istanbul

istanbul.mydestinationinfo.com/en/carsamba%28wednesday%29-pazar-in-yesilkoy

Situated outside the main centre of Yesilkoy at Yesilkoy Cirpici, this large market has 2019 stands selling clothing, food, electronics and glassware housed in separate areas. Carsamba Pazari is one of the easiest markets to reach from Sultanahmet.

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Hasköy Jewish cemetery is a higgledy piggledy site on top of a hill. The gravestones are horizontal as in the Sephardic tradition. The views are great even if it is all somewhat melancholy. But then İstanbul, as you may have already discovered, has a very pervasive melancholy side.

Abraham Kamondo Mausoleum: Abraham Kamondo was a banker, a
leader of the Jewish community in Istanbul in the 19th century and also
one of the founders of the municipality. His mausoleum will restored to its
past glory and to highlight the cohtribution of the Jewish community in the
cultural life of Istanbul.

Dying at Paris at the age of eighty-eight, Camondo, according to his last wishes, was buried in his family vault in the Jewish cemetery at Hasköy, İstanbul. The Ottoman government held memorial services in his honor.

http://www.onderkaya.net/arsiv/2007/03/19

To view the Kamondo Mausoleum you must take a ride on the Birinci Çevreyolu, the expressway which skirts the central area of the city to the north of Hasköy. Tragically, the path of the expressway passes directly through the midst of the large Hasköy Jewish Cemetery.

A birdseye view of the Jewish cemetery of Haskoy (Istanbul), 1583 onwards.
Picture taken by Minna Rozen, August 1995.

A typical view at Haskoy Jewish cemetery; Tonbstones from the mid 17th century and 2nd half of the 18th century.
Pictures taken by Laurence Salzman, August 1987.

Burial caves of the Jewish cemetery of Haskoy in Istanbul, mid 17th century.
Picture taken by Mehmet Ali Cida , August1988.

The Kamondo mausoleum is set prominently on a hill just to the north of the roadway, a short distance northeast of the Golden Horn, especially when travelling westbound.

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/special/jewish/JewishHaskoy.html

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According to the historian Michael Doukas, on the morning of 29 May 1453, the small postern called Kerkoporta was left open by accident, allowing the first fifty or so Ottoman troops to enter the city. The Ottomans raised their banner atop the Inner Wall and opened fire on the Greek defenders of the peribolos below. This spread panic, and began the rout of the defenders and the fall of the city.^[88] In 1864, the remains of a postern located on the Outer Wall at the end of the Theodosian Walls, between tower 96 and the so-called Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, were discovered, and identified by A.G. Paspates with the Kerkoporta. Later scholars, like van Millingen^[89] and Steven Runciman^[90] have accepted this theory as well. However, excavations at the site have uncovered no evidence of a gate in the Inner Wall (now vanished) in that area, and it may be that Doukas’ story is either invention or derived from the earlier legend concerning the Xylokerkos Gate, which several earlier scholars also equated with the Kerkoporta. ^[91]

Theodosian Land Walls, Belgrade Gate/Second Military Gate/Xylokerkos Gate

The Kerkoporta (Greek Κερκόπορτα) was a sally-port along the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople, near the bend created by the addition of the Blachernae suburb to the original city. It was through this unattended gate that the first Ottoman troops entered the city, raising their banner atop the tower and beginning the rout of the Christian defenders.

The traditional story is that the gate was inadvertently left unattended, however, recent historians have questioned this point, raising the possibility that some of the city’s population may have decided to surrender, as their situation was hopeless, and purposely let the Turkish soldiers in. This theory is based on the fact that Constantinople’s people were sharply divided over issues such as reconciliation with the Western Church at the time of the city’s fall.

