Istanbul Part 2 - Waterworks and The Harem

I sit here contemplating the time that it has taken to get back to this blog. It is beyond my comprehension how youtubers get episodes out at regular intervals; but you know, I'm retired now and not on a schedule. A schedule is the boaties' worst enemy, that's my excuse anyway...

One thing we all (The Fabulous Four - Lloyd, Karen, Mike and I) wanted to see, was the Basilica Cisterns. A little bit of research revealed the best way to see these and dodge queueing in the heat, was to book a skip-the-line-tour for a 9am start. The beauty of this was after gliding happily past the already growing queue, the pretty tour guide took us through, chatted for about 20 minutes, putting up with stupid questions* and then we were free to wander around the cisterns for as long as we wanted. It was relatively uncrowded, cool, and worth the visit - perfect!

*Mike's interest in the Basilica Cisterns was movie related.  The cisterns featured briefly in the 1963 James Bond classic 'From Russia with Love'.  James Bond meets with his Turkish counterpart, and together they punt through the waters of the underground cisterns, making their way to a periscope which allows them to observe the nefarious dealings within the Soviet Embassy.  Of course, this meant that Mike just had to ask the young early 20-something tour guide which way to the persicope.  He had to explain....  She was very sweet while she gritted her teeth and said she was unaware of that movie. She did however, mention the 2016 Tom Hanks movie Inferno... and then I realised That's Where I've seen the cisterns!  Bloody hell, I'm as bad as Mike. At least my movie was filmed in colour.  (I will say though, that it is worth seeing the 1963 film, as it shows an Istanbul that almost doesn't exist anymore....).

A brief history lesson - one of several cisterns, the Basilica Cisterns were created in 532 by Byzantine Emperor Justinian, he of Hagia Sofia fame, as a way to store water for the population of Istanbul, as there was very little fresh water in the area. The Basilica Cisterns are called that as they ran under a basilica, which no longer exist. They could hold 100,000 tons of water. To create such a strong storage facility there are 336 columns in 12 rows of 28  9m high columns. The cisterns were built quite quickly using recycled materials... thus many of the columns look different, as they have been taken from ancient temples and old sites around Turkey.

3 Columns are of particular interest: one is referred to as the Column of Tears, or Weeping Column, as it is the only one that always stays wet. It is also decorated with tear-shaped patterns down the it's length...  it is also thought to represent the tears of the 7000 slaves who built the cisterns.

The other 2, the Gorgon columns, each feature a head of Medusa.  Famously, the heads have been placed at the bottom of the column, one upside down and one on its side. The theory is that by placing them this way, the builders avoided the problem of being turned into stone by looking directly into Medusa's eyes. Personally, I would have left those heads right out of the whole thing, but luckily they weren't, as they look fantastic.

Don't worry, she can't hurt you..... I hope

The quality of the water was constantly monitored, partly because these cisterns provided water to the Royal Family. Fish were the aqua-version of canaries in the coal mine - if the fish that were living there were healthy, so was the water. The cisterns ceased to be used once the Ottomans arrived. The Quran states that only running water can be drunk, and therefore the still water stored in the cisterns was not acceptable. Instead, fountains were built around the city and the water that used to feed the cisterns was re-directed to these fountains. However, there is still water at the bottom of the cisterns; our guide explained that no-one is really sure where it comes from (as it dripped on us) and it is pumped out occasionally.

Restoration of the cisterns commenced in the 1980s, and again in 2017. The latter saw the introduction of clearer walkways, lights and artworks throughout the chamber, making it a visual feast.  I hope you enjoy this video which I hope does it justice.

The Imperial Harem

After Karen and Lloyd departed, we had a few hours up our sleeve. I wished to see the Topkapi Palace, but Mike was not in the mood to walk around another ancient building (!). So I compromised - Jess and I visited the palace in 2010, but not The Harem which is part of the complex ( it was hot, and she'd had enough... I'm sensing a theme here). So we confined ourselves to The Harem, splitting up early so I could dawdle in peace and Mike could head to the nearest cafe for a coffee, or anything that allowed him to sit and relax.

The Harem entrance with the Topkapi Palace

Ceiling of the rooms for the Queen Mum

And I did take a while....   The harem wasn't the den of iniquity we westerners like to believe. Harem means 'sacred and inviolable space', and was the private apartments of 400 rooms  housing the sultan and his family, including the all important Queen Mother, royal princes, thousands of women (concubines and consorts), the black eunuchs (slaves captured the Nile region, and responsible for the female population of the harem),  the white eunuchs (reponsible for palace bureacracy).

Recreation of the Black Enuchs

The Courtyard of the  Zuluflu Baltacilar, soldiers who supported the harem by doing all the hard (heavy) work

The Eunuch's dormitory and living areas

Detai from the Courtyard of the Black Eunuchs

Leaving the Eunuch's quarters and heading to the royal aprtments

Two of the most important people in the Harem were the Chief Black Eunuch and The Queen Mother. The Chief Eunuch was as important as a prime minister; The Queen Mother, or Valide Saltan, was the mother of the son who ascended the throne, and she ruled The Harem. She was a very powerful woman while her son was Sultan, and even more so when the Sultan was still a boy, as often happened in the 17th century, effectively ruling the empire.

The Imperial (Throne) Room

The Imperial Harem was contructed in the 16th century, and was the home and centre of power for over 30 Sultans over 400 years. It included its own mosque, school, hospital, baths and kitchens. It is sumptuoulsy decorated in tiles, with beautifully carved doors, lavish furnishings and decor and is a fascinating place.

Courtyard of the Favourites

One of many, many beautiful doors

Detail from the Sultan's Room

The Sultans bathroom... part of it...

I could be wrong... but sections of the rooms of the Valide Sultan, the most beautiful part of the Harem

The Harem Mosque, place of worship for the women, carpet now covering where intricate tiles once decorated the floor

The Golden Road, the path women chosen by the Sultan, or mor likely the Valide Sultan, would take to his rooms.

I wandered and explored sunny courtyards, stone hallways, and many private chambers with lattice windows throwing patterns on the cool floors, that whispered of times gone by.  However, after a while and despite the stunningly beautiful tiles and designs,  I started to to feel just a little claustrophobic, grateful that I didn't need the permission of the Valide Sultan to leave The Harem. So I made my escape and appreciated the beauiful gardens outside, before finding Mike with his coffee in the modern world again.