Essential Istanbul

Spring is the best time of the year to visit Istanbul. Then the hills along the Bosphorus are green with new growth and the flowers of the judas trees dance in the sunlight. Fresh breezes from the Black Sea blow away the last traces of winter's smogs. In summer it can be very hot, especially when the lodos, a SW wind from the Marmara, blows. Keep cool then with a glass of boza, a fermented drink made from millet. In winter there are frequent fogs whose baleful influence is aggravated by smoke from the coal and oil fires used for domestic heating. Snow comes rarely to Istanbul and never lasts very long, but the winter winds from the Bosphorus can be very cold. At that time of year fight the chill with salep, an exotic mixture of hot milk and pounded orchid roots.

'Per Roma non basta una vita', For Rome one life is not long enough. The same could be said about Istanbul. However, there are certain places and buildings like Haghia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Covered Bazaar, which no visitor to the city should miss. These are described below.

There is no better place to begin your visit than in the Byzantine Hippodrome which is in the centre of the old city. Behind you is the massive bulk of Haghia Sophia, former church and mosque, to the E the domes and minarets of the Blue Mosque blot out the sky, while not far away to the N are the courts and kiosks of TopkapI SarayI, where Ottoman sultans dallied during long, perfumed days and nights with their favourite odalisques.

The Byzantine Hippodrome was not only concerned with chariot racing and circuses, it was also the place where great civic events took place. Generals celebrated their triumphs here, heretics were burned here, emperors received the approbation of their subjects here and, on occasions, the bodies of fallen rulers were exposed to the derision and ridicule of the mob in this great open space.

The Hippodrome is now called At Meydani, the Square of the Horses.

The Hippodrome was 480m long by 117.5m wide and it had an estimated capacity of 100,000. Originally constructed by the emperor Septimius Severus c AD 200 to pacify the Byzantines whose city he had captured and sacked in 196, it was rebuilt and enlarged in the 4C AD by Constantine when he made Byzantium his capital. The spina, which ran down the centre, was marked by statues, obelisks and columns. On the top of the outer wall there was an arcade of columns with a classical architrave. Charioteers, performers and the public entered at the N side. The semicircular S end of the Hippodrome is now covered by buildings. The emperor's box, the kathisma, which was surmounted by the gilded horses of Lysippus, was on the E side. It was connected by a private colonnade to the Daphne palace so that the emperor could make good his escape, if the crowd became threatening.

The spectators, who flocked to the Hippodrome, were originally divided into four factions closely associated with the trade guilds of the city. They were the Blues, Greens, Whites and Reds, colours linked with the four elements, water, earth, air and fire. In time the Whites and Reds were absorbed by the other two factions. Both the Blues and the Greens drew members from all classes of society but the leaders of the Blues came mainly from the great landowners and the Senate, while the Greens chose their leaders from trade and industry and from courtiers from the eastern part of the empire. In religion the Blues supported Orthodox Christianity, while the Greens favoured Monophysitism and other heresies.

In January 532 rioting broke out between the two factions in the Hippodrome. The emperor Justinian I acted promptly and had seven of the ringleaders arrested, tried and executed. Five of them died, but two, a Blue and a Green, were found to be alive when they were cut down, and were spirited across the Bosphorus to the monastery of St Lawrence. The authorities decided to starve them to death and posted a guard before the gate. When Justinian took his place in the kuthisma the next day, he was greeted with boos and shouts of 'Nika, Nika' 'Win, Win' from both factions which had combined to show their anger and resentment. The races were started, but had to be abandoned when the mob left the circus and rampaged through the city. They released the prisoners from the palace of the City Prefect and burned it to the ground. Many other civic buildings and churches were destroyed. The next day the mob returned to the Hippodrome and proposed that a man called Probus be elected emperor. Justinian took decisive action. Two groups of Scandinavian mercenaries were despatched to the Hippodrome. In a short time they killed more than 30,000 of the rioters so bringing the Nika revolt to a bloody end.

In 1118 the heresiarch, Basil, was burned at the stake in the Hippodrome. He belonged to the Bogomils, an amalgam of the Manichaeans or Paulicians and the Massalians, who believed that Satan had created the world and mankind and who rejected, among other things, marriage, the eating of meat and the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist (see also Divrigi). Rejecting all the arguments of the emperor and the Holy Synod, Basil refused to recant. 'He was ready to undergo fire and scourgings, to die a thousand deaths'. (The Alexiad of Anna Comnena.)

An enormous trench was dug in the Hippodrome and it was filled with huge tree trunks which were set alight. A cross was placed at one side, so that, if he wished, the heretic could recant at the last moment. In the great crowd, which had gathered to watch, there was a large number of Bogomils. At first Basil laughed and said that angels would pluck him from the flames. Then he was plainly troubled. Like a man at his wit's end he darted his eyes now here, now there, struck his hands together and beat his thighs...he stood, despicable, helpless before every threat, every terror, gaping now at the pyre, now at the spectators' (Alexiad). Then the executioners, fearful of the demons which Basil might conjure up, and of the effect that delay would have on the spectators, picked up his cloak and threw it into the flames. Basil cried out, 'Look, my cloak flies up to the sky', and the executioners, seeing that this was the decisive moment, threw him, clothes, shoes and all on to the pyre. There was no odour, just one smoky line in the centre of the fire.

After the Ottoman conquest the Hippodrome, now the At Meydani, continued to be used for feasts and spectacles. The Seigneur Michael Baudier (1589-1645) has left a vivid account of the celebrations and ceremonies enacted there for the circumcision of one of the sultan's sons. After the presentation of gifts, there were mock battles between soldiers dressed as Muslims and Christians, a re-enactment of the siege of Famagusta, and displays by tumblers, mountebanks and performing animals. Then, the young prince for whom all this had been arranged 'was brought into his Father's Chamber, where he was circumcised by one of the great Men of the Court in the presence of all the Bashas. His wound being cured within a few dayes, hee goes to take his last leave of the Sultana his Mother, whom she shall see no more untill hee comes to take possession of the Empire, after the death of his Father, if hee be the eldest, or to end his life with a halter if hee be a younger brother, when his elder shall Raigne'.

Perhaps the last great event to take place in the At Meydani was the revolt of the Janissaries in 1826.

Sultan Mahmut II wished to incorporate a quarter of the Janissaries in the new corps of infantry which he had formed. They refused. After assembling here, they sent a unit to attack the palace of the Agha of the Janissaries, Hussein Pasha, who supported the sultan's order. Fortunately for him they did not find him. He was in the toilet. So they had to be content with breaking the doors and the windows and attempting to set fire to his palace. Early the next day the Janissaries brought their famous kettles, which they were accustomed to beat when disaffected, to the circus and they sought the support of idle persons. Bands of malcontents, led by Mustafa the Fruiterer and Mustafa the Drunkard, set off to ransack and loot the houses of the Janissaries' enemies. The sultan, with the support of the political and religious establishment, sealed off the At Meydani. The Janissaries refused to listen to reason and the great door of their barracks was blown down and 4000 of them were slain. Many more were rounded up in the capital and in the provinces. All were executed. The power of the Janissaries was broken forever.

Many of the columns of the Hippodrome were reused in Ottoman buildings. The last part of the structure was destroyed in 1609 to make room for Sultan Ahmet Camii. Excavations carried out about 30 years ago have revealed sections of the NE section. Unfortunately, no attempt has been made to preserve these remains and they have suffered considerable damage from weathering and vandalism. Traces of the stairs and the supporting arches, and a few of the seats are still visible.

The obelisk, the Dikili Tash, in the centre of the amphitheatre was erected by Thutmose III (1549-1503 BC) at Deir el Bahri in Upper Egypt. Its top was capped with gold, so that it shone in the sunlight and on it was written 'Thutmose, who crossed the great river of Nahrain (Euphrates) as a mighty conqueror at the head of his army'. It was brought to Constantinople sometime in the 4C and lay on the Marmara shore until 390, when it was erected in its present position by Theodosius I. Originally it was 60m tall, but only the upper third survived the journey. London and Washington also have obelisks of Thutmose III from Deir el Bahri.

The obelisk is supported by four bronze blocks which rest on a marble base. On this base there are reliefs which show Theodosius supervising the erection of the obelisk (N side), watching a chariot race with his family (S side), standing between his sons Arcadius and Honorius (later rulers of the Eastern and Western Roman empires, respectively) and holding a laurel crown for the victor (E side) and, with his nephew Valentinian II ruler of the Western Roman Empire, receiving homage from kneeling captives (W side). The emperors are flanked by Arcadius and Honorius. In the eastern relief note the faces of the spectators below the kathisma. The base is on the original level of the Hippodrome.

Next is the damaged Serpentine Column, the Yilanli Sutun. Originally, the three intertwined serpents supported a victory trophy which stood in the temple of Apollo at Delphi. The trophy was formed from the shields carried by Persian soldiers commanded by Mardonius at the battle of Plataea in Boeotia in 479 BC. The Persians were defeated by a coalition of Greek states led by Pausanias of Sparta and Aristeides of Athens.

Pierre Gilles saw the monument in the 16C. According to him the heads of the serpents were, 'in a triangular pattern and rise very high upon the shaft of the pillar'. It is alleged that they were lopped off by a drunken Polish diplomat after a carouse one night in April 1700. One of the heads has been found and is now in the Archaeological Museum. On the base of the column are the names of the 31 Greek cities which had sent contingents to Plataea.

At the S end of the Hippodrome there is a Stone Pillar, the Ormetash, which has been dated variously to the reigns of Constantine the Great (324-37) and Theodosius I (379-95). According to an inscription, it was restored during the reign of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (913-957) when its limestone blocks were covered with gilt bronze sheets. These disappeared a long time ago, probably during the rape of Constantinople by the Latins in the early 13C (see above).

Sultan Ahmet Camii or the Blue Mosque as it is sometimes called, is built partly on the site of the Hippodrome and partly on the area once occupied by the Byzantine imperial palace. All that remains of the palace are some mosaics from a colonnaded court which probably led from the private apartments of the imperial family to the kathisma. The mosaics are believed to date from c 500 and may be seen in the Mosaic Museum which is on a lower level to the E of the mosque.

The courtyard of Sultan Ahmet Camii, the Blue Mosque, Istanbul.

A monumental portal leads to a huge rectangular courtyard which offers a magnificent view of the facade of the mosque with its enormous central dome and flanking semidomes. The courtyard is bordered by colonnades which are covered by 30 small domes. In the centre there is a fine octagonal shadIrvan. The mosque has six fluted minarets. Those on the corners have three sherefes. The others have two each. Religious tracts and souvenirs are sold in the colonnades.

Visitors enter from a door on the E side. If possible, they should avoid the five times of daily prayers and should always be modestly dressed and behave correctly. Photography is not allowed inside the mosque. During the summer there are son-et-lumiere displays each evening. They begin at 20.00 and the commentaries are in Turkish, English, French and German on successive evenings. Seating is in the square to the E of the mosque.

It took seven years to build Sultan Ahmet Camii and its associated buildings: a medrese, a hospital, a han, a primary school, a market, an imaret and the turbe of the founder. The hospital, the han and the market were pulled down in the 19C, but the market has been restored. The imaret now forms part of Marmara University. Sultan Ahmet was only 19 years old when he commissioned the architect Mehmet Aga to build his mosque. So anxious was he to see it completed that he often helped with the construction work. In the 17C apparently only the mosque at Mecca had six minarets and, to avoid problems with the religious establishment, Ahmet sent his architect there to construct a seventh.

Inside, the mosque measures 53m by 51m. The central dome is supported by four huge, free standing pillars, which continue above the roof level in the form of octagonal towers. The dome is 23.5m in a diameter and the distance from the floor to its centre is 43m. The mihrab and the mimber are elaborately carved from white Proconnesian marble. In the mihrab, which is flanked by two fine candelabra, there is a small piece of the stone of the Kaaba from Mecca. The announcement of the dissolution of the Janissaries was made from the mimber in 1826 (see above). The roof of the Sultan's loge is beautifully decorated with painted floral and arabesque designs.

The great glory of Sultan Ahmet Camii is the decoration of the lower section of the walls of the prayer hall and of the galleries with 20,000 tiles. The best of these were produced in Iznik, some of them before 1585. They were the work of Persian and Turkish ceramists. The remaindet, which are cruder and heavier in design, were made in Kutahya. The Iznik tiles depict carnations, lilies, tulips, roses and cypresses and other trees. They are in the galleries, which are not usually open to the public, and on the N wall above the main entrance. It is said that each of the Iznik tiles cost the sultan 18 akces. An akce was one third of a para. (By way of comparison a teacher in the palace school received about three paras a day).

Two hundred and sixty windows fill the mosque with a soft gentle light. They were once set with beautiful 17C stained glass. Unfortunately, this has disappeared and has been replaced with inferior copies. Before leaving the mosque note the elaborate decoration of the window shutters and the fine bronze doors in the courtyard.

On the W side of the At Meydani is the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art. This occupies the former Palace of Ibrahim Pasha, the Grand Vizier of Suleyman the Magnificent. Used for a time as a barracks and a prison, it has been lovingly restored in recent years.

This palace proved to be the undoing of Ibrahim. Roxelana, who had always been jealous of his friendship with her husband, persuaded Suleyman that his Grand Vizier had ambitions to replace him on the throne and that these ambitions were made manifest by his grand new palace. As a result of her scheming, Ibrahim was executed and his possessions, including the palace, were confiscated.

The museum has a splendid collection of ceramics, miniatures, calligraphy, objects of wood and metal, manuscripts, kilims, glassware and folk art. Note especially the fascinating display in the ethnographic section of exhibits concerning the Yuruk people.

'The mind rises sublime to commune with God, feeling that He cannot be far off, but must especially love to dwell in the place which he has chosen'. Thus wrote the 6C historian Procopius about Haghia Sophia. For Paul the Silentiary Justinian's great church resembled a beacon in the darkness, 'not only does it guide the merchant at night, like the rays of the Pharos on the coast of Africa, but it shows the way to the living God'.

Haghia Sophia was built by Justinian to replace the earlier Theodosian church which was destroyed during the Nika riots in 532 (see above). It was the third church to occupy this site. The first, erected during the reign of Constantius, was burned down in 404 during the riots which marked the second banishment of the patriarch, St John Chrysostom, by the emperor Arcadius. Its replacement was consecrated on 10 October 415 during the reign of Theodosius II (408-50).

Unusually, Justinian chose mathematicians, Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus, to design and build his church. Anthemius died shortly after work had begun on the building and it was completed by Isidorus in five years. It was consecrated to Haghia Sophia, the Divine Wisdom of Christ, on the feast of the Protomartyr St Stephen, 26 December 537, in the presence of Justinian and the empress Theodora. According to the late and largely legendary Narratio Justinian is said to have exclaimed on entering the building, 'Glory to God who has thought me worthy to finish this work. Solomon, I have outdone you'.

Damaged by an earthquake, it was rebuilt by Isidorus the Younger, the nephew of Isidorus of Miletus who had died, and was reconsecrated on Christmas Eve 563. Justinian, who was 81 years old, attended the ceremony alone. Theodora had died 25 years before. Apart from the period of the Latin Occupation of Constantinople between 1204 and 1261, it was the principal church of Greek Orthodox Christians until the capture of the city by Mehmet II in 1453. Mehmet had a minaret added to the SE corner and converted it into a mosque and so it remained until 1932. It was re-opened in 1934 as a museum.

Many great religious and imperial ceremonies took place in Haghia Sophia during the centuries of Byzantine rule. According to the Primary Russian Chronicle the emissaries of Prince Vladimir of Kiev (972-1015) were so overcome when they attended a service there that they knew not whether they were in heaven or on earth. 'For on earth there is no such splendour or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We only know that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty'.

Haghia Sophia was sacked by the Latins in 1204 and many of its treasures carried away to the West (see above). suffered another violent change after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453. According to Evliya celebi Mehmet II: caused this ancient place of worship to be cleared of its idolatrous impurities and purified from the blood of the slain, and having refreshed the brain of the victorious Muslims by fumigating it with amber and lign-aloes, converted it that very hour into a cami, by erecting a contracted mihrab, mimber, mahfil, and menareh, in that place which might rival Paradise. On the following Friday the faithful were summoned to prayer by the muezzins, who proclaimed with a loud voice this text (Kor. XXXIII. 56): 'Verily, God and his angels bless the Prophet'.

Then Mehmet had a turban placed on his and a naked sword in his hand, and ascending the mimber, cried out in a loud voice 'Praise be to God the Lord of all the worlds' (Kor.i.i.) and all the victorious Muslims lifted their hands and gave a great shout of joy.

Grave stelae, columns and architectural fragments, which were found in various parts of the city during recent years, are displayed in the garden of Haghia Sophia. Note the reconstructed ambo from Beyazit Basilica A. Just in front of the exonarthex are the remains of the Theodosian church. An idea of its size may be gained from the massive fragments scattered on the ground nearby. Apparently, this was a basilica with a wide nave and four side aisles. Look for the helpful plan and reconstruction near the ruins. Justinian's Haghia Sophia is a rectangular building measuring c 70m by 75m. On the W side there are an exonarthex and a narthex and on E a semicircular apse. Above the central area is the dome. This is flanked on the E and W sides by semidomes and conches. There are galleries over the side aisles and the narthex.

Later additions to the building include the buttresses on all four sides, which were intended mainly to counteract earthquake damage, the four minarets, which were added after the church was converted into a mosque, the baptistery, the shadIrvan and the Ottoman tombs on the S side. All of the mosaics in Haghia Sophia were covered with plaster and whitewash by the Muslims. They were cleaned and restored by members of the Byzantine Institute between 1932 and 1964.

In the narthex, above the Imperial Gate, as the great door into the nave was called, there is a mosaic of an enthroned Christ. The Greek text on the open book, which he holds in his left hand, states, 'Peace be with you, I am the Light of the World'. His right hand is raised in blessing. In two roundels there are representations of the Blessed Virgin and of a angel holding a wand. This mosaic has been dated to the reign of Leo VI the Wise (886-912). The prostrate figure on the left is believed to be that of the emperor. Mosaics from Justinian's church may be seen on the vaults of the narthex and of the side aisles. They have architectural forms and multicoloured geometrical and floral designs surrounded by large areas of plain gold. It is not known with certainty whether any of the mosaics in his church depicted the human form; such images would not have survived the excesses of the Iconoclastic period (730-843).

The central section of the great nave is delimited by four massive pillars. Above it is the dome, 31m in diameter and, at its highest point, 55m from the marble floor. According to Procopius this wonderful structure 'does not appear to rest upon a solid foundation, but to cover the place beneath as though it were suspended from heaven by the fabled golden chain'.

The two huge urns of Proconnesian marble on either side of the great door were a gift of Murat III (1574-95). With a capacity each of 1250 litres, they were filled with water which was used by the worshippers to quench their thirst and for lustral rites. The structure to the right of the apse was for the cantors during the Ottoman period. A mosaic circle on the floor is believed to mark the position of the Byzantine emperor's throne during the coronation ceremony.

The mihrab in the apse, the carved mimber, and the eight painted wooden disks, date from the period when the building was used as a mosque. The 17C disks, which bear the names of God, Muhammad, two of the caliphs and two of the grandsons of the Prophet, were taken down after the building became a museum. Too large to pass through the doors and too valuable to cut up they were replaced in their original positions.

In the conch of the apse there is a very fine mid 9C mosaic of the Mother of God and the Christ Child. Note the massive figure of the Archangel Gabriel at the bottom of the arch which surrounds the apse. Only fragments of the matching figure of the Archangel Michael on the other side remain. On the N tympanum wall there are mosaic portraits of three important saints of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches: the 9C Ignatius of Constantinople (on the right), the 5C John Chrysostom (in the centre) and the 2C Ignatius of Antioch, surnamed Theophoros, the Bearer of God (on the left). John Chrysostom and Ignatius were patriarchs of the city.

The only figurative mosaics to remain uncovered during the Ottoman period were those of the angels on the E pendentives. They date from the mid 14C. Those on the W pendentives are 19C copies. In the S gallery there a mosaic of the Empress Zoe and her third husband Constantine IX (1042-55) kneeling on either side of an enthroned Christ.

Zoe was singularly unlucky in love. At the age of 23 she was engaged to the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, but he died of a fever and Zoe spent the next 20 years confined to the women's quarters of the palace. Her father Constantine VIII had no son to succeed him, so a marriage was arranged in haste between Zoe and the sexagenarian senator Romanus Argyrus. As she was well beyond the age of childbearing, Zoe and Romanus resorted to all kinds of charms, ointments and potions in an effort to make her pregnant. They had no success and Romanus, tiring of the game, came to hate his wife.

Zoe became infatuated with a low-born Paphlagonian boy, Michael, the brother of a eunuch, John the Orphanotrophus, who held an important position in the court. Zoe seduced the boy and after Romanus conveniently died, possibly of hellebore poisoning, married Michael in 1034. She was 56, he was 16. Michael had never loved Zoe and soon after their marriage, refused to have any physical contact with her. She was banished again to the women's quarters. Michael IV had always suffered from epilepsy and the attacks became more frequent and prolonged. He began to deteriorate physically. He lost his good looks completely and become gross and bloated. Before he died in 1041, Zoe was brought to the court and induced to adopt a nephew of John the Orphanotrophus, called Michael Calaphates (Calaphates means 'caulker', the trade of Michael's father).

Michael V Calaphates (1041-42) had always hated Zoe and about a year after his coronation he accused her of attempted regicide. His soldiers dragged her from the women's quarters and she was shut up in a convent in Prinkipo (Buyuk Ada). It is said that Michael gloated over her shaven tresses as she was taken away from Constantinople. However, Zoe was to have her revenge. She and her sister Theodora were much loved by the people who called them familiarly in Greek, 'Mamai', the 'Mums'. Zoe was brought back from exile and after a period of terrible rioting in the city, on the evening of 20 April 1042 Michael V was deposed, blinded and exiled to the monastery of Eleimon on Chios.

In 1042 Zoe ruled the Byzantine Empire with her sister Theodora. This period of joint rule was not successful and at the age of 64 Zoe married again. Her third husband was Constantine IX Monomachus. He had a mistress, Sclerina, and it would appear that Zoe shared her husband with Sclerina in a happy menage a trois until her death at the age of 72 in 1050. The head on this mosaic is that of Constantine IX. It replaced those of her first and second husbands, Romanus III Argyrus (1028-34) and Michael IV (1034-41).

Also in the S gallery there is a fine fragmentary late 13C mosaic of the Deisis. Christ is flanked by St John on the right and Mary on the left. The artist has produced a powerful representation of their pleas for the salvation of mankind.

Opposite this mosaic is the lid of the sarcophagus of Enrico Dandolo, the Doge of Venice, who died on 1 June 1205. Dandolo was 90 years old when he led the Crusaders and the Venetian soldiers against Constantinople in 1204 (see above). According to the historian Andrea Dandolo, the Doge was arrested and partially blinded on the orders of Manuel I Comnenus (1143-80), when he came to Constantinople in 1171 as one of the Venetian peace emissaries. At any rate he hated, and perhaps envied, the Byzantines. It is said that after the capture of the city by the Turks in 1453 Dandolo's tomb was broken open and his bones fed to the dogs.

The third mosaic in the gallery is to the right of the window. This shows John II Comnenus (1118-43 and his wife Eirene presenting gifts to the Virgin and the Christ Child. The 17-year-old prince depicted on the side wall is their eldest son, Alexius, who died in 1122 shortly after the mosaic was finished. His pale, lined face already shows signs of the illness which was to carry him away. John Comnenus was probably the greatest of the Comneni emperors, prudent, energetic and upright. He put an end to the invasions of the Patzinaks, warlike nomads from southern Russia, established his sovereignty over the Serbs, gained important victories against the Danishmendid Turks and the Armenians and captured Antioch.

In the NW corner of the northern gallery there is a mosaic of Alexander (912-13) wearing the magnificent dress of a Byzantine emperor. An inscription in four roundels says, 'Lord help thy servant, the orthodox and faithful Emperor Alexander'. Neither orthodox nor faithful, Alexander was one of the worst emperors ever to occupy the throne of Byzantium. Mad, bad and cruel, he proposed to castrate his six-year-old nephew, Constantine, so as to make him ineligible for the succession. Fortunately his reign was short. After 13 months he died, worn out by constant dissipation. Boorish and drunken, Alexander was also credulous. Believing that the bronze boar in the Hippodrome was his alter idem, he had it fitted with new teeth and genitalia in the hope that this would revive his own exhausted parts.

To the left of the entrance, in the N aisle, is the so called sweating pillar. This is associated with St Gregory Thaumaturgus, St Gregory the Wonderworker (c 213-70). A native of Pontus and a disciple of Origen, Gregory became bishop of Neocaesarea in 240. There was a popular belief that the saint had appeared in the church shortly after its completion and placed healing powers in the stone of this pillar. It was considered to be particularly efficacious for eye diseases and infertility problems and the church authorities had to encase the stone with brass to protect it from the hands of sufferers. However, they managed to pierce the brass and people still place their fingers in the hole to catch some drops of the precious healing liquid.

Leave Haghia Sophia by the Vestibule of the Warriors at the S end of the narthex. During the Byzantine period the imperial guard waited here while the emperors attended church services. In the lunette above the door leading from the vestibule to the narthex there is a beautiful mosaic of the Blessed Virgin and the Christ Child flanked by two figures. On the right Constantine the Great offers a miniature city, Constantinople, while on the left Justinian I offers a model of Haghia Sophia. This mosaic is believed to date from the reign of Basil II Bulgaroctonus, the Bulgar-Slayer (976-1025), The domed building to the left of the exit was the Byzantine baptistery.

The Ottomans used it first as a lamp store and then as a mausoleum,

Two sultans are buried here. Both of them were mad. Mustafa I (1617-18 and 1622-23) came straight from the Kafes, knowing only what he had learned from women and eunuchs. Acting frequently on whim, he made two of his favourite pages governors of Damascus and Cairo. Incompetent and constantly in fear of execution, he was soon deposed and replaced by the able Osman II (1618-22). Mustafa returned to the throne, however, after Osman had fallen to the wrath of the Janissaries, and his second term in office was even more disastrous than his first. He was declared insane and removed.

Sultan Ibrahim (1640-56) came from a similar background. He was 24 years old when he acceded and had been in the Kafes from the age of two. Without education or experience, he depended on cliques of competing courtiers and family members for advice. At the time of his accession he was the only living descendent of Osman and so was encouraged to father children. However, he was subject to bouts of impotence and turned for help to a quack named Cinci Hoca (lit. the Witch Doctor Teacher). Apparently Cinci's potions worked and he was loaded with gifts, but when Ibrahim was deposed, Cinci Hoca and his friend Pezevenk (lit. the Pimp) were torn to piece by a mob in the At Meydani.

A year after coming to the throne, it was reported that 24 concubines pleasured Ibrahim in the course of a single day. He made one, an enormously fat Armenian, governor of Damascus. Called sheker Parca (Piece of Sugar), it is said she weighed more than 136kg.

There are many bizarre stories told about Ibrahim and his concubines. One, perhaps apocryphal, concerns a girl who was caught in flagrante. Informed secretly of this slight to his honour, Ibrahim tried to discover the name of the offender. His efforts proved unsuccessful and he had all 280 concubines drowned in batches. A diver, who went down to examine a wreck in the Bosphorus, found a great number of sacks, each with a dead woman inside, swaying and bobbing in the current. Only one managed to escape. She was taken aboard a boat bound for France and told her rescuers about the ghastly vengeance of the sultan.

Ibrahim had a passion for furs, especially sables, and covered the walls of TopkapI with rare specimens. He devoted most of his time and energy to his concubines and his extravagant ways drained the treasury. Towards the end of his reign he was known to his subjects as Deli Ibrahim, Crazy Ibrahim. Deposed, he was strangled on the strength of a fatwa issued by the chief jurisconsult.

On the W shore of the Bosphorus, not far from Sirkeci station where for many years Orient Express passengers alighted, there is a a more pleasant reminder of Ibrahim's reign. The Sepetciler Koshku takes its name from the sepetciler or basket weavers who built this pavilion for him in 1647. From here Ibrahim and his successors were accustomed to embark on one of the royal barges for a day's excursion on the Bosphorus or the Golden Horn. The pavilion was restored recently and it is now the Internation efficacious for eye diseases and infertility problems and the church authorities had to encase the stone with brass to protect it from the hands of sufferers. However, they managed to pierce the brass and people still place their fingers in the hole to catch some drops of the precious healing liquid.

Leave Haghia Sophia by the Vestibule of the Warriors at the S end of the narthex. During the Byzantine period the imperial guard waited here while the emperors attended church services. In the lunette above the door leading from the vestibule to the narthex there is a beautiful mosaic of the Blessed Virgin and the Christ Child flanked by two figures. On the right Constantine the Great offers a miniature city, Constantinople, while on the left Justinian I offers a model of Haghia Sophia. This mosaic is believed to date from the reign of Basil II Bulgaroctonus, the Bulgar-Slayer (976-1025), The domed building to the left of the exit was the Byzantine baptistery.

The Ottomans used it first as a lamp store and then as a mausoleum, Two sultans are buried here. Both of them were mad. Mustafa I (1617-18 and 1622-23) came straight from the Kafes, knowing only what he had learned from women and eunuchs. Acting frequently on whim, he made two of his favourite pages governors of Damascus and Cairo. Incompetent and constantly in fear of execution, he was soon deposed and replaced by the able Osman II (1618-22). Mustafa returned to the throne, however, after Osman had fallen to the wrath of the Janissaries, and his second term in office was even more disastrous than his first. He was declared insane and removed.

Sultan Ibrahim (1640-56) came from a similar background. He was 24 years old when he acceded and had been in the Kafes from the age of two. Without education or experience, he depended on cliques of competing courtiers and family members for advice. At the time of his accession he was the only living descendent of Osman and so was encouraged to father children. However, he was subject to bouts of impotence and turned for help to a quack named Cinci Hoca (lit. the Witch Doctor Teacher). Apparently Cinci's potions worked and he was loaded with gifts, but when Ibrahim was deposed, Cinci Hoca and his friend Pezevenk (lit. the Pimp) were torn to piece by a mob in the At Meydani.

A year after coming to the throne, it was reported that 24 concubines pleasured Ibrahim in the course of a single day. He made one, an enormously fat Armenian, governor of Damascus. Called sheker Parca (Piece of Sugar), it is said she weighed more than 136kg.

There are many bizarre stories told about Ibrahim and his concubines. One, perhaps apocryphal, concerns a girl who was caught in flagrante. Informed secretly of this slight to his honour, Ibrahim tried to discover the name of the offender. His efforts proved unsuccessful and he had all 280 concubines drowned in batches. A diver, who went down to examine a wreck in the Bosphorus, found a great number of sacks, each with a dead woman inside, swaying and bobbing in the current. Only one managed to escape. She was taken aboard a boat bound for France and told her rescuers about the ghastly vengeance of the sultan.

Ibrahim had a passion for furs, especially sables, and covered the walls of TopkapI with rare specimens. He devoted most of his time and energy to his concubines and his extravagant ways drained the treasury. Towards the end of his reign he was known to his subjects as Deli Ibrahim, Crazy Ibrahim. Deposed, he was strangled on the strength of a fatwa issued by the chief jurisconsult.

On the W shore of the Bosphorus, not far from Sirkeci station where for many years Orient Express passengers alighted, there is a a more pleasant reminder of Ibrahim's reign. The Sepetciler Koshku takes its name from the sepetciler or basket weavers who built this pavilion for him in 1647. From here Ibrahim and his successors were accustomed to embark on one of the royal barges for a day's excursion on the Bosphorus or the Golden Horn. The pavilion was restored recently and it is now the Internation Press Centre.

The Turkish rococo shadIrvan in the centre of the courtyard was the gift of Mahmut I (1730-54). The small domed building to the left of the exit to the street was the muvakkitane, the clock room of the mosque timekeeper. Look for his sundial on the SW corner of Haghia Sophia.

There are several imperial Ottoman tombs in this part of the garden of Haghia Sophia. The small Turbe of the Princes contains the bodies of five infant sons of Murat IV (1622-40). They were the victims of one of the many epidemics that raged through the Harem from time to time.

In the adjoining, larger turbe are buried Murat III (1574-95), his favourite wife, Safiye, four of his concubines, 23 of his sons and 25 of his daughters. He had 40 concubines in all and fathered about 130 sons and countless daughters. (According to Evliya celebi he had a total of 326 children.) To ensure the succession of her son, Mehmet, Safiye ordered the execution of 19 of Murat's sons and 20 of his daughters on the day of his death. One was torn from its mother's breast and, mewing and crying, was speedily despatched. Mehmet III summoned his brothers to his presence and told them that they need have no fear. The time had come for their circumcisions. The oldest was eleven and they were 'very fair and pretty boys'. The surgeons were in the next room and the cutting was done quickly. Then the children were taken to the adjoining room where the deaf mutes were waiting with their silken cords. One young boy was eating chestnuts when the executioner approached him. 'Let me eat my chestnuts', the child begged, 'and strangle me afterwards'. His request was refused.

This was the last time the Ottoman practice of killing possible contenders to the throne was carried out. Thereafter the younger brothers of the new sultan were confined in the kafes, in TopkapI where nothing was denied them but their freedom.

The hexagonal turbe was constructed by the architect Davut Aga in 1599. Note the very fine Iznik tiles on its walls.

The next turbe is that of Selim II (1566-74), sometimes known as Selim the Sot. The dome of this square building rests on the outer walls which are covered, outside and inside, with the finest Iznik tiles. It was built by Sinan, architect to Suleyman the Magnificent, in 1577. In addition to Selim, Nur Banu his first wife, five of his sons who were murdered by Nur Banu to ensure the succession of her son Murat, three of his daughters and 32 of his grandchildren, the children of Murat III, are buried here.

The last turbe, an octagonal structure, houses the remains of Mehmet III (1595-1603) who was succeeded by his oldest surviving son, Ahmet I.

In 1599 Mehmet received the gift of an organ from Elizabeth I of England. Hoping to curry favour with him and to gain his support for her struggle against Spain, she cited the hatred of the Protestants and the Muslims for 'worshippers of images'. The organ was brought to Constantinople by one Thomas Dallam and set up in a beautifully decorated kiosk which Dallam believed had been specially constructed for the strangling of members of the sultan's family. 'I stood there', he wrote, 'playinge suche things as I could until the cloke strouke'. Rewarded by the sultan, who was very pleased by the recital, Dallam was taken on a tour of the palace and allowed a glimpse of members of the harem playing ball in a garden. If caught, the penalty for this act of voyeurism would have been death, probably preceded by lengthy torture.

After the conquest of Constantinople Mehmet II lived in a new palace which he had constructed on the Third Hill. Later known as Eski Saray, this has disappeared completely. Most of the site is now occupied by the buildings of the University of Istanbul. Later Mehmet commenced the building of TopkapI SarayI, the Palace of the Cannon-Gate on the site of the old Byzantine acropolis.

Its name was derived from two cannon which pointed towards Saray Burnu and the stretch of water beyond. Mehmet's successors added to the palace and, at the height of its glory, more than 3000 persons lived there. In 1853 Abdul Mecit I (1839-61) moved his court to the newly-built Dolmabace Palace on the Bosphorus. Until 1909, when the Harem was disbanded, the wives and concubines of former sultans continued to live in Topkapi. In its last, sad days it was the refuge of a few servants and eunuchs. They remained there until the palace was turned into a museum in 1924. In recent years many of the buildings have been repaired and restored and parts of the Harem have been opened to the public for the first time.

The palace was divided into five courts. In the first court there were the royal bakeries, a hospital for the pages, the imperial mint, part of the treasury and servants' accommodation. The second court was the Court of the Divan, the Imperial Council. In addition to the Council Chamber it had a mosque, the records' office, the palace kitchen, the stables and the inner treasury. One of the entrances to the Harem was located here. The third court was occupied mainly by buildings for the training of the ic oglanlarI, the royal pages. Only members of the sultan's household and high officials could enter this part of the palace. The fourth court contained the residential quarters of the sultan and the royal princes, the Harem and a number of pavilions in a large enclosed garden.

Entrance to the First Court is by the Bab-i Humayun, the Imperial Gate or the Gate of Felicity. This was built by Mehmet II. The niches on either side were often used to display the heads of executed criminals or rebels. In addition to Mehmet's tugra there are inscriptions recording the building of the gate and its reconstruction in the 19C by Abdul Aziz, and some verses from the Koran. The First Court was sometimes known as the Court of the Janissaries, as they assemble here when on guard duty at the palace. Unfortunately, Haghia Eirene, the church of Divine Peace, located to the left of the gate, is often closed.

From the earliest times there was a church on this site. Rebuilt by Constantine the Great or his son Constantius, Haghia Eirene was the scene of some of the religious disputations between the heretical Arians and the orthodox majority which accepted the Nicene Creed. The Second Ecumenical Council, which upheld the Creed and condemned the Arians, was held here in 381. Haghia Eirene was burned down during the Nika riots in 532 (see above) and rebuilt c 537. Thereafter, both it and Haghia Sophia were served by the same clergy. The building was badly damaged by fire in 564 and restored by Justinian. It suffered further damage from an earthquake in 740 and was repaired by Leo III or his son Constantine V. Some minor additions were made during the Ottoman period when the church was used as an arsenal by the Janissaries.

Entrance is by a porch on the W side erected during the Turkish period. A ramp leads down to the aisle-the floor of the building is c 5m lower than the level of the ground outside. The original approach was by way of an atrium and narthex on the NW side. The church, which measures c 42m by 36.7m, has an apse at the SE end. The central area is covered by a dome supported by a high drum. On the conch of the apse there is a mosaic cross on a gold background. The Greek inscription above is a rather inaccurate rendering of Psalm 65, vs. 4 and 5. It reads, 'Happy is the man of thy choice, whom thou dost bring to dwell in thy courts; let us enjoy the blessing of thy house, thy holy temple'. The inscription above the bema arch is from Amos ix. 6. The rather plain sarcophagi in the atrium are believed to contain the bones of early Byzantine emperors.

Concerts of classical music are given in Haghia Eirene during Istanbul's annual International Festival.

The Ottoman imperial mint and outer treasury were housed in buildings to the N of Haghia Eirene. The ic oglanlarI were treated in the infirmary in the first court. While ill, rules were relaxed and they were allowed to drink wine which was lowered over the wall by the palace gardeners. After performing his morning duties the Chief Executioner, who was also the Head Gardener, washed his hands and sword in the Cellad ceshmesi the Executioner's Fountain. This is in the NE corner of the court. The short pillars on either side of the fountain were called the 'Example Stones', as decapitated heads were placed on them pour encourager les autres. into the Second Court.

The Bab-us Selam, Sometimes known as the Orta KapI, the Middle Gate, it is much more ornate than the Imperial Gate. The outer door bears the date 1524-25 and above it is the tugra of Suleyman the Magnificent. Only authorised visitors were allowed through this gate and then only on foot. One of the small rooms to the right was reserved for visiting ambassadors and other callers of note. On the left there was a tiny room for the principal executioner and a cell where condemned prisoners were held while awaiting decapitation. It was in these rooms that Lord Byron and the British Ambassador were detained, when they came for an audience with Mahmut II in 1809. Much to his lordship's disgust they had to wait for a very long time, in darkness, until the Janissaries, who numbered about 4000, had 'run for their pilau, which is placed in innumerable little pewter dishes and, at a given signal, scrambled for and seized upon by the soldiery'.

the Gate of Salutations leads

On the S side of the court are the ten Royal kitchens. Here, in the great period of Ottoman power, the cooks prepared food for more than 4000 people every day. The Janissaries came to the palace three times in the year for their pay and were each given a loaf of bread. All the loaves had to be the same weight. From time to time one was chosen at random and weighed. If found to be too light or too heavy, the baker who had made it could have his right hand chopped off. The palace's fine collection of porcelain is now displayed in the kitchens. The distinctive chimneys were added by Sinan after the fire of 1574.

On the NW side are the Stables which are not open to the public. To the right of this complex is the entrance to the Harem. A separate ticket is needed for this part of the palace. During the holiday period visitors may have to wait several hours before being able to join a tour of the Harem. Accordingly, buy your ticket immediately after entering the second court. The domed building next to Harem entrance is the Divan. The room on the left was the Council Chamber. The low couch around three sides of the room is the divan which gave its name to the Council. The Grand Vizier sat in the centre with the other viziers on either side in order of seniority. The small window, covered by a grille, on the wall above the Grand Vizier's head was called the Eye of the Sultan, as this allowed the ruler to see and hear the discussions of the Council without being seen himself. The Council Chamber has been restored to the state it was in after the repairs of Murat III in the 16C. Note the fine Iznik tiles on the lower part of the walls and the rather faded painted decoration on the upper section and on the dome. The next room was the Records' Office. It now houses the palace's collection of clocks which includes one made in London in 1740 and another, the gift of Napoleon, ornamented with rubies and emeralds. The third room was the Office of the Grand Vizier. Next to the Divan is the Inner Treasury where there is a splendid collection of arms and armour.

The Bab-u Saadet, the Gate of Felicity, led to the private part of the palace. This dates from the reign of Mehmet II, but was reconstructed in the 16C and redecorated two centuries later. On religious holidays and at the time of his accession the sultan sat before this gate to receive pledges of loyalty from his subjects. Immediately beyond the gate is the Arz OdasI, the Audience Chamber. Here the sultan received ambassadors and the Grand Viziers who reported to him on the proceedings of the Divan and here he gave the royal assent to those proposals of the Council which he accepted. The foundations of the chamber date from the time of the Conqueror, but it has been restored several times. The canopy over the throne and the chimney piece are the only furnishings to survive a disastrous fire in the mid 19C. The circular red stone near the entrance marks the spot where the body of the reforming sultan Selim III rested after his cowardly assassination by his nephew Mustafa IV.

The rooms to the right and the left of the gate were the introductory schools for the ic oglanlarI, the royal pages, and the living quarters of the White Eunuchs and their Aga who were responsible for the discipline and education of the boys.

Just behind the Audience Chamber is the early 18C Library of Ahmet III which is not open to the public. It contains about 3000 valuable books and manuscripts including number in Arabic and Greek.

The Costume Museum houses about 3000 costumes, some of them dating from the time of the Conqueror. Note the blood-stained kaftan of the youthful and able Osman II (1618-22) who was deposed and then murdered by the Janissaries. His assassination set a fearful precedent which was to be followed all too often in later years.

The Treasury occupies the suite of rooms used by Mehmet II and some of successors as a selamlIk. Among the many valuable objects exhibited here are the emerald-encrusted TopkapI Dagger, the Throne of Shah Ismail, and the 86 karat KashIkcI ElmasI the Spoonmaker's Diamond.

Topkapi's collection of about 13,000 miniatures is, perhaps, its greatest treasure. Look especially for the three Albums of Mehmet II which contain miniatures depicting scenes of the Turkish homeland in Central Asia, these are believed to date from the 13C to the middle of the 15C; the Description of Suleyman's Campaign in the Two Iraqs by Matrakci Nasuh; and the Hunername, the Shahanshahname, and Surname, the books of accomplishments, of the king of kings and of festivals, which were commissioned by Murat III.

On the W side of the court are the Agalar Camii, the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle and the Has Oda. Teachers and pupils worshipped in the Agalar Camii. In the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle are the relics of the Prophet which Selim I brought from Egypt in 1517. In addition to the Holy Mantle, a plain black camel hair cloak, there are hairs from the beard of the Prophet, one of his teeth, his seal and his footprint. The Holy Standard, which preceded Ottoman sultans into battle from the 16C onwards, is also kept here.

The pages were drawn mainly from the boys produced by the periodic devshirme levies of Christian children. The most comely and talented, who attended on the sultan, were trained in the Has Oda, where they learned to read and write Persian, Arabic and Ottoman Turkish. They were instructed in religion, practised calligraphy and became proficient in the use of arms. There was a considerable emphasis on sport, particularly wrestling, weight-lifting, archery and riding. The discipline was strict. Great care was taken over their physical appearance. A page had to bathe each day and shave twice a week. He had a weekly manicure and pedicure and a haircut once each month. He was subjected to a body search each day for spices, which were believed to inflame the passions, and for love letters written, presumably, by his companions, as pages were allowed no contact with girls. At the beginning of the reign of the youthful Mehmet IV (1648-87), his Grand Vizier Sofu Mehmet ended the devshirme system and dismissed most of the pages, 'who traditionally had served the sultans and satisfied their pleasures' (Stanford J. Shaw). The highest offices in the land were open to graduates of the Has Oda and many served in important government posts, contributing substantially to the stability and strength of the Ottoman Empire. According to the Venetian ambassador Morosini, they proudly claimed to be the slaves of their lord, the sultan, as they knew that the government was composed of slaves whom they commanded. The Has Oda now houses a collection of manuscripts which display fine calligraphy from all periods.

The Rivan Kosku commemorates the capture of Erivan in Armenia by Murat IV in 1636. The Sunnet OdasI was built by the mad Sultan Ibrahim (see above) in 1641. It was used for the circumcision ceremonies of Ottoman princes until the 18C. Note the beautiful tiles on the exterior and interior walls.

In the Fourth Court there are several structures set in a pleasant garden overlooking the Sea of Marmara. These include the Baghdad Koshku, which commemorates Murat IV's capture of Baghdad in 1638, and a delightful small balcony covered with a domed canopy. Here Ibrahim the Mad was accustomed to break his fast after sunset during the month of Ramazan. There is a fine view westward from the balcony towards the Golden Horn and the buildings which crowd the skyline above it. Nearby is the large marble fountain into which Ibrahim was accustomed to throw his lady friends during his frequent wild orgies.

In the lower garden Ahmet III (1673-1736) celebrated some of his famous Tulip Festivals. Interest in tulips was so intense at this time that it became known as the Lale Devri, the Tulip Period. Rare strains of the flower were grown and their possession often led the owner to high office. At night parties and festivals were celebrated in beautifully laid out gardens in the palace and in other parts of the city. Dancers, musicians and singing birds entertained the guests while illumination was provided by candles carried on the backs of tortoises. Trousers and gowns became all the rage and sofas and chairs replaced the traditional divans.

The Sofa Kosku in the lower garden was probably used by Ahmet for discreet rendezvous. The tower to the S was known variously as the Bashlala Kulesi, the Head Tutor's Tower, and the HekimbashI OdasI, the Room of the Sultan's Chief Physician. The Mecidiye Koshku was built at the behest of Abdul Mecit I in 1840, 13 years before he moved with his court to the new palace of Dolmabace on the Bosphorus. The pavilion now houses the KonyalI Restaurant, a delightful place where visitors may relax and refresh themselves before going on to explore the Harem. There are fine views of the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara from the restaurant terrace.

There are about 300 rooms in the Harem, but only about 20 are visited during the course of the guided tour. The cariyeler, the concubines, were brought to the palace when they were between 12 and 14 years old. Some were captives, others were simply kidnapped, while a number were bought from their poverty-stricken parents. They had to be intelligent and had to conform to the standards of beauty prevailing at the time. They were paid a small wage and taught to read and write. They learned embroidery, cooking, dancing and how to play musical instruments. Foreign girls had to learn Turkish. The ambition of each concubine was to catch the eye of the sultan, be bedded by him and produce a male child. A cariye whose son succeeded to the throne became the Valide Sultan, the Queen Mother, a position of great power not only in the Harem but also in the state. The first concubine to reside in TopkapI was Roxelana (see below).

The cariyeler were supervised by the sinister Black Eunuchs who were chosen for their ugliness so that they would not arouse unwelcome passions in the breasts of their charges. Exercising almost unlimited power, the eunuchs carried in their turbans, almost as a badge of office, the silver tube which permitted them to urinate. The tour will take you to the Courtyard of the Black Eunuchs, then through the Cumle KapIsI, the principal door to the Harem, and on to the AltIn Yol, the Golden Passageway. This leads to the Courtyard of the Valide Sultan.

One of the finest rooms in the Harem is the Salon of Murat III. Note the beautiful Iznik tiles, the bronze chimney piece and the fountain of carved polychrome marble. Other notable rooms are the 17C Library of Ahmet I and the Dining Room of Ahmet III with its characteristic Tulip Period decoration (see above). A delightful touch is provided by the representation of a duck and her brood of downy yellow ducklings.

When the Ottomans abandoned the practice of killing all the male relatives of a new sultan, they were confined to the kafes or cage in the Harem (see above). This was probably located over the strangely named Cinlerin Meshveret Yeri, the Council Place of the Djinns. The schoolroom of the princes was above the quarters of the Aga of the Black Eunuchs. The royal children were allowed to exercise in the grounds of the palace, taught to ride and fight and learned a skill. After puberty they had access to cariyeler, but were forbidden to father children. Their concubines were either sterilised or obliged to use pessaries made of a mixture of amber, aloes, cardamon, musk, cloves, ginger and pepper. Any concubine found to be pregnant was drowned immediately.

A narrow street near Haghia Eirene leads down to three of the most important museums in Istanbul: the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Ancient Orient and the cinli Koshku. The sarcophagi, capitals, columns and architectural fragments, which line the sides of this street, are part of the Archaeological Museum's vast collection. There are more in the museum's garden, near the cinli Koshku and on either side of the entrance to the main building. Note particularly the 4C and 5C porphyry sarcophagi which once housed the bones of Byzantine emperors and empresses. statues in the

There is a pleasant caybahcesi set around with ancient museum complex where one may relax over a glass of tea or a soft drink. This area once formed part of the Fifth Court of TopkapI SarayI. Mehmet II had the cinli Koshku built in 1472 as a refuge from the Court and a place from which he could watch the princes and the pages play cirit, a rumbustious game which originated in Central Asia. The contestants, mounted on horseback, tried to catch and return the javelins which they threw at each other. The pavilion continued to be used until the sultan moved to Dolmabahce in 1856. Refurbished and restored to its original form, it now houses a wonderful collection of rare tiles and ceramics from the Selcuk and Ottoman periods. Of special interest are an early 16C Blue and White Iznik Mosque Lamp, a late 16C Iznik Polychrome Tile Panel, and an Iznik Mosque Lamp from Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Camii in Istanbul.

The Museum of the Ancient Orient has a representative collection of ancient Egyptian, Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Hittite, Urartian, Aramaic and Assyrian objects. These are arranged in a series of attractive and informative displays. Among the museum's treasures are a 9C BC late Hittite guardian lion from Zincirli, the statue of a deified king from Babylon which dates to the beginning of the second millennium BC, 6C BC, lion and bull reliefs from the Ishtar Gate in Babylon, cuneifrom tablets, dated to 1900 BC, from Kanesh, a 9C BC Late Hittite grave stele from Marash, an 8C BC Late Hittite column base with a double sphinx from Zincirli, and a copy of the mid 13C BC Kadesh Treaty which was found at Bogazkoy (see below).

The Archaeological Museum was established in the late 19C largely through the zeal, application and hard work of its first director, Hamdi Bey. It houses some 45,000 artefacts and, although two new galleries were opened recently, it is possible to display only a limited number at one time. Among the museum's finest exhibits are the sarcophagi discovered in 1887 in the necropolis of Sidon in the Lebanon. The Alexander Sarcophagus, so called because of its representation of Alexander the Great at peace and at war, is the finest of these. Apart from the loss of the metal ornamentation and the head of one of the figures, the sarcophagus, which was fashioned from Pentelic marble, probably in Sidon, is in a very fine condition. Traces of the paints used on the hair, eyes, eyelashes, lips and clothes of the figures-yellow, violet, burnt sienna, blue, red, and purple are still visible. Note particularly the head of Alexander. The sarcophagus, which is believed to date from 311 BC, was probably intended for Abdalonymous, the last king of Sidon, who was appointed by Alexander in 332. The battle scene is almost certainly that of Issus, where Alexander defeated a Persian army led by Darius III, and the hunting scene probably represents an entertainment arranged by Abdalonymous for Alexander and the Companions in the royal hunting park.

The other sarcophagi found at Sidon are: the Sarcophagus of Mourning Women; the Satrap Sarcophagus; the Lycian Sarcophagus, the Anthropoid Sarcophagus of a Woman and the Tabnit Sarcophagus. The Anthropoid Sarcophagus, which dates from c 460 BC, displays an interesting fusion of Greek and Egyptian styles. The diorite Sarcophagus of Tabnit dates from the 6C BC and, according to the inscription, was originally made for an Egyptian commander named Penephtah. A second inscription states that it was reused later at Tabnit. The archaeologists also found painted funeral stelae from the Hellenistic period at Sidon. Two of these bear the names of the deceased, Salmamodes(?) and Balboura.

The museum has the oldest Hebrew inscription known to scholars. This is the Gezer Calendar which was discovered near Jerusalem. Written on a tablet of limestone, it is believed to be an agricultural calendar listing the months for sowing and harvesting.

From Pergamum there is a 2C BC idealised head of Alexander the Great and from Magnesia-ad-Sipylum (Manisa) a larger than life statue of Alexander which had an accompanying inscription, 'Menas of Pergamum, son of Aias, made (it)'. The sensitively sculpted statue of an Ephebe found at Tralles, modern AydIn, is believed to date from the late 1C BC or early 1C AD. This masterly representation of a boy aged about 12, shows him leaning against a pillar wrapped in a cloak, presumably just after exercises. The pose and the cloak draw attention to the boy's head. The large eyes, and the childish charming face with its air of mystery are often encountered among Mediterranean people. This head is unequalled by any other head of antiquity so far discovered' (Alpay Pasinli).

On no account miss a visit to the galleries in the new wing. Two of the galleries are open, two more are in preparation.

On the second floor there is a chronological display of finds from Troy, on one side of the room, and from a number of other sites in Anatolia on the opposite side. The third floor has a dazzling arrangement of artefacts from Cyprus, Syria and Palestine. These include a fine collection of Palmyran funerary portrait sculptures near the entrance to the room, a strange terracotta incense burner from Palestine and, in the cabinet devoted to Cyprus, statues of obese, grinning child temple prostitutes.

The first floor gallery will trace the history of Istanbul through objects from the prehistoric, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods, while on the ground floor there will be a display of classical sculpture from Anatolia. This will include a full-size reproduction of the temple of Athena at Assos (Behramkale) (see below).

'The people had not the least suspicion of it, although they daily drew their water out of the wells that were sunk into it'. 'It' was the Imperial Cistern which the French antiquary and traveller, Pierre Gilles, rediscovered in the mid 16C. The cistern had been constructed by Justinian in 532 following the Nika disturbances, to store water for the Imperial Palace. It served the same purpose for TopkapI SarayI after the Turkish conquest, but its existence appears to have been forgotten until the persistence and curiosity of Pierre Gilles located it once more.

Now called Yerebatan Saray, the Underground Palace, it is a short distance to the W of Haghia Sophia. Gilles explored the cistern by torchlight from a small boat which was rowed between the 336 marble columns supporting the roof. His latter day Charon profited from the visit by spearing some of the fish which abounded in the stygian depths. In 1826 the remnants of the Janissaries put up a last, desperate resistance to the troops of Mahmut II (see above) here. Splashing and floundering in the dark they fought and died in water incarnadined by their blood.

Walkways have been constructed in the cistern, which measures 138m by 64.6m, and, to the accompaniment of changing, coloured lights and classical music, you make your way to the far end where two of the columns rest on Classical bases carved in the form of Medusa heads. Whether the music and the illumination add anything to the visitor's appreciation of this wonderful structure is questionable.

Stop for a few minutes in the shop and gallery near the exit from the cistern. This sells books, postcards and original cartoons by Turkish artists. Another interesting place is the Sahaflar carshIsI, the Market of the Second-Hand Book Sellers, which is reached from the SE corner of Beyazit Square. Books were first sold here during the Byzantine period when it was called the Chartoprateia. In recent years some shops have taken to selling Turkish miniatures of doubtful authenticity at inflated prices.

After you have made your purchases in the Sahaflar carshIsI, pause for a glass of tea under the huge plane tree near the Beyazit Camii, one of the most charming mosques in Istanbul.

From Beyazit Camii it is just a few minutes' walk to the KapalI carshI, the Grand Bazaar. The first covered market was established here by Mehmet II in the 15C. Destroyed by fire several times, it has more than 4000 shops, nearly 500 stalls, 18 fountains, a large mosque and 12 mescits, a primary school, a turbe, two banks, a public toilet, five or six restaurants, a police station, a post office, several restaurants and an information centre.

Similar products are grouped together, so there are streets lined with goldsmiths, silversmiths, sellers of leather goods, shoes, clothes, copperware, carved alabaster, pots and pans. Some of the more valuable objects are kept in the Bedesten which is in the centre of the bazaar.

Whether you intend to buy or not, it is worth spending a few hours in the KapalI carshI to experience the vivacity, exuberance and persuasiveness of the vendors and the determination with which they pursue a sale. The bazaar is lively, exciting and colourful. Bargaining is accepted, indeed welcomed, except in the jewellery shops, and is usually a lengthy business conducted over many glasses of tea. Browsing is not always easy, as some traders are pushy and intrusive. Once a price has been agreed, it is very unlikely that a foreigner would be cheated or shortchanged. The goldsmiths, shale Kuyumcusu at Kalpakcilar Cad. 183-85 are among the many shopkeepers who extend a warm welcome to visitors from abroad.

A short distance to the N of the University of Istanbul is the Suleymaniye. Occupying a magnificent site, high up on the Third Hill, it consists of a mosque, medreses, a hamam, a library, a junior school, an imaret, a hospital and mental asylum, and several turbes. It was designed and built by Suleyman's great architect Sinan. The mosque was completed between 1550 and 1550. The other buildings were finished a few years later.

The approach to the mosque is by Tiryaki carshIsI, the Market of the Addicts. During the Ottoman period the coffee-houses here served opium, coffee and tobacco, all of which were forbidden or frowned on at different times. Suleyman permitted coffee, even though a contemporary called it 'the black enemy of sleep and copulation'.

The mosque is preceded by a great rectangular courtyard surrounded by porticoes whose columns are shaped from the finest porphyry, granite and marble. The four minarets and the ten sherifes are said to commemorate the fact that Suleyman was the fourth sultan to rule in Istanbul and the tenth of the Ottoman line. The inscription over the entrance implores, 'O God who opens all doors, open the door of felicity'. The interior of the mosque measures c 58.5m by 57.5m. The diameter of the dome is 27.5m and its centre is 47m above the floor.

The mosque has always excited feelings of admiration, and not only among Muslims. Eyliya celebi relates how ten 'Frankish infidels skillful in geometry and architecture' reacted to it. They gazed around them, then each raised his right hand, laid his forefinger across his open mouth and tossed his hat in the air, crying out in astonishment, 'Mother of God'! on the N, NW and SW sides of the mosque. The

There were medreses hospital, caravanserai and imaret were on the W. Suleyman is buried in the garden in a turbe designed by Sinan. With him lie Mihrimah his daughter, and two of his successors, Suleyman II (1687-91) and Ahmet II (1691-95). Nearby is the smaller tomb of Haseki Hurrem, better known as Roxelana, the sultan's favourite wife. Sinan himself is buried in a triangular garden on the NW side of the mosque.

After a visit to the Suleymaniye, lunch or dine in the wonderful Darruziyafe which now occupies the former imaret of the complex.

Istanbul has more wonders and delights than it has been possible to describe here. There can be few greater pleasures than a leisurely day trip by steamer on the Bosphorus to the little village of Anadolu KavagI or a visit to the largest of the Princes Islands, Buyuk Ada, where motor vehicles are not allowed and visitors view the scenery from horse-drawn phaetons. For the less energetic, lunch on the terrace of the Malta Koshku, once the discreet rendezvous of the sultans, may be followed by a lazy afternoon watching the ships that pass up and down the Bosphorus. Information about these and many more of Istanbul's attractions are to be found in John Freely's Blue Guide Istanbul.