wiki.phantis.com/index.php/Kerkoporta

With Giustiniani’s Genoese troops retreating into the city and towards the harbour, Constantine and his men, now left to their own devices, kept fighting and managed to hold off the attackers for a while. At this point, some historians suggest that the Kerkoporta gate in the Blachernae section had been left unlocked, and the Ottomans soon discovered this mistake.^[48] The Ottomans rushed in. Around the same time, the defenders were being overwhelmed at several points in Constantine’s section. When Turkish flags were seen flying above the Kerkoporta, a panic ensued and the defense collapsed, as Janissary soldiers, led by Ulubatlı Hasan pressed forward. It is said that Constantine, throwing aside his purple regalia, led the final charge against the oncoming Ottomans, dying in the ensuing battle in the streets like his soldiers, although his ultimate fate remains unknown.^[49]

Here, there are two more gates, memorable in history: one is most probably gone, or buried deep in the ground; another is still in place, almost intact. The former is the little GATE of KERKOPORTA, the opening of which was to seal the fate of the Empire; as a large section of walls had been brought down by the bombardment, the soldiers found it difficult to pass into the peribolos without being seen by the Turks. “There were, however, some old men who knew of an under-ground sally-port at the lower end of the Palace (of Porphyrogenitus) that many years before, had been sealed shut. The Emperor commanded that it be opened. The name of this hidden door was Kerkoporta.” ( Doukas) Walking about the vacant land between the inner wall and the palace, which is still standing, I sadly thought of the events that took place here after the opening of the sally-port; when a company of Turkish nobles saw the sally-port open “they leaped inside, climbed to the top of the walls and zealously slew anyone they met…” They then lowered the Emperor’s flag and planted the Sultan’s standard; when those fighting in the outer fortifications looked up and saw the Turkish flag flying on the towers the cry rose that “ the CITY HAS FALLEN ! ” Panic-stricken, they all fled into the city through the GATE OF ADRIANOPLE. The Emperor too fell at his post. From the Gate of Adrianople, which is the second of the gates mentioned above, and through every available breach on the walls, the Turks began to spread into the fallen City.

http://www.istanbulstrolls.com/8h.htm

In this account of  the last conflict Gibbon has omitted a highly important fact which hastened the capture of the city. This fact is not mentioned by Phrantzes; it rests on the authority of Ducas(p. 28o-5) and is confirmeb dy a short statemen ot f Critobulu (si. 6o adfin.).North of the Porta Charseaeso, uthofthe Porta Caligariain, a transverswe ail which connects the inner and outer Theodosia wnalis, thereisa smaUpostern (found by M.Paspatesw)  hichis called the Kerkoport bay Ducas(wrongly?a)n, dwas alwayks epts hut,but had been opened by Giustinianio’s rderfsor the purpose of a possiblesortie.Someof the Greekswhowerefightingin thespace betweetnheinnerandtheoutewr betweetnheinnerandtheoutewr allp, ressedbytheenemyr,etreatetdhrough theKerkoportaan, dfiftyTurksfoUowetdhem, astheyneglectetdoshutthe gate. MoreTurkssoonpressedin,andothersmountedthewalis,captured
thetowerclosetothegate,andsetup theOttomanstandards onthewalls. TheretreatoftheGreeksw, howereoutsidethe innerwall,bytheKerkoportawasnowcutoff, andseeingthe flagsof the foeonthe battlements theythrongedback throughthePortaCharseaew, hichwasthenleft undefendeds, othattheTurkscouldenterbythisgatetoo. TheTurkswho
thuspenetratedseemtohavebetakenthemselveast firstto theharbousride ofthecity,andsometimeelapsedbefore thecombatantsat theGateofSt. Romanus, wherethe fightwasragingmosthotly,learnedwhathadhappened.
Phrantze(swithouetxplainingd)escribetshe arrivaolfthe tidings (p.285). Acrywasheardon theharbourside:”The fortis taken,the standardosf thefoeareon the towersl”ThenConstantinsepurredhis horseintothe thickof the fray.]
atDucaskillshim withtwoblowsof Turkishsoldiers;Chalcondyles woundhsimin theshouldera, ndthentramplehsiminthegate. Thegrief ofPhranzacarrying himamongthe enemyescapesfromthepreciseimage

The section of the Theodosian Walls that adjoins the walls of Blachernae, with the Palace of Porphyrogenitus in the background, as they appear today in suburban Istanbul.

