Botanical Gardens, Istanbul University

We began by gazing out at the wonderful view from the terrace of the 

Istanbul University's Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Garden, belonging to Istanbul University, is the oldest and most diverse botanical garden in Turkey, housing more than 3,000 species of plants. This area, consisting of 17 hectares of gardens, is near to the Suleymaniye Mosque, with amazing views over the Golden Horn.

Hedges separate the different species of plants

It was fascinating looking around the Botanical Gardens. We saw all kinds of different plants, some of them quite new to us.

Fortunately, most of them were named, like this Marsileaceae, a form of water clover. 

Did you know that this can thrive for more than 100 years by continually reseeding itself?

We wandered through some of the nine greenhouses, housing a large variety of plant species, 

like palms, cacti and carnivorous flowers.

Many of the greenhouses had waterlily ponds, unfortunately it was too early in the season

for flowers to have developed

We could see the Galata Tower across the Golden Horn..

...as well as the Bosphorus...

In 1995, the plants and trees in the Istanbul University Botanical Gardens were placed under legal protection by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Despite this, there are reports that the government has plans to open this area to construction and development. It would be so sad if this oasis of tranquility in the midst of this bustling city, was to be buried under tons of concrete!

We finished our tour with lunch in a rooftop restaurant with a 360° view of Istanbul. What a great day out!

Our lunchtime view of the new Ataturk Bridge...

...and the Galata bridge

Elizabeth Coughlan

Photography Trek to Ortaköy Mosque, Istanbul

 

The square beside the Ortaköy Mosque, is a popular destination for Istanbulu at the weekend.

For the past three years, the Büyük Mecidiye Camii (Grand Imperial Mosque of Sultan Abdülmecid I), more commonly known as the Ortaköy Mosque, has been undergoing an extensive renovation. In all that time, we were unable to take any photographs, as the building was shrouded in plastic sheeting. So, once the Prime Minister had formally opened the mosque, on Friday June 6, our photography club arranged a trek to see the finished result.

The mosque is right on the edge of the Bosphorus, beside the Bosphorus Bridge

This Mosque was commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid, and built in 1853 by architects Garabet Amira, and Nigoğayos Balyan, who also designed the near-by Dolmabahçe Palace, and Mosque. This is not the first renovation of this picturesque mosque. The original minarets collapsed in 1908, and its dome was later damaged, and replaced with a reinforced concrete one. Fortunately, the Mosque's Neo-Baroque style has been preserved.

One of the ornately decorated grills on the windows of the mosque

Inside, the mosque is quite small. This is the main entrance into the mosque.

Huge chandeliers hang from the ceiling of the mosque

The dome is richly decorated

Here is a detail from the beautifully patterned dome

The outside of the mosque is covered in intricate stonework

The flag seller outside the mosque

Thank you to all my lovely friends in the Photography Club of Istanbul, for yet another successful trek. We always have such fun!

Elizabeth Coughlan

"Van Gogh Live", and Old Istanbul

This has been a cultural week for us. We first went to the "Van Gogh Alive" exhibition in the Antrepo 3 exhibition space in Karaköy, next to Istanbul Modern. This was an extraordinary experience. The paintings are displayed digitally on huge screens in a totally dark space. There are over three thousand images in all, shown in chronological order, accompanied by classical music.

There are also some wonderful effects. For example, in the painting of Van Gogh's room (above), the bare room appears first, followed by the placing of individual peices of furniture until the painting is complete. We also saw wheat ears blowing in the wind, and then the crows, in his famous painting of Wheatfield with Crows, suddenly flying away out of the painting.

The exhibition was really difficult to photograph, as the room was so dark, but there are some good photos on this site where the photographer was able to introduce light into the area.

Another exhibition we went to was the "Historic Photographs of the Anatolian Shore" at the Pera Museum. This gave a fascinating glimpse into old Istanbul, and how the city looked before the advent of the ugly concrete residential blocks that disfigure much of the city today. There were also descriptions of the original villages dotted along the shores of the Bosphorus, that were ultimately swallowed up into the great metropolis that is modern Istanbul.

We also had time to look at two other art exhibitions in the Pera Museum, "Sultans, Merchants, Painters: The Early Years of Turkish-Dutch Relations", and "Intersecting Worlds: Ambassadors and Painters", both these exhibited fine paintings, engravings and books from past eras. Fascinating!

Photography Day 4: The Bosphorus

 We set sail from Eminönü

Cruising up the Bosphorus is one of my favourite ways to spend a day in Istanbul, and we wanted Jerry to enjoy this experience while he had the opportunity. On the dockside in Eminönü, tourists are often badgered by touts offering Bosphorus Cruises, but these only offer a short trip as far as the second bridge, at extortionate prices. The best way to see Istanbul from the Bosphorus is by taking the Istanbul Deniz Otobüsleri (IDO). So, it was there, at the ferry dock by the Galata Bridge, that David, Jerry and I met up with our friends, Gina and Ron, for a day out on the Bosphorus.

Jerry took this photo of Gina and me taking photos from the rail of the ship. That must be me on the right, it can't possibly be me on the left!!

On both sides of the Bosphorus is a wonderful array of palaces and other remarkable residences, so we photographers happily snapped away as we sailed.

Dolmabahce Palace has a special place in the hearts of Turkish people. 

It was here that the founder of the Turkish Republic, 

Kemal Ataturk, lived and died.

Ataturk's yacht, the Savarona, is moored in the Bosphorus.

As we sailed along, the seagulls flew overhead

Our destination was Anadolu Kavağı, near the entrance to the Black sea, where we enjoyed a leisurely, delicious fish lunch, before our return trip along the Strait.

The little fishing village of Anadolu Kavağı

 

Ever since a man on a dolmus waved a TL100 bill and pointed to Jerry and the picture of Ataturk, we have noticed the likeness. Gina took this picture so we could compare. It is extraordinary!

 Passengers wanting to embark from Sariyer. Notice the complete lack of any health and safety features ...but no one fell in!

We saw this extraordinary vessel being moved by tugs along the Bosphorus. Please can anyone tell us what it is used for?

We had such a wonderful day. I will never tire of taking that trip. I hope Jerry enjoyed it as much as I did, and that he got some great shots!

The IWI and German Club Cruise up the Bosphorus

 Our vessel, with the captain on the bridge

 
Cruising along the Bosphorus is a wonderful way to escape the heat and bustle of the city. On Thursday, I joined the IWI (International Women of Istanbul) and German Club's boat trip. During the summer months there is a tour every Thursday, all the way along the Bosphorus to a sheltered bay near the opening to the Black Sea.

 Once we had moored in the bay, Naz wasted no time 

before diving in to the clear, green water.

Naz was quickly joined by others

 

Here's a crab, plucked from the sea floor...

...and a fistful of conch shells, 

(yes, that is a man - husbands are welcome too!)

Everyone is asked to bring something to contribute towards lunch or afternoon tea, and as a result, the variety of food is amazing. We all had a marvelous day, although I must confess to having eaten way too much as everything was so delicious!

Relaxing after a delicious lunch.

At teatime, we just had to sample every single offering,

it was our social duty!

Teatime was a serious affair, we just had to try all those cakes!

 

Homeward bound at the end of a glorious day.

Istanbul People

Under summer skies, the Bosphorus becomes a beautiful blue.

I love travelling by ferry across the water.

With 20 million inhabitants, Istanbul is full of interesting people. On a recent trip to the Grand Bazaar, with friends Angela and Füsun, I was fascinated by the Istanbulus going about their daily work. They are great subjects for photographers, and, although there is the occasional one who doesn't want their photo taken, most are only too delighted to be asked.

My companions for the day, Angela and Füsun.

 

This is a familiar sight in Istanbul, a man carving slices of meat for kebabs.

This man is carrying simit, a crusty bread covered in sesame seeds.

Simit is a popular snack in Istanbul, and there are many 

small stalls selling them, as well as mobile sellers like the two above,

who cater for the market people who cannot leave their pitches.

This lady works in a café in the flower market behind the Spice Bazaar. 

She is rolling out pastry circles, possibly for gözleme 

(rather like a grilled stuffed pancake).

 

When I took the shot of the lady above, 

the cafe owner demanded to have his photo taken too!

Istanbul is inspiring! I love being here.

Getting Around in Istanbul

The Galata Tower

Public transport in Istanbul is one of the cheapest and best I have experienced anywhere in the world, only Buenos Aires comes anywhere near. Recently, I have been showing Sue how to get around the city on all the various types of transport. Our first venture was over to Beyoğlu, as she had read about the Galata Tower in the Lonely Planet Guide, and was keen to see the famous view over the city.

The view of the Bosphorus from the Galata Tower

We live on the Asian side of Istanbul, and as we needed to cross to the European side, we first caught a yellow dolmuş to the Kadiköy ferry docks. The word "dolmuş" means "stuffed" in Turkish, and is the name of the shared minibus taxis. They travel up and down set routes throughout the city and are a great way of getting about. They have no scheduled stops along the way, as they pick up and drop passengers on request. The drivers are always on the lookout for potential customers and often hoot as they drive along, to let people know they have room for more.

The view down to the ground from the Galata Tower

The dolmuş drivers are very adept at driving on Istanbul's busy roads, and weave in and out of the traffic at a hair-raising pace; all the while collecting fares passed to them from behind, distributing change, answering calls on their mobiles, and remembering passengers instructions as where to drop them off.

 

We saw this knife grinder sharpening a knife for the kebab shop.

From Kadiköy we took the ferry to Karaköy, on the other side of the Bosphorus. Ferries criss-cross the Bosphorus every day, and mostly manage to avoid the international shipping passing through the straight. Amazingly, there are very seldom any accidents involving ferries on this very busy waterway.

To access the ferry, I used my akbil (see left). The word "akbil" is a condensed form of the Turkish words "akıllı bilet", which means "intelligent ticket", and is so useful for travelling around Istanbul. It is a pre-paid electronic pass that can be used on ferries, buses, trams, the metro, Tünel, and the funicular. It consists of an electronic button, set on a plastic fob, that conveniently fits onto a key chain. An akbil means no waiting to buy tickets, and not only gives a 10% discount on the original fare, but for any subsequent transfers within 2 hours, the discount is 50%. There are machines to fill the akbil at all ferry ports and railway stations. It is very easy to do, and there is always someone nearby to offer assistance should you need it

 

The vintage tram that runs from Tünel to Taksim Square

Once across the Bosphorus, we headed for Tünel. This is a short funicular railway connecting Karaköy, at sea level, with Beyoğlu, 60 metres higher up a very steep hill. Tünel was built by French engineers and has been used continuously since January 1875. It was built to transport people and goods up the steep incline from the waterside in Karaköy to the embassies and residences in Beyoğlu. From the station at the top of the funicular, we walked a little way back down the hill to Galata Tower; from the top of which we had a magnificent view of Istanbul.

Istiklal is always crowded with people

We saw these mouthwatering desserts in Istiklal

After descending from the tower, we had lunch at The House restaurant, and then walked all the way up Istiklal to Taksim Square, where we caught our dolmuş home.

Sue at the top of Istiklal, by the roasted chestnuts stall.