Wednesday

Wednesday

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Another day of spectacular sights began with probably the most unique thing we saw on the trip – a massive underground Cistern built by Justinian in the 6th century. This was part of the city’s water supply in case of siege, and held 80,000 cubic meters of water. It is strangely beautiful, and it was fun to see the signatures of the master builders that were never intended for other eyes. As was customary in many ancient projects, one pillar was carved with teardrops to represent the pain of workers who died during construction. In another spot, the Roman distaste for their Greek predecessors was demonstrated by stacking a pillar on top of the introverted head of Medusa that they pillaged from another site. Outside, we walked by the old Hippodrome, where the Romans watched chariot races. The centerpiece was this 3,500-year-old Obelisk taken by Theodosius as a prize from Egypt (believe it or not, this one was cut down to 1/3 of its original size). Afterwards, we went to visit another Istanbul landmark – the Mosque of Sultan Ahmet (Blue Mosque). As we went in, we learned about an Islamic custom of leaving even the grandest monument imperfect since perfection is the realm of Allah. The work inside is stunning, with lots of hand-made tiling and stained glass. Rounding out a long day, we went to see the Topkapi Palace, where Sultans ruled the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years. Their private living quarters are called the Harem, which actually means “forbidden”since no men besides the Sultan and his sons were allowed there (and where we took the name for all his women in waiting). We got a great peek inside their lifestyle, including this room where the man entertained. Next door was a very interesting building called the Museum of the Sacred Mantle. It contains some prized Islamic artifacts – one of Mohammed’s teeth, some of his hair, his sandals, and his cloak. Hmmm. As we wandered around, however, we suddenly noticed a sign that caused us to do somersaults around the room – they actually claim to have the Rod of Moses!!! Adding to the “Jewish holiness” of the room, we found Joseph's Turban and David's Sword! Maybe these “authentic historical treasures” are the reason they don’t allow photos taken in this building … wait, how did we capture this moment?