Istanbul is one of the world’s great geographical crossroads. “A place where East meets West,” as the cliché goes, only scratches the cultural surface of this eclectic city situated on the Bosporus Strait.
Originally named Constantinople after the Roman Emperor Constantine, Istanbul has outlasted two great empires: the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire, founded by Constantine in the early 330s, and the Ottoman Empire, run by the Turks from the city after besieging it and capturing it from the Byzantines in 1453. In 1923 the Ottoman Empire collapsed and the present-day Republic of Turkey emerged. Though Ankara is the nation’s capital, Istanbul is still its heart and soul.
As a world’s crossroads, Istanbul enjoys a steady flow of merchants and travelers. The inhabitants of the city understand that an accommodating attitude and heaps of hospitality keep the money flowing, and the tourists coming back for more.
It’s easy to get around in Istanbul. Most Turks speak English well and are eager to help you find what you need. Reciprocate their hospitality by learning a few words of Turkish, such as lütfen (“please”) and teşekkür (“thank you”), and you should have no problem enjoying this fascinating city.
But beware: Like any metropolis, Istanbul has its share of pickpockets and ne’er-do-wells. Keep your valuables close to your body and use common sense when traveling.
Hagia Sophia
It may cost a little more, but try to book a hotel in the “old town,” the historic Istanbul south of the Golden Horn inlet. This area has been the city’s epicenter for centuries, and staying here puts you within walking distance of the city’s greatest sites.
Your first stop must be Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya in Turkish), the Church of Holy Wisdom. Rebuilt in 537 (the original structure burnt down in a city-wide riot) under the direction of the Roman Emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia was the architectural and liturgical center of Eastern Christendom until 1054. In that year, the papal legate Cardinal Humbert of Mourmoutiers laid a decree of excommunication against the patriarch of Constantinople on Hagia Sophia’s high altar (during Mass no less), creating the Great Schism between East and West, a regrettable condition that persists to this day.
In 1453, when the city fell to the invading Muslim Turks, Hagia Sophia was brutally violated: Its doors were smashed, and those seeking refuge in the great church were slaughtered or sold as slaves. The Muslim invaders later tore out the church’s relics and altars, plastered over its gleaming mosaics, and converted the church into a mosque. In 1935 the Republic of Turkey reclassified Hagia Sophia as a museum, forbidding worship of any kind in the church.
Even in its dilapidated state, Hagia Sophia immediately impresses you with a sense of power and grace. Its great dome towers 180 feet above your head, and its many windows let in a flood of light. If you were to compile a list of “101 places every Christian should see,” Hagia Sophia would rank in the top 10.
In the afternoon, Turks love to slow down, have tea and a small bite to eat. After visiting Hagia Sophia, recharge at the Derviş Café, just across the street from the church. Try Turkish tea in a glass (bardak çay), relax and watch the crowds go by.
The Blue Mosque
Directly facing Hagia Sophia is the Sultan Ahmed (Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish) Mosque. Nicknamed the Blue Mosque for its blue-tiled interior, the Sultan Ahmed was Islam’s response to Christendom’s great cathedral. Built in the early 1600s during the rule of Sultan Ahmed I, the mosque is intentionally larger than Hagia Sophia and stands on the site of the ancient Roman racetrack. Lavish gardens and successive courtyards surround the mosque, whose interior is lit by hundreds of lights reflecting off its brilliant, multicolored marble and tiled surfaces.
Grand Bazaar and Holy Relics
Next, pop over to the Kapali Carsisi, the Grand (covered) Bazaar. This bazaar, which has been a main shopping center in Istanbul for centuries, is a labyrinth of shops, boutiques and cafés. If you venture in, expect crowds and aggressive merchants who are not shy about telling you what you need. Only barter with a merchant if you are serious about buying something.
In the evening, go down to the Galata Bridge for something to eat and a breath of fresh sea air. The Turks love to cook, and much of what we think of as “Greek food” is actually Turkish. Roast meats, vegetables, kebabs, breads, fish and lots of thick, tart yogurt can be had for very little. If you are in a hurry, try a balik ekmek (fish sandwich) caught, cooked and served from boats docked near the bridge. With sea salt and lemon juice, it’s delicious.
To escape Istanbul’s crowds, rise early and go to the Topkapi Palace and museum. This palace, laid out in its current form in the late 1400s, was the seat of power for the Turkish Sultans for five centuries. Successive courtyards and groomed lawns with shade trees give you a glimpse of how the royal family lived during the Ottoman Empire.
The royal quarters where the sultan, his family and, yes, many concubines lived are there, but be sure not to miss the Chamber of Holy Relics, which has King David’s sword, a fragment of Moses’ staff, and John the Baptist’s arm and a section of his skull. Relics of Mohammed are also on display.
Cathedral on a Modern Street
To see how the city has evolved since the fall of the Ottomans, cross the Galata Bridge to Istiklal Avenue (Caddesi in Turkish), the modern street in the city. Running for over a mile and a half, Istiklal Avenue is Istanbul’s answer to Paris’ Champs-Élysées and contains more shops, cafés and restaurants than could be visited in a month. The street is for pedestrian traffic only and offers a glimpse at the architecture of the various European powers that have had a heavy hand in shaping modern-day Turkey.
About midway on the avenue stands St. Anthony of Padua Cathedral, a beautiful structure dating from the early 1900s. From 1935 to 1944, Pope John XXIII, then Angelo Roncalli, celebrated Mass here as the apostolic delegate to Turkey. The liturgy is still celebrated at the cathedral in English every Sunday morning.
Lastly, take a boat tour around the Bosporus Strait to get “the big picture” of the reach and history of this beautiful city. Spanning both Asia and Europe, past and present, small wonder that Istanbul was named Europe’s “Cultural Capital for 2010.”
Jeff Gardner is the CEO of Catholic Media International.
SDG: Update #6: Homeward Bound
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I will not step foot in Constantinople until Mass is allowed in the Hagia Sophia!!!
Istanbul as a Catholic destination? Please. Mr. Gardner came up with three Catholic sites in the whole city. Was this really written as a service for Catholics? Or for the Turkish tourism industry? (I see the article on Turkish tourism websites already). Have we already forgotten the murder of Bishop Padovese? I suppose your audience is American Catholics, but have some sensitivity for Catholics in this part of the world. He ranks Hagia Sophia in the top 10 places a Catholic should see?! Hagia Sophia is beautiful in a way, but a sad reminder of what Muslims do to churches. There are both more beautiful churches in the world, and more horrific reminders of what happens when Muslims conquer Christian lands (see churches in northern Cyprus, now occupied by Turkish troops, who gouged out the eyes of Jesus on frescoes and paintings). Finally, consider where your tourism dollar goes in Istanbul; do some research on Turkish persecution of Christians.
I’ve long intended to visit this area; thanks for the article.
Yet why do Westerners—especially westerner Catholics—ignore the homeland of John Paul the Second? Save Rome, I have never seen a city more populated by Catholic churches, basilicas, Cathedrals, and grand artworks and relics than KRAKOW, the former stomping ground of our former great Pope. I lived there for six months, and hardly scratched the surface of what Catholics can see, hear, and do in this great city, called (for good reason) “the second Rome.” It’s also a country with a Catholic majority, a place with many English speakers friendly to Americans, and a haven for incredible food. It’s time that Americans quit ignoring this part of the world.
Well, Will, I guess you won’t be going to Istanbul. And Grace, yes, there are Catholics who go to Istanbul. Did Jeff Gardner say it was a “Catholic destination”? No. It seems that he was writing about a city that he happened to travel in and wrote about the few Catholic sites that are there. This was not an effort to market Istanbul for the Turkish government. Jeff is a personal friend and he would not do that and did not do that.
I, too, went to Hagia Sophia and I too think it is on the top 10 list of places for a Catholic to visit—and I even rank it above St. Peter’s. Why? Because of it’s painful beauty. The soaring dome (the distorted pictures on this site are abhorrently unjust to the reality) is breathtaking. And yet the pain of the Muslim conquest and their insults to this temple of God are still evident. This is also why it is good to see—to see what can happen if we are not vigilant.
Grace,
You are correct, Istanbul is not a Catholic city, nor have I suggested anything of the sort. Istanbul is however, along with Turkey as a whole, an extremely important place in the history of the Catholic Church, one that you ought to see if you are able.
But to the points of your post, id est, that we ought not set foot in Turkey because of 1) how they treat Christians, and 2), what the government does with the money that we spend there. You are correct again; the Turkish government has not treated Christians well, and (specifically concerning the Greek Orthodox Church), continues to treat them poorly at present. The question is, “what’s to be done?” We can either sit back and curse the darkness or engage the culture. Let us ask, can one engage a culture (Islamic culture) that one does not understand? Can one advocate for the restoration of a church (Hagia Sophia) that one has never set foot in? The answers are of course “no and no.”
The great challenge before Christians in this century is one of evangelization on two fronts: secularism and Islam. Concerning the later, we must engage the Islamic world with the message of Christ Risen (and not merely “Jesus the prophet” as Muslim believe) in a cultural language that they understand. To that end, I can assure you that one can not learn any culture’s language from the comfort of one’s home.
Did St. Paul refuse to go Athens (or Ephesus, now in Turkey) because there were no Masses being celebrated there?
Conquest is painful. We did the same thing with the Ibn Shushan Synagogue in Toledo, Spain, now Santa María la Blanca Church and with Cordoba, Spain mosque, now Cordoba’s Cathedral.
Manuel, your analogy doesn’t work. Santa María la Blanca was not obtained because of conquest, but because the Jews of Spain were expelled in 1492, which was, of course, wrong, but that is not conquest. The situation in Cordoba is not like that of Constantinople. Prior to 711, Cordoba and Andalusia had been Christian and it was conquered in that year by Muslims. So the fact that the mosque was built in the first place is testimony to Muslim conquest. The land was then taken back by Christians in 1236. That is why Muslim demands to have it back are specious. Hagia Sophia was Christian, was taken by Muslims and remains in Muslim hands. A totally different situation.
(...what a beautiful country…)
The Jews were expelled, a nice way to conquer. If you sanction the Catholic Reconquista then do not blame the Mexicans going to USA territory. After all it was its land and was take by force and war and on Modern times!
Jeff, thank you for this article.
I was blessed to visit Turkey with my wife and son two years ago, starting in Istanbul and ending spending my birthday walking some of the pathways Paul would have walked in Ephesus. It was a day and an experience I won’t forget - it was almost as if I could still hear echoes of his voice, strident and passionate, telling everyone in earshot about the Christ who had changed his life.
Istanbul certainly is a city where churches have been taken over and sacred images defaced, but it’s also a place where you can stand in silent awe, contemplating wonderful artwork that was created to glorify God in what were the early centuries of the Church.
We can argue about the political implications of this or that historical action, or we can stand on stone laid down chronologically three-quarters of the way back to Jesus. For those of us with no substantial roots outside North America, this is a way to rest our hand on something that tells us “Your family lived here once. This is part of who you are.”
There is sacred and profane in every part of our world, but if we go seeking God, God will find us.
God bless,
Dcn Don
Thank you Deacon, that was beautifully said.
I should also note that I found the Turkish people open to meaningful, and in depth, discussions of faith. I spent a delightful evening in a vigorous discuss with a young Turk named Sami, pronounced “Sammy,” who was selling seashells by the seashore (and I am not making that up). He had many questions about our faith, including how could a priest, who was after all just a man, play any part in the reconciliation between a sinner and God (or Allah, if you will). As we made our way through the streets of Istanbul, debating the validity of one sacrament after another, we happen upon a Presbyterian. Seeing that I was out numbered, the evening ended with me buying coffee for all of us!
Mr. Gardner,
Sorry, but your headline is “Exotic Catholic Travel: Istanbul.” It is misleading. “Exotic Travel: Istanbul” would not have gotten a letter out of me.
The false choice you set up of cursing the darkness or engaging the culture, ie, touring Istanbul is just that, false. The Turks are not going to “restore” Hagia Sophia because tourists go there. If you want to visit Istanbul, that is fine, but don’t dress it up as “Catholic Travel” or that you are somehow going to stop them persecuting Christians because you went there and had coffee with a nice Turk. That is really not “engaging the culture.”
Better to write letters to the Turkish embassy, to your government, to use your writing skills to educate people about the persecution and what they can do to stop it, or give money to the Catholic schools in Turkey or to the displaced Catholic refugees. Press for the reopening of the Orthodox seminary which the Turks closed, for the removal of Turkish troops from northern Cyprus and an end to the occupation and division of Cyprus. The evil hates the light; shine the light of knowledge on the persecution and injustice.
Most people know about the Armenian genocide, fewer know about the 750,000 Assyrian Christians massacred about the same time. Even fewer know that as recently as 1955 there was a horrific pogrom against Christians in Istanbul. The eyes of Christ were scratched or gouged out from all the icons in all the churches, altars were defecated on. In general, Westerners know far more about Islam than the other way around. I would suggest it is the Muslims who need to learn about Christianity and to respect religions other than Islam.
On the pogrom in Istanbul in 1955: http://chicago.agrino.org/turkish_pogrom_against_the_greeks.htm
Sincerely,
A Latin Catholic of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Re: “Greek” food really being “Turkish” food i think you’ll find it’s the other way round ... It was Greek food when the Turks took over and continues to be even though now cooked by the Turks. With their conquest the Turks employed the Greeks still living there in whatever their occupations. So you’ll find the advances in areas like Maths, Sciences and engineering are really the works of their Greek subjects. The Blue Mosque was designed by a Greek who’d worked on the Hagia Sophia. Mindblowing as the mosaics still left in the Hagia Sophia I’d advise Catholics to visit a real jewel in Istanbul ... the “Chora” church, a little way out towards the walls, but leave yourself plenty of time, there’s just so much to admire in this little church. I’d also recommend Goreme as a destination for Catholics for the amazing art on the walls. In one cave there’s a remarkable painting of Mary with Jesus, imitating Mark’s. Much of her’s and Jesus’ faces are destroyed, but I consider Mary’s eyes as, in my opinion, the best bit of artwork ever anywhere. Ephesus has Mary’s church in the old city and also Maryarma up in the hills. The journey has its sadness but also its exhilarating times.
Mr. Gardner, I visited Turkey years ago while a practicing Evangelical in a trip that truly spanned the country. Despite what people might want to say against your recommendation to visit the country, I can say I saw over a dozen biblical sites while there. They included some of the spots you mentioned in Istanbul as well as Tarsus (St. Paul’s home), where I got to walk on an original Roman cobblestone street, Haran, where Abraham’s father Terah passed away, Antioch on Orontes, where St. Peter’s Grotto is located and where people were first to be called “Christians”, as well as all of the seven cities named in Christ’s letter to the Church’s in Revelation. Of those seven, I remember Smyrna (now Izmir) being the most moving, as it was the site of St. Polycarp’s service and martyrdom. I can understand some folks’ reticence regarding visiting unfamiliar places, but I did this trip with a tour group when I was 16 and it enriched me greatly, even more so in retrospect as a Roman Catholic. Thanks again.
Latin Catholic, FYI, Jeff didn’t write the headline. Newspaper copy editors write headlines, not the writers themselves. So all Jeff did was write the story in which he did NOT say anything about Turkey being an exotic Catholic destination.
As to your criticism that, “you are somehow going to stop them persecuting Christians because you went there and had coffee with a nice Turk,” I do not see how that is compatible with your later statement, “I would suggest it is the Muslims who need to learn about Christianity and to respect religions other than Islam.” So Jeff engaged with a nice Turk and helped to dispel some falsehood from that Turk’s mind, and that’s exactly how the culture can be engaged. It’s certainly not the only way for it to be engaged, but it is a perfectly valid way. Individuals make up the culture. And if Christians want to go to Istanbul and engage in dialogue with nice and not-so-nice individual Turks in order to influence the culture, what’s the big deal? Isn’t that what Jesus calls us to do?
Turkey, contrary to Jordan, is a very anti Christian country. Just see the way Pope Benedict XVI was received in both countries. Last year El País, a Liberal and not too Christian Spanish newspaper published a not Good News about Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey Prime Minister. Here is the news: (my translation)
“The mosques are our quarters and the minarets ours bayonets”. In 1998 Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sent to jail because he read in public this Islamic poem. He was condemned for “promoting religious hate”. He was destitute of the mayorship of Istanbul and his political race was ruined. It took almost five years to recover.
Yes, he is the same, today Turkey Prime Minister. He accuses Europe and, especially Switzerland, of Islamophobia. ” Erdogan attacks “the current racist and fascist” running Europe -A Minister calls Muslims to retire their monies from Swiss banks. http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Turquia/indignada/elpepuint/20091206elpepiint_8/Tes
In 1978, Times Magazine published an article called A Dying See: Patriarchate fades in Turkey.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919512,00.html
Not to many things have change since 1978.
If and when the Turks accept responsibility for the Genocide of the Armenians, I would not encourage travel to that country. If they could do that barbaric act a mere 95 yrs ago (and deny it!), they (if not pushed on the issue) will do it again to some other population that they don’t care for ( Jews as well as Christians). Read “The Armenian Golgotha” for a first hand account of this evil that is denied to this day. Respect the sacrifice our brothers and sisters in Christ made not so long ago and don’t give your wealth to these wolves in sheeps clothing charlatans. In fact, write your congressman to demand the turkish gov’t admit to the atrocities before we increase trade with them.
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