At the height of the Roman Empire, the Romans took control of the Balkans and Byzantium was overran by Emperor Constantine 1. The city was renovated in 330 AD and renamed Constantinopolis, which means City of Constantine. It became one of the most important location of the Christian world when the capital of the Roman empire moved there.
The rise of the Ottomon Empire saw it took control of Constantinople where it remained the capital city until 1923 when the capital was moved to Ankara. The traditional named of Constantinople was then replaced by it's native name of Istanbul in 1930.
The three Empire that ruled Turkey had left it's profound influence till today. The Greek, Romans and Merv's from Turkmenistan are the DNAs to today's Turkey, a modern Islamic Republic state that is secular. It is refreshing to see how a country that started a strong Muslim Empire to modern day Islamic state with 95% Muslim population having a totally modern lifestyle with very little of the Muslims limitation that we all know. It is the Turkey that I visited for five days from 11.5.15 on the official trip with the company's loyal supporters. We were all impressed with what we saw.
These are the luggages for our group at KLIA.
Our flight arrive early at 5.30 am at Istanbul Ataturk Airport.
The queue is very long, took us 40 minutes to get through the immigration.
In no time, we were in our coach.
We're on the European side and the road wound along the Marmara Sea.
The bus took us through the city, it's still early.
We passed some old city walls, a reminder of Istanbul's rich history.
The breakfast venue is at Yelken Cafe, a typical Turkish outlet at Ortakoy.
Our first taste of Turkish breakfast.
Sesame bagels ( Simit ), bread, cheese, Turkish tea and others.
We asked for some Turkish coffee, it's bitter and strong.
After breakfast, some of us wonder around nearby.
Jo, Alvin and Lai Sim at the Ortakoy Mosque.
With Lai Siew at the Ortakoy.
Facing the mosque is the Bosphorus Straits.
Soon, we are back to our coach again.
This time we are headed towards the Asian side.
The traffic is heavy at the bridge.
It takes at least 15 minutes to cross.
Richard Tai at Camlica Hill on the Asian side.
It gives a splendid view of the two sides dividing the city.
With Jason and Tee at the Hill.
Hui Ling looking radiant.
After having a good look of the city from the hill, we headed towards the market area of Kadikoy. As mentioned earlier, Kadikoy is the new name for Chalcedon, the land of the blind ! It must have been a bad joke as Kadikoy looks anything but blind.
Our stop is at the Kadikoy Market.
The tour guide giving everyone the necessary instructions before dispersal.
Must be a favourite hangout place for the senior citizens.
At every street, there are al fresco cafes to enjoy the cool Mediterranean climate.
Richard and Jo checking out the local produce.
Jo with Mun and Hui Ling enjoying the market place.
An alleyway at the market.
Istanbul have more than 3000 mosques, it's a rarity to see a church like this one.
There are plenty of stuff to see at the market.
Turkish tea is at every corner.
Richard and Mun enjoying the stroll.
You'll love to have a cup of tea al fresco like this.
At one of the more congested alley.
We stumble upon another group enjoying their drinks
and promptly join them.
Instead of tea, we ordered beer.
It's nice to sit here and watch the world go by.
Richard left the cafe with the glass of beer still in his hand.
It's a compliment from the cafe.
Our lunch venue is also at the market place at a street where all the restaurants are.
It's another typical Turkish restaurant.
Richard, Lai and Justin have common interest coming from similar trade.
Toh and his gang are seated together.
The Northern group.
Steven and Sia with another group.
Pediman seated with his wife.
Moorthy and gang.
It's a nice place to savour local food.
This small restaurant at the market place is what we wanted.
Nurettin, the Turkish Ice Cream seller.
Putting up a show when selling ice cream.
In no time, he draws a crowd.
After lunch, we headed towards the new city and passed by one of the most unique ancient water system in the world, the Valens Aqueduct. This was completed in 368 AD and it brings water from the hills to store at the Basilica Cistern.
Traffic is building up as we started to leave.
