Lale Surmen Aran - Rick Steves Istanbul

ISTANBUL WITH EPHESUS & CAPPADOCIA

By Lale Surmen Aran & Tankut Aran

Travel is intensified livingmaximum thrills per minute and one of the last great sources of legal adventure. Travel is freedom. Its recess, and we need it.

In my 20s, I finished several European trips in a row with a visit to Istanbul. I didnt plan to...it was the subconscious cherry on top of every adventure. Ive been sharing my love of travel ever sincethrough my bus tours, public television and radio shows, and travel guidebooks. And I remain passionate about how Istanbul offers an accessible, enriching experience in the Muslim world.

Istanbul is a complex destination, and you deserve the expertise of locals to guide you. To co-author this book, I partnered with talented tour guides (and Istanbul residents) Lale Surmen Aran and Tankut Aran. Lale and Tankut wrote the first edition, my team of guidebook researchers and editors (including Cameron Hewitt and Gene Openshaw) shaped it, and I personally traveled with their work, adding my own perspective.

This book offers you a balanced mix of Istanbuls top sights and lesser-known gems. And its self-guided museum tours and neighborhood walks provide insight into Istanbuls vibrant history and todays living, breathing culture.

Lale, Tankut, and I advocate traveling simply and smartly. Take advantage of our money- and time-saving tips. Try local, characteristic alternatives to expensive hotels and restaurants. In many ways, spending more money only builds a higher wall between you and what you traveled so far to see.

We visit Istanbul to experience itto become temporary locals. Thoughtful travel engages us with the world, as we learn to appreciate other cultures and new ways to measure quality of life.

Gle gle! Happy travels!

Istanbul is one of the worlds great cities, period. For millennia, its been at the crossroads of civilizations, where Europe meets Asia. Few places on earth have seen more history than this sprawling metropolis on the Bosphorus.

As you wander this colorful, dynamic citywhere fishermen sell sandwiches from bobbing boats, shops offer saffron-hued mounds of spices, and sturdy trams and ferries carry thousands of people dailyit can be easy to forget that youre walking in the footsteps of Roman emperors and Ottoman sultans.

Over the centuries, Istanbul served as the capital of two grand empires: first as Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire (AD 313-1453), and then as Istanbul, the renamed capital of the conquering Ottoman Empire (until Ankara was made the capital of modern Turkey in 1923).

In the lively Old Town, monuments to those empires still stand and impress. Hagia Sophia, the greatest Byzantine church, became the Ottomans most important mosque. The multidomed Blue Mosque, with its soaring interior, is among the worlds most beautiful. The colorfully tiled Topkap Palace was home to the ruling sultans and their harems.

Turkey today is a proud republic. While its no longer the capital, Istanbul is still the countrys historical, cultural, and financial center. Youll see the nations red flags flying everywhere.

A focus of East meets West trade since ancient times, Istanbul is famous for its bustling markets. The biggest is the worlds oldest mall, the Grand Bazaar, a sprawling warren of shops with eager merchants selling jewelry, housewares, sandals, clothing, and Turkish carpets. Bargaining and banter go hand in hand, and English is the common language.

A vendor displays a scarf at the Grand Bazaar; a man washes before prayers at a mosque.

Istanbul literally links Europe and Asia, with several bridges and tunnels crossing the Bosphorus Strait. To sail between two continents, take a relaxing Bosphorus cruise toward the Black Sea (on your rightAsia). As you return to Istanbul, youll glide into the shimmering inlet of the Golden Horn as the sunset glows on the citys spine-tingling skyline, bristling with minarets.

As the showpiece city of a moderate Muslim nation, Istanbul offers curious travelers from other backgrounds the opportunity to witness the Islamic faith in action. Five times a day, the call to prayer echoes across the rooftops. People stop to pray...or not. Close up, its easier to see similarities between faiths than differences.

Day or night, Istanbul is a hive of human activity. Sample sweets at the busy Spice Market. Stroll the two-level Galata Bridge, where vendors sell sesame-seed bread rings (simit) from steamed-up carts and fishermen cast lines into the water below. Inhale apple-flavored smoke from a water pipe in a trendy nargile caf. Marvel at the mesmerizing spinning of whirling dervishes as they meditate on universal harmony. At a Turkish bath, get cleaner than youve ever been. Linger over a seafood feast overlooking the Sea of Marmara, and sway to live Turkish music in a New District nightclub. Join the happy crowd in Sultanahmet Park, between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Its breathtaking at night, when hard-pumping seagulls dart between floodlit minarets against the black sky.

Istanbul Slice-of-Life Stroll

Just walking through the streets of Istanbul can give you a look at the cuisine, culture, and character of this captivating city.

Youll see vendors carts and hole-in-the-wall restaurants selling dner kebab (roasted meat wrapped in pita bread) and gzleme (flatbread folded over cheese and spinach). Turkish cuisine is Mediterranean-healthy, making tasty use of olive oil, stuffed veggies, lentils, seafood, and grilled meats. A local favorite to tryor avoidis kokore (sheep intestines, grilled and served with tomatoes and green peppers; its better than it sounds).

Shop windows display towers of Turkish delight (soft, chewy sweets) and honey-soaked baklava. Ice cream shops sell thick, stretchy Turkish ice cream; get a cone for your walk.

People fill the streets. Most Turks wear Western dress, though more conservative Muslim women wear headscarves over their hair.

In the back streets youre likely to see specialty clothing shops. The brightly colored silky capes hanging in windows are for boys to wear at their circumcision party. Its a big celebration. Turks call it a wedding without the in-laws, where a good time is had by...well, nearly everyone.