Around the private apartments, pavilions are erected with council and audience rooms. Long forbidden to foreigners, the jewel, listed as a World Heritage Site, became a museum in 1924.

A museum in the airport

Since last summer, traveling through the cultural heritage of the sultans without leaving Istanbul Airport has been possible. A museum has just opened there. The exhibition Treasures of Turkey: Faces of the Throne presents more than 300 works from 29 museums, highlighting the richness of Turkish history, from Prehistory to the Republic.

Article published in the issue Femme Actuelle Jeux Voyages n ° 44 December-January 2021

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