Turkiye 2023: A Mosque & The Bazaar

Leaving Basilica Cistern, we realized that we have plenty of time to kill before 2 pm, which is the time both major attractions (Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque) open on Fridays. So what to do, what to see? We have already done the Hippodrome, the museum, a local market, 2 cisterns and we still have time, which only meant we really started early on this day to begin our touring since we wanted to be the first ones to enter the mosques.

What else is nearby (that doesn't include eating) that we can do or see without taking public transport. The Grand Bazaar is about 1 km from Basilica Cistern. We chose to visit the Grand Bazaar now to have something to do and of course to avoid the scorching sun.

However, on the way to Gate 1 of the Grand Bazaar where we will be entering sits Nuruosmaniye Mosque where we saw many people and cats sitting on the steps even though there is a sign that clearly says: "No sitting on the steps." I know that I had taken a photo of the sign, however, I cannot locate it at the time of writing. Clearly, I had taken way too many photos, going through them is a tedious (but welcome) task.

Fun facts: Nuruosmaniye literally means "the light of Osman". The mosque has 174 windows to allow ample light inside. The prayer hall of the mosque is completely covered with the dome. It is one of the largest domes in Istanbul. It is 25 meters in diameter and 43 meters in height. I am completely clueless about architectural designs, but I learned from researching that this mosque is a classic example of Ottoman Baroque style.

While writing this post, I consulted my travel journal (which I continue to do until now, because it helps me remember details since my memory is not what it used to be) as to what I wrote about this mosque. And I wrote: The inside of the mosque is not as ornate as the ones I have seen or will see in the coming days. The dome is simple and this one has more glass windows. It is so very spacious. I realized that when I was writing that at that time I was not impressed by the mosque. It was at that time just a little detour just outside of the Grand Bazaar. However, while reading about it in preparation of this post, I may have hastily dismissed it as an interesting attraction. Such a mistake on my part. Another mistake is not taking enough photos. I didn't even have photos of the steps in the front and the minarets. So disappointed with myself here.

I was instantly attracted to the courtyard. We stayed here for a bit, sat on the marble floor because it's cold and we needed to cool off, in addition to people watching, and in my case, cat watching.

A few feet away from the mosque is Gate 1 of the Grand Bazaar, aka Nuruosmaniye Gate.

I don't know why the Grand Bazaar did not hold my attention despite my excitement during the planning of this trip. In my opinion, it had something to do with the very limited offerings of the market (again just my opinion - at the time of journal entry). The architecture is nice to look at though. And hey, if you love jewelry this is your place.

We walked out of another gate, I don't remember which one and then we stumbled upon this little street food area where they sell Kokorec, which is one of the food on our must-try list. Kokoreç is basically lamb intestines, wrapped around sweetbreads on skewer and grilled horizontally over the charcoal fire. In short, this is one of those Fear Factor type of food. We talked our friends into trying it. Honestly, I will try any food at least once. I can eat this again, no qualms about it.

Before completely leaving the market area we saw a food vendor with these shiny balls. Again, could not resist trying something new. These are lokmas, which are balls made of flour, sugar, yeast and salt, fried in oil and later bathed in syrup or honey. These ones despite their cloying sweetness (IMO) were easier to swallow than the kokorec (wink).

Off to the Sultanahment Square we go to visit the Blue Mosque.