FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX: Turkish Delights

Seriously delicious Turkish Delights

The sun came out today and Istanbul seemed even more vibrant! We were better able to appreciate its size and beauty. The mosque of choice today was the 16th century Süleymaniye Mosque, commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent, and where he and wife lay in their tombs. His wife, Hurrem, was the only woman who married the Sultan, breaking the Ottoman tradition. Originally a slave sold from the Ukraine, her tomb is a pilgrimage site for many Russians!

Today's Turkish pastry on offer at breakfast. It was a collective meh unfortunately

The inner courtyard and our now staple head covering

The mosque, designed by Ottoman architect Sinan (believed to have been a slave from Greece), has miraculously survived earthquakes when the rest of the city has been flattened

The dome, smaller than the Hagia Sophia, but so beautiful

"Practising" my instagram poses under the tutelage of my social media manage, aka my daugher

The tomb of Hurrem, if you're interested in the drama of the Harem, she is in the series Magnificent Century

This is a fountain we were told, with the Hagia Sophia just visible behind it

We moved from Suleiman's mosque to his home, the Topkapi Palace, a sprawling complex based on the "tent" like nomadic living style of the Ottoman culture. The most interesting was the Harem, where the Sultan and his "women" lived. None of the women were local, a handful were "free" women, but most were bought as slaves or even kidnapped. And all had to be virgins and chosen by the Sultan's mother. Yay for mummy choosing her daughters-in-laws. There was a distinct hierarchy from just a concubine, to being a favourite and if you were lucky enough to bear a child, your quarters were upgraded. The women were protected by eunuchs of African origin. To ensure no hanky panky, and if any hanky panky were to occur with castration not working, any progeny would have "proof" by skin colour. Intense...

Ottoman history and culture aside, the interiors were beautiful with gorgeous tilework. The Eastern influence was apparent, with understated elegance. The last 6 Sultans, sadly, moved from Topkapi Palace to the decidedly more "European" Dolmabahçe Palace in the 1800s. Will update you later as we will be visiting it later during our time in Istanbul.

The Harem. No men allowed in other than the Sultan, the eunuchs, or pre-pubertal children of the women

An intricate complex with hallways, multiple rooms for the various women to reduce contact between them. Everyone in-fighting for the Sultan's favour and for their son to be the next Sultan

Hulya giving us the lowdown, Just look at that fireplace

Intricate mother of pearl in lays

Marble and tiles predominantly

The Sultan's Hammam

The carpet is hundreds of years old

Beautiful tile work

Predominantly blue because that the first colour they mastered to glaze. The colour of the tiles indicate their age

Fountains everywhere not for washing, but to mask the sounds of conversation

Lazing on the floor, my kind of rooms!

Courtyard of the Favourites

Room of the Princes

Love the roofline

A beautiful vista to Istanbul

You can see the old Roman walls

Wah! So Chinese! Time to visit the Treasury...

Mmm,,,I'm not sure Lara would have fit in that crib!

The throne

Oma thought these were miniature perfume vials. They're chess pieces!

We stopped for lunch and unfortunately had to settle for kebabs again as the one we planned to go was closed. It was right next to the Spice Bazaar so was a convenient stop and also had good view to boot. Hulya took us to a Turkish Delight stall where we had food literally shoved down our throats. It was almost like a dance with playful banter. A lot of fun but required play by both sides. The owner taught us about Turkish delights and here the feeding began in earnest. He refused my offer of the children as payment, preferring Oma instead who had a ball trying everything in sight. We would have got a lot if we sold her by the kilo! We're loving the Turkish people so far! All joking aside, the turkish delights were indeed amazing. We absolutely loved the honey based ones and had a hard time not buying the whole store. I never knew there could be so many varieties and who would have thought chocolate turkish delights could taste so heavenly. The food coma readily set in after that and we happily returned to the hotel. Sunset from the roof top then dinner. I was fortunate enough to abstain from the stuff mussels Mal bought off the streets. One of the few Turkish food fails!