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Üsküdar Ahmet III Fountain is located in Üsküdar Square across from the quay, which was built near the shore to serve passengers traveling accross the Bosphorus by Sultan Ahmet III in 1728. It has arrived in its present location during the square planar arrangement.

The fountain is made of solid marble, and inscribed on the side facing the square are verses by the famous Divan poet, Nedim. On the wall facing the mosque there are excerpts from the poet Rahmi, and on another wall are those from the poet Shakir. On the wall facing the Bosphorus one can read verses inspired by Ahmed III and his son-in-law, Nevşehirli Ibrahim Paşa, written in calligraphy by Ahmet III. There are many aspects and adornments of this fountain that give it a very different complexion. Among these are the many S and C curves used in its design, its badges on the niches of the polygonal prisma body, and how its polygonal body turns into square prisma after a certain height. A number of vases on which tulips, roses and chrysanthemums are used as motifs, used to decorate the side of the fountain, are viewed as the most beautiful samples of artistic workmanship on the fountain. In addition, other architectural beauties, such as muqarnases (a three-dimentional decoration of Islam architecture), lancet arches, and palmets add a brilliant aesthetic value to the fountain.

Today, the Fountain, which is located on the Main Street of Üsküdar where Hakimiyeti Milliye Street and Paşalimanı Street intersect, is one of the most beautiful fountains of Istanbul.

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Native name: Tophane Cesmesi

1732 by the architect Mehmet Ağa during the reign of Sultan Mahmud I. It is the tallest fountain in İstanbul, and with its ornaments on the walls, the inscription which covers all four walls, and the engraved eaves it makes a rare monument.

Tophane Fountain is located between Necati Bey and Tophane Streets , in Tophane Neighborhood of Beyoglu District , on the European side of Istanbul . It was built by Sultan Mahmut I in 1732 . The architect who designed it was Mehmet Ağa . This fountain is considered the third biggest fountain of Istanbul and the one with the highest walls . It also attracts attention with its large fringe and rich embossments . The decoration of the fountain reflects the transition from classical type to baroque style . The fountain’s wide eaves reflects baroque marks and aesthetic harmony of the sharp arched niches used in the classical period of Ottoman architecture . This structure was restored in 2006 and during this restoration works , the rich decorations of the fountain were enriched by 23 karat golden leaf with an area of 40 squared meters . The fountain was then opened again in a magnificent opening ceremony .

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Construction on the Nuruosmaniye Complex began in 1749 during the rule of Mahmud I (1730-1754) and was completed by his brother and successor Osman III (1754-1757) in 1755. It is located to the east of the covered bazaar and was built to replace the Mascid of Fatma Hatun, which burnt in a fire. In style, the complex is distinguished from its precedents with its adoption of baroque design elements and embodies the westernizing vision of Mahmud I. While there is little known about its architect, Simeon Kalfa, its construction is documented in detail by construction manager Ahmed Efendi in a booklet entitled “Tarih-i Cami-i Serif-i Nur-i Osmani”. The name Nuruosmaniye, or the Light of Osman, is thought to refer to Osman III and to a verse from the Sura of Al-Nur, “God is the light of the heavens and the earth”, which is inscribed inside the dome.

The Nuruosmaniye Mosque (Turkish: Nuruosmaniye Camii) is an Ottoman mosque located in the Çemberlitaş neighbourhood of Fatih district in Istanbul, Turkey. It is considered one of the finest examples of mosques in Ottoman Baroque style. It was built by architects Mustafa Ağa and Simon Kalfa from the order of Sultan Mahmut I and completed by his brother and successor Sultan Osman III. The architects adopted Baroque architectural elements, the mosque is also distinctive with the absence of an ablution fountain (Turkish: şadırvan). Nuruosmaniye Mosque is located near the entrance to the Kapalıçarşı (Grand Bazaar), Column of Constantine and the historical Atik Ali Paşa Mosque.

The mosque was constructed in Istanbul in Nuruosmaniye region, it was began in 1748 during reign of Mahmoud I, and, ended in the reign of Osman II in 1755, the architect of the mosque is Mustafa Aga.