We have to cross over the Golden Horn to the other side of town.
The view of the city from the bridge is a sight to behold.
In no time we were at the Marmara Hotel, right at the touristy Taksim Square.
Alvin in front of the hotel.
It had been a long day, during the long midnight flight, most did not have much sleep. Upon arrival, everyone just wanted to get into the hotel to catch their 40 winks.
In the evening, it's the chinese restaurant for all. Despite the nice name, the food here are at best basic.
After dinner, we took a stroll towards the shopping streets linking to Taksim Square. This place is a hive of activity at night and is full of people, local and tourist alike.
A popular restaurant selling Turkish Delights amongst other stuff.
At Taksim Square.
People started streaming in.
Ulker Sokak ( Street ).
Shops along Ulker Street.
Crowd is building up.
Street buskers.
Turkish Ice Cream seller performing same trick.
More Turkish Delights.
Shopping mall.
David, the tour guide.
Popular souvenirs, Evil Eye key chain, pendant,
The alley is the place to be.
Nice spot for a drink
What's up, Liew ?
Oh, he wants a shisha.
Very Turkish to chat over a drink and puff the sisha.
Another street busker on the way back.
Beggers from the poorer neighbouring countries
More buskers along the kilometer long street.
Back to our hotel for the night.
The next day, our itinerary was to stop by a leather shop after breakfast. Tol and Ar Leather is popular with tourist and claim to be the contract manufacturer and supplier for famous brands. There are sheepskins wear, but the popular ones are the lambskin jacket that was shaved to 0,4 mm and they called it silk leather which is wrinkled free.
At the entrance of Tol and Ar Leather showroom.
Justin being coaxed to be a model.
This salesgirl double up as model.
Justin modeling the green jacket.
Flip it over,
and it's a beige jacket.
Mary another "model"
Steven is having a ball.
another double sided design.
Justin enjoying the walk.
I could be a model instead of an insurance man.
Dancing is in my vein.
Show over.
A polite bow to the audience.
In the showroom , the price tag starts from USD 700.00 after 50% discount !
Handbags and belts of various brands.
Those not buying waited outside.
Some did some purchases, most are content not to be too indulgent.
The Topkapi Palace.
We left the leather shop and head towards Istanbul's popular landmark, The Topkapi Palace. This palace was built after the Ottoman conquer Constatinople. It was constructed between 1466 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II for his new palace that was used as an administrative center.
Outside the palace.
The frontage of the palace.
At the main entrance.
Inside the compound.
Inside one of the the palace rooms.
Elaborate ceiling design.
Non history buff waited outside.
Moving to another inner courtyard.
There were large queues at the inner courtyard.
Most wanted to have a look at the dazzling display of jewelry of different eras at The Emerald Room.
There are yet another queue wanting to see the 86 carat Pigot Diamond, one of the world's most famous at the third room.
We are more keen to head straight to the restaurant where our lunch awaits.
The restaurant is situated inside the palace.
It overlook the beautiful Marmara Sea.
With Tee and Fuad.
Justin, looking cool.
Waiting for the rest to take their seat.
Alvin enjoing the food.
The tour guide says it is the food served for the kings.
We all know it is sales talk.
Another view from the restaurant.
After lunch, we left the palace.
And gather outside.
Saw this cute patrol car.
A wedding photoshoot is being done here.
The palace is just next to The Sophia Hagia.
The Blue Mosque.
Hagia Sophia was built in 537 AD and served as a Greek Orthodox Church. When the Ottoman Empire took over the city, Sultan Ahmet II had to build mosque at the same ground directly opposite Hagia Sophia. Every part of the Blue Mosque had to be greater than Hagia Sophia.
The Blue Mosque is the only other Mosque other than The Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia to have 6 Minarets. In order not to offend the Saudis, Sultan Mehmet II finance and constructed the seventh Minaret for the Grand Mosque.
Walking towards the Blue Mosque.
Can't help but notice that there is a dog within the mosque compound and it's perfectly normal here. If this happen back home, all hell will break loose !
Queuing to enter the mosque.
Entering a narrow passage.
Women have to be appropriately covered up.
Along the corridor inside the building.
Another passage.
The view as we entered.
The prayer hall.
Ganesan inside the mosque.
This is the reason why it's called the Blue Mosque, the ceiling are blue! That's all, the rest are not.
I had to have a photo taken inside this great mosque.
And so does Alvin.
This mosque was built in 1616, some 600 years ago.
The panaromic view using iphone 5s.
Jo, Pat, Alvin,Liew and I took a photo with the Blue Mosque at the back.
Then we turn around 180 degree and took the photo with The Hagia Sophia at the back while staying at the same spot.
You can see both the design are almost similar.
Toh and I have another photo of the mosque.
The entrance ticket for Ayasofya, Turkish name.
As usual, long queue going in. We understand that 3,000,000 people came to see this building each year.
A sketch plan of Hagia Sophia at the peak of the Roman Empire.
The front corridor before the main hall.
Explanatory signage of the Church.
The structure explained.
The real structure.
It is huge within the building.
Notice the Arabic signage at the pillars.
The ceiling.
Mother Mary is still intact.
Passage going to the upper level.
View from the higher level.
Together with Fanny.
Emperor Constantine IX and wife flanking Mother Mary.
If you donate money in those days, you have the right to have the portrait done as above. Well, maybe only the king can, not the commoners.
The layer removed to show what was originally a mosaic design.
The Basilica Cistern
This underground water storage system was constructed under the Stoa Basilica, one of the great squares on the first hill. The construction dates back to the 6th century Byzantine era for the purpose of storing water for the Great Pa;ace and the surrounding buildings. Water was transported 20 km from the reservoir near the Black Sea via the Aqueduct and could store up to 80,000 cm of water. Such was the engineering feat done more than 1,500 years ago! Later, when the palace relocated from Byzantine, the cistern was not utilise and forgotten over a period of time!
It was not until 1545, a researcher called Petrus Gyllius who was researching Byzantine antiques was told by local residents that they could miraculously obtain water if they lower their bucket into the dark space below the basement floors. Some could even catch fish that way. Gyllius explored the neighbourhood and finally access the cistern through one of the basements. Even after the great discovery, the Ottomans did not treat the underground palace with the respect it deserved and treat it as a dumping ground throwing all sorts of junks including corpses. It was only in 1985, the cistern was cleaned and renovated by the Istanbul Municipality and opened to public two years later. It now became one of the main tourists attraction in the city. It is noteworthy that some of the Hollywood movies were shot here, including the 1963 James Bond "From Russia with Love".
Small and unassuming ticketing office.
A view of the entrance outside the cistern.
30 TL entrance fee, ie RM45.00
The walking platform.
Columns holding up the structure.
Underground water is stored in the entire system.
Unexplained Medusa's head beneath one of the column.
Another mystery here, Medusa's head is inverted side way underneath another column.
Coins thrown around the head of Medusa.
Fishes in the cistern.
Tourist can sip tea at the cafe in the cistern if they want to.
At the exit outside the cistern.
The Grand Bazaar.
For any tourist, Istanbul is not complete if you did not include Kapalicarsi in your itinerary. This is the famous Grand Bazaar that has 4,000 shops and spread over 60 covered streets. Kapalicarsi means covered market and is one of the largest and oldest covered market in the world. Every day, it attracts between 250,000 to 400,000 visitors and is listed as the world's number 1 most visited tourist attraction with 91.250.000 visitors annually. Yes, this is the place to be for your shopping in Istanbul.
This is one of the many entrance.
250,000 to 400,000 visitors daily.
4000 shops with an array of products for any visitors.
Sishas
Ceramics with Turkish design.
More cenramics.
Evil eye pieces as souvenir.
Fabrics
More ceramics.
The Turkish believes evil eye pendant protects them from forces of evil.
Belly dancers apparel.
Leