Day 8 (2nd Nov) : Amazing Turkey !

Day 8 : Istanbul

Early morning, we headed to one of the most beautiful sights in the world , the Bosphorus Cruise , is a strait between the two continents - Europe & Asia. . The shores are lined with old wooden villas, marble palaces, fortress and small fishing villages. During the excursion we see the marvelous monuments and districts like: Maiden Tower (Kiz Kulesi), Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace, Ortakoy, Fethi Ahmet Pasa Mansion, Ortakoy Mosque, Beylerbeyi Palace, Kuleli Military School, Arnavutkoy, Bebek and more highlights of Istanbul located on both sides of the Boshphorus. We will also see the Rumeli Fortress (Rumeli Hisari), which was built by Mehmet the Conquerer in 1452.

the cuise....

on the cruise.....

with sha......

The Bosporus or Boshphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait, (Turkish: Bogaz or Bogazici) is a strait that forms the boundary between the European part (Rumelia) of Turkey and its Asian part (Anatolia). Two bridges cross the Bosporus named the Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet (Bosphorus II) bridge.

European side along Boshphorus Strait

From left : Sha, Liz and Dr Siti

with Pakcik Arif and wife

with Dato' Ahmad and wife

From left : Kak Izan, Kak Kalsum and Liz

with Pakcik from Segambut and wife

with Pakcik Prof Dr Rahim and makcik...... really miss the moment with both of you..

with Dr Siti and Pakcik from JB and wife

with Encik 'Pengetua' and Kak Kalsom

The Boshphorus Bridge

kaum wanita berposing

From left : En Yakob, Hj Othman, Dato' Ahmad and Datin

fishing village

housing area nearby Boshphorus Strait

palace.....

on cruise along Boshphorus Strait

at the back.....busy bargaining price of pashmina

We arrived at old town of Istanbul. Then, we stopped by at Sunday Market for shopping. This market only open on Sunday morning. They offered with reasonable price item compared to other shopping center in Istanbul. The items more on traditional handycrafts. I managed to buy a leather bag for my mum, only 40 Lira.

the Sunday market area...

traditional food.....

traditional item....

pashmina and poncho

i bought that lady's cap, 10 Lira

wah....terus pakai topi tu.... :)

me with Turkish kid...comel kan!!!!

taxi at Istanbul

lunch at this restaurant

sorry yea....pantang jumpa bunga...mesti nak posing

After lunch, we continued to visit place of interest in Istanbul, Hagia Sophia Museum and Topkapi Palace.

Hagia Sophia Museum

The Aya Sofya (known as Haghia Sofia in Greek and also called the Church of the Divine Wisdom) was regarded as the greatest church in the entire Christian kingdom until the fall of Constantinople after which it was used as a mosque. Hagia Sophia served as the principal mosque of Istanbul for almost 500 years. It became a model for many of the Ottoman mosques of Istanbul such as the Blue Mosque, the Suleiman Mosque, the Shehzade Mosque and the Rustem Pasha Mosque Since the foundation of Turkish Republic, modern day Turkey, Hagia Sophia is being used as a museum till now.

Hagia Sophia Museum

the entrance....

arah kiblat.....zaman semasa menjadi masjid

very artistic design....

still have the Islamic touches

when it functioning as church.....this is pic of Maryam and Isa

place for 'wuduk'

the museum....
me at background of Blue Mosque

Topkapi Palace

Sultan Mehmet the Ottoman Conqueror built the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul shortly after he conquered the city in the 15th century. The palace was expanded by successive sultans, and remained the sultan's residence for the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years. It has opulent rooms, fine art collections, and peaceful courtyards, and is one of the highlights of the city. When looking at a map of Topkapi, the palace complex looks immense. The palace has been a museum since 1924. Like many national museums, visitors can easily spend at least a day exploring all of the buildings and grounds. Visitors with less time will have to do what we did--choose a few exhibits to tour and hope to return someday for more.

so impressed with the beautiful lanscape inside the palace

Atilla explained something about this palace

From left : Razak, Atilla, Pakcik from Segambut and Hj Othman

3 dara pingitan...muahahaha

a traditional costume during Ottoman Empayar

camera not allowed inside the palace.....

Then, we headed back to hotel. Its our free time.Put things in the hotel and we (me, sha and siti) proceed to berjalan-jalan on our own at Istanbul. Actually we planned to visit Taksim Square by tram or public transport but Atilla suggested not to go there on our own as it is a criminal area. Oh ya! so we changed our plan but still feel so frustrated. Then, we only jalan-jalan and shopping at shop lot nearby the hotel.

Istanbul

the tram.....

Istanbul University

leather shoes

lamb kebab - sedap yang amat .... but one kebab at 11 Lira (RM27)