The foundation of the structure was supported by belts because it was constructed on a spring. It has an inner courtyard and an outer courtyard. There are three doors in the inner courtyard, one in the middle, two on each sides. Inner courtyard is covered by nine domes, one in the middle and four on each side.

Beneath the gallery of minarets (Serefeler) there are horizontal tapes. Minaret spirals are made out of stone. It has five floors with 174 windows. The belts of these windows are arch shaped. On the dome, there are 32 windows. On each left and right sides of the altar there are a pulpit (mimber) made out of marble. Inner walls of landing (Sahan) is divided into three by two rowed thick and projecting cornices. All through the landing of the pulpit is “The Fatiha Sura” (a prayer of Koran) is carved in marbl.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuruosmaniye_Mosque

http://www.exploreistanbul.com/Category.aspx?ArticleID=96&CategoryID=2

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Built from 1500 to 1505 under Sultan Beyazit II, the Beyazit Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Istanbul. It is located next to Istanbul University and the Grand Bazaar in the center of a large 16th-century complex that includes schools and other buildings.

Interior. Photo © Dick Osseman.

History

Construction on the Beyazit Mosque began in 1501, overseen by architect Yakubsah Bin Sultan. The mosque was built over the ruins of the Forum of Tauri built by the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius. The pavement of the courtyard and the pillars of the ablutions fountain are reused materials from the Forum.

The Beyazit Mosque was completed in 1506. Sultan Beyazit II died in 1512 and was buried in the gardens with his family.

What to See

The mosque’s architecture is inspired by the Byzantine Ayasofya, with a central dome, semi-domes, and a central prayer area with galleries. The dome is 16.78 meters in diameter (the Hagia Sophia’s is 31m). Other elements were inspired by the Fatih Mosque, such as the buttresses and columns alongside the dome.

The mosque was once at the center of a large complex, including a school (medrese), kitchen, caravanserai, hamam, and soup kitchen for the poor. The soup kitchen and caravanserai, on the left of the mosque, now house the Beyazit State Library, while the former medrese houses a school of calligraphy.

Quick Facts

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-beyazit-mosque.htm

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History

The extraordinary building with the high domes supported on six stone piers situated at the top of the hill at the end of the row of small hotels in the narrow street immediately behind St. Sophia was orginally built, more than a thousand years ago, as a cistern. Until recently it was used as an automobile repair shop.

But, it is no longer so.

The Turkish Touring and Automobile Association, which converted the old houses in the same street into a row of small hotels, has also repaired and restored the cistern, converting it into a “Roma Tavern”.

The Cistern Tavern is a great and dramatic synthesis a witness, a document of the three thousand years old history of Istanbul; the capital of three Empires.
A restaurant of the Republican period in a Roman cistern at the end of an old Ottoman Street:

Just beside Ayasofya, in Istanbul, you will find a Roman cistern as old as Ayasofya itself.
This extraordinary building, with its massive stone columns and its lofty brick domes, stands at the head of a row of guesthouse forming the narrow “Soğukçeşme” Street between Topkapı Palace walls and St. Sophia.

The Turkish Touring and Automobile Association converted the old houses of “Soğukçeşme” Street into a row of guesthouse, cleaned out the 1600 years old Roman Cistern, which was unfortunately used as a car repair workshop untill recently.

The present floor level reaches to a debt of seven meters but investigations had shown that the six large, massive, single-piece columns descend three meters below this grounded level. The original room has been preserved exactly as it was. The only addition to this cistern is a fire-place in the ancient style. Tis fine Roman Cistern Restaurant simply named “Sarnıç Restaurant” in turkish, which gives the literal description of the building.

http://www.sarnicrestaurant.com/en/index.jsp

Sarnic Restaurant
Sogukcesme Sokagi 34220 Sultanahmet / Istanbul
Phone: 0212 512 42 91 – 513 36 60 – Fax: 0212 514 52 30

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Open only in summer.

The Derviş’ paved courtyard, which is
superbly located directly opposite the Blue
Mosque, beckons patrons with its comfortable
cane chairs and shady trees. Efficient
service, reasonable prices and peerless
people-watching opportunities make it a
great place for a leisurely tea, nargileh and
game of backgammon.

