The Hidden Hans of Istanbul

I found a fascinating book about Istanbul, called "Istanbul's Bazaar Quarter - Backstreet Walking Tours", by Ann Marie Mershon and Edda Renker Weissenbacher. The book explores the hidden Hans around the area of the Grand Bazaar. The Hans were small caravansaries within the city walls, where travellers and merchants could safely spend the night, along with their pack animals.

Typically, a Han is an open courtyard, surrounded by rooms on two or three levels. The upper floors were usually for lodgings, or for workrooms, while the ground floor was used for stabling, or for storing merchandise. Today, the rooms are used as shops, or for artisans practicing a wide variety of crafts.

There are 4 different walks outlined in the book, and I intend to explore all of them eventually. My first walk was the one behind the Grand Bazaar. Although we passed all the Hans mentioned in this particular walk, we didn't go into all of them, because of time restraints.

The entrance steps to the Zincirli Han. It is difficult to believe that the noise
and bustle of the Grand Bazaar is only a few steps away from this peaceful oasis!

We began at the Zincirli Han, which is inside the Grand Bazaar itself. This picturesque Han dates back to the end of the 18th century, and is often overlooked by the hoards of tourists passing by, scouring for bargains.

Notice the ancient stones in the  Zincirli Han's courtyard

The Ottoman fountain in the middle of the Zincirli Han,

which is still in use today.

 

 The Kizlar Agasi Han, or Eunuch's Han.

Note the original fountain to the left, and the Sultan's seal above.

Another interesting Han is the Kizlar Agasi Han, or Eunuch's Han. This was built by Sultan Mahmut I's chief

eunuch, who also built a mosque near the Topkai Palace. The rent paid by travellers staying there, would

probably have been his retirement pension. Each Han tends to have its own specialty, and this one's is in

melting gold, and producing ribbons and wires of it, ready to make into jewellery.

This, the Hidiv Han, is interesting because it was built by Ali Pasa, the Viceroy of Egypt,

and later donated to the Red Crescent, who now receive all the income from rents.

The outer courtyard of the Sağir Han

We were intrigued as to why one of the Hans was called the Sağir Han, as the word "sağir" means "deaf" in

Turkish. It wasn't difficult to understand, however, once we reached the top of the outside staircase, and heard the clatter of the machines spinning thread onto reels. The noise really was deafening!

The noisy workshop in the Sağir Han

One of the quieter workshops in the Sağir Han.

This man is an expert dyer. He dyes buttons to match fabrics exactly

The entrance to the Buyuk Valide Han

But my favourite Han is the Buyuk Valide Han. It is One of the most popular Hans to visit, mainly because of the amazing view from its roof.

View of the Galata Bridge and the Yeni Camii, from the roof

of the Buyuk Valide Han

The view from the other side of the Yeni Camii.

You can see all the way down to the Bosphorus Bridge.

Before getting access to the roof, you have to find the caretaker with the keys

The word "valide" means "mother", and refers to the mother of both Sultan Murat IV, and his successor Sultan Ibrahim, who commissioned the building of the Han. On entering, the Han looks dark and forbidding, but everyone we encountered was welcoming, and were happy to show us their workshops.

One workshop specialises in these beautiful, hand-made lamps

It is fun to visit the workshops and see the many craftsmen at work

If ever you are in Istanbul, take time to explore my blog first, so you can visit those parts of the city most other tourists don't get to see!

Elizabeth Coughlan

GEP Photography Workshop, Istanbul: Day 3

 

 

The Grand Bazaar. A shopper's delight!

This was the day that many people were waiting for. We were going to Istanbul's ultimate Shopping Mecca, the Grand Bazaar. The main problem would be remembering to take photographs, while drooling over the treasure trove of products on sale.

I can never resist photographing the beautiful lamps!

We arrived early, while the stall-holders were still setting up. They are more relaxed at the start of the day, and more accommodating. It is also possible to take time over shots with fewer people around.

...and the Scarves! One can never have too many scarves.

We arranged to meet at Mahmutpasa gate after our photo shoot, and then headed down through the narrow streets filled with shops of all kinds, until we came to the harbour. There, we lunched on fish sandwiches, served from the colourful boats to the left of the Galata bridge.

One of the richly decorated, colourful boats selling fish sandwiches.

The fresh filleted fish are cooked on the boats

The fish sandwich boats, lined up in the harbour, 

with the Suleymaniye Mosque in the background

Lunch break over, it was time to get shooting again. This time from the Galata bridge itself, with its rows of fishermen either side. Time was of the essence, as we had to return to the hotel for Efrain to look over our chosen shots for the small, medium and large versions of the same subject.

Fishermen on the Galata Bridge

One fisherman on the bridge

The caught fish

The day was still not over, however, as we were off to Sirkeci Station to watch and photograph the Whirling Dervishes that were performing their ceremony there. This was a difficult task, as the lights were low, and the spinning Dervishes were difficult to capture. But we experimented with our settings, and we all learned a tremendous amount with this exercise.

The Dervish's orchestra played traditional music before the ceremony

The Dervish whirls with his right hand towards heaven to receive God's blessings,

and his left towards the earth to convey God's spiritual gifts to the people

Thus ended another wonderful day of our photography workshop.

30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 11

I took this photo today. It shows the Nuruosmaniye Mosque, in Istanbul, 

and the roofs of the Grand Bazaar, where James Bond was chased on a motorcycle in
his latest film. It inspires me to take a chance, like James Bond!

Our task for today in the 30 Day Blog Challenge, is to determine, 

"Which business model is best for you, 

and what one revenue stream is most feasible?"

I am a photographer, and when I look at my life, I realise that, although I intend to have a more professional blog than the one I have, I wouldn't want it to be the only focus of my life. I would want time for photography. Therefore, the business model best for me, is one where I can divide my time between blogging and taking pictures. My main business plan would involve, "Selling other people's stuff".

Affiliate marketing seems the way forward. There is a caveat, however. I would not want to promote random businesses. We are often bombarded with offers to "Make Money Online the Easy way", where they want to use your site to advertise a range of dodgy products. I would only choose affiliates I knew and trusted, who's businesses were aligned with mine. I am not getting any younger, unfortunately, so I am looking to build a residual income from the Internet. I have already established this, in a small way, from my stock photography portfolios. So an added stream of income earned through my blog would be perfect. Achievable? I really do think so!

Our Day at Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

Rebecca with the scarf seller in the Grand Bazaar

Last Thursday, noticing a gap in the foul weather we have been experiencing lately, I took Rebecca to the ultimate of all shopping Mecca's, the Grand Bazaar. As we arrived, we were immediately hailed by the same scarf seller, who showed us how to tie scarves when Jessica was here. We promised to visit him as soon as we had finished lunch, and found our way to Pedaliza, where we were welcomed warmly, as I have been there several times.

This is a traditional Turkish restaurant in the Grand Bazaar, 

specialising in Ottoman cuisine, with the menu changing daily 

so there is no chance of it becoming boring! 

After lunch we returned to the scarf seller, who brought us tea, in the traditional Turkish manner. Rebecca eventually bought a scarf and we wandered off to see the rest of the delights of the Bazaar.

Rebecca loved the hanging lamps in the Grand Bazzar

We gradually worked our way downhill to the exit that leads to the warren of narrow streets that lead to the Spice Bazzaar.

 Rebecca stands next to some Turkish delight in the Spice Market

We bought some cheese in this delicatessen

After exploring the bazaar and the surrounding area, we decided it was time for dessert at the Saray Muhallebicisi in Eminönü. This is one of a chain of restaurants in Turkey, that serves a variety of Turkish dishes, and are also famous for their vast range of desserts.

The name, Saray Muhallebicisi, translates as "Palace of the Seller of Milk Puddings", and as you can see, they all look rather delicious!

After this we returned home, exhausted but happy.

Jessica in Istanbul

 It was very cold in Istanbul, so Jessica was wrapped up warmly

I collected Jessica from England and brought her to Istanbul for 10 days, while Clare moved to Italy to begin her new job with the European Commission Research Station. We had such fun together. Jessica is so easy to entertain, she never complains or makes a fuss. She is quite delightful.

We went with Angela to the Grand Bazaar, and to Şark Han, an amazing emporium of goods imported from India and China; no doubt keeping up the ancient trade that travelled back and forth along the old Silk Road.

At the Grand Bazaar, we learned new ways to tie scarves.  Here is Angela, modelling an elegant knot.

We also went to the hairdresser where Jessica had her hair trimmed. We were fascinated to see how he did the parting. I tried to recreate it at home, 

but it never looked the same again!

One day, we went to Büyükada to have lunch with Angela, and afterwards rode around the island in a pony and phaeton. Fortunately, Angla provided us with blankets, as it was freezing cold and trying to snow!

At the end of the ride, the good-natured driver let 

Jessica sit in the driver's seat...

...and then sat her on one of the horses.

Photographing Istanbul (Day 2)

 Cruise ships visiting Istanbul

Our first full day of photography was spent capturing some of the iconic sights of Istanbul, beginning with the Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia). Although we made an early start, we still had to wait in line, due to the influx of huge numbers of cruise-ship passengers into the city. Finally inside, we were able to take innumerable photographs of this magnificent building. The sheer size of this Byzantine masterpiece is breathtaking, especially when one considers that it was built nearly 1,500 years ago, without the aid of any type of machinery.

While we waited to go into the Aya Sofia, we took photos of the man 

selling sweet corn, a popular street snack in Istanbul

Now all the scaffolding is down, one can appreciate the sheer 

size and beauty of the Aya Sofya

We especially admired the beautiful mosaics

Our next stop was the Yerebatan Sarnici, also known as the Basilica Cistern, built by the Romans to store the fresh spring water brought to the city from the Belgrade Forest along enormous aqueducts. This underground cavern is eerily lit, and very difficult to photograph without a tripod, so we tried steadying our cameras on the rails to get our best shots.

The cavernous interior of the cistern is quite spectacular

It is easy to get around this part of Istanbul by using the tramway.

The Grand Bazaar, where we went to next, is always a colourful subject to photograph. It has been in existence since merchants travelled the old silk road, bringing their goods from distant exotic lands. The bazaar has been covered since 1461, following a decree by Sultan Mehmet II, the conqueror of Constantinople, giving it the distinctive style we see today. Jerry and I had great fun walking the streets of the bazaar and talking to the stallholders, who assailed us from all sides with their banter, "Please can I help you spend your money," being the most popular.

The Grand Bazaar was bedecked with flags for Children's Day

From the bazaar, we walked downhill, through the crowded, winding streets, full of little shops, all the way to the Egyptian Bazaar, by the Golden Horn.

On the way down, we saw these boys washing in a fountain.

Spices for sale in the Egyptian Bazaar

 Finally, with hundreds of photos captured on our cards, we headed for the Eminönü Iskelesi, where we boarded our ferry back to the Asian side for our journey home.

Visiting the Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) and the Grand Bazaar

 The Hagia Sophia has had all its scaffolding removed, the first time in years.

On our second day with Elenor, Angela and I took her to the Hagia Sophia, one of the most iconic images of Istanbul, This 6th century church amazes everyone who sees it (apart from Mark Twain, who called it, "The rustiest old barn in heathendom"). The sheer size alone is overwhelming, but when you consider that it was raised without the aid of modern-day machinery, the sight is overwhelming. At last, all the scaffolding for the renovations has been removed, for now, and its magnificence is revealed for all to see.

 The great dome of the Hagia Sophia

 Elenor and Angela

 The upper gallery, showing one of the eight roundels that were added by Sultan Abdülmecid, between 1847 and 1849.

The 9th century mosiac at the exit to the Hagia Sophia (although this was originally the entrance.) It shows Constantine offering the city of Constantinople to the Virgin Mary, while Justinian I offers the Hagia Sophia.

From the Hagia Sophia, we walked to the Grand Bazaar where Elenor still had to do some last minute shopping. Then, finally shopped out, we headed for her hotel to pick up her luggage, then took a taxi to the House Café in Ortaköy for lunch, before catching a ferry to Bostancı where I left them to take the dolmuş home. They, in turn, took another ferry to Büyükada where Elenor went to enjoy Angela's famed hospitality for the weekend, before returning to Norway.

 

The Grand Bazaar dates back to 1461, and is always fun.

 

While we were there, we saw the Muezzin giving the call to prayer in the Bazaar's mosque.

 

Elenor bought a beautiful blue ceramic bowl.

Winter is a good time to visit the bazaar, as there are far fewer tourists.