Istanbul – City of the Ages

The irony with big, classical cities throughout the world is that the more ancient they are, the less you, the traveler, gets to see of them. Not because there’s less to see but because there’s simply too much to see.

In the few days you have to understand a city, you have layers of history to wade through, mounds of ruins to gawk at, and unpronounceable names to memorise. Unless you are a dedicated ‘culture vulture’, your head will be spinning as you pile on and off the tour bus.

And when you come home from this ‘holiday’, you pore over your photos shaking your head and mumbling, “Hmm, what the heck was THAT again?”
Know that feeling? Me too.

Istanbul, the cultural capital of Turkey, is an intimidating prospect, even for the leisure visitor. A huge metropolis connecting continents, cultures and religions, this intercontinental city is also home to 12 million people and one of the greatest business and cultural centres of the region.

Formerly known as Constantinople, the capital of the unwieldy Ottoman Empire, and before that as Byzantium, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, this place is crammed full of more temples, churches, walls, statues and mosques than you can shake a guidebook at.

To help you make sense of Istanbul’s dazzling highlights and at the same time get a sense of today’s modern Turkey, let me take you on a 48-hour tour of Istanbul that requires little money, no tour busses, and lots of eye-opening fun.

Day 1: Before you even step on a plane, make sure you’ve booked the right kind of hotel.

The heart of old Istanbul, the Sultanahmet district, is just 25 minutes from the airport and is full of little hotels that have, in most cases, been converted from centuries-old houses. This area is also known as The Golden Horn.

These boutique hotels usually have no more than 12 rooms, are clean and basic, and run about US$50 per night. And here’s the clincher: all have rooftop al fresco restaurants with jaw-dropping views of the historical district and the deep blue Bosphorus in the background, separating the European side of the city from the Asian side.

Start your day up here by viewing the Old Quarter come alive with the buzz of culture, commerce and carpets.

Ahh, carpets. Turkish carpets are famous the world over for their beauty, longevity, and excellent craftsmanship, and Turks love their carpet heritage with a deep passion. The best carpets can take several months to hand-make, and usually end up in one of the literally hundreds of carpet shops that dot Sultanahmet.