Dervish Family Tea Garden; Mimar Mehmet Ağa
Caddesi, Cankurtaran; h9am-11pm, closed
winter; jSultanahmet

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/shop_pickandmix/previews/istanbul-5-drinking-nightlife-preview.pdf

Kabasakal Sok. N:2 Sultanahmet Cami – Ayasofya Yakınında
Sultanahmet Mah. , Eminönü – İstanbul
: (0212) 5161515

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Istanbul is a paradise for antique collectors. The choice is almost limitless from traditional Turkish crafts to fine European furniture. Browsing is also great treat. Shop owners are always ready to elaborate on the history of their goods. However you may need to have a keen eye to be able to determine if they are real antiques, copies, or just old items.

Well known antique dealers such as Portakal, de Péra and Antik Palace organize auctions from time to time, which are worth attending even if you don’t have any intention to buy.

Please note that: Explicit authorization is needed for the purchase and/or removal of Turkish antiquities and other cultural artifacts. A receipt and the official “museum export certificate” are needed to legally export such an item.

Kadıköy Antikacılar Çarşısı
Kadıköy Antikacılar Çarşısı is located at a multiple story building at the beginning of Moda Caddesi. However many antique dealers have shops at both Moda and Dr. Esat Işık Caddesi and the narrow streets opening to those avenues, such as Tellalzade, Sakız. Many old objects besides antique pieces are available. You may be pleasantly surprised by the wide range of attractive goods!

Old articles become alive in Tellâlzade
Tellâlzade Street in Kadıköy is one of the important places for old articles and antiques. The street, which is over the fish market in Kadıköy Bazaar, has more than fifty shops, small and big ones. Some of these are antique stores gleaming with their elegant decorations; some are old furniture shops mostly having solid wood furniture; and some are shops like flea markets full of various old stuff.

Kadıköy Anılar Antik has three floors. In the store run by Fikret Pekçetin, who is from Moda, Kadıköy, wall-clocks, British-made chests, gramophones, solid oak tables, wooden cupboards and sofa sets are some of the furniture greeting us. Ottoman pieces as well as German, British and French furniture are in considerable amount. “In the period before 1800 this kind of furniture were not used by the Ottoman people. There were divans, floor beds and wardrobe beds. After 1850s, they started using them. From palaces it was passed on to manor houses, summer houses, mansions and,after 1950s, to houses. Before 1950s, wealthy classes in Istanbul bought this kind of furniture, but it is only after 1950s that people use them” says Mr. Pekçetin.

He is actually a collector of clocks. He began collecting clocks years ago and bought everything about them. When his clocks were impossible to keep in his house he rents a storeroom in Horhor Antiques Bazaar. But in time it turns into a store, and he is in Kadıköy for six years. He does not like luxurious stores, and likes people to feel comfortable in coming in. There are furniture here priced nearly between 100 YTL and 3000 YTL. “We give some furniture economic value, and take ones that you consider as of no economic value and get them repaired. Someone –workers, varnishers, salesmen- earn money from this job and the one who buys it uses it for years” he says. All are pieces made by carpenters in small workshops. And they have a kind of romanticism: “I bought a clock 45 years ago and fixed it. It had been waiting in a coal cellar all that time, and it was like talking to me when it started working. Later, when there were a number of them on the wall, they were all like telling different memories. Maybe some of them previously shared the same place but they got separated by different causes, and finally met in this store again. I wonder if they are whispering to each other saying ‘Here we have met again“ says Mr. Pekçetin.

Osmancık Antik is one of the old ones in Tellâlzade. They are in this bazaar for eighteen years. Looking like chock full from outside, there are thousands of objects reaching the ceiling in the store. French and Ottoman objects, accessories, glassware and furniture from between the 18th and 19th centuries… Hundreds of kinds of articles and objects from calligraphy sheets to enlargers, cups and trays… Spending hours seeing all these is very easy. Picked one by one from many houses, prices of these objects change between 20 YTL and 3000 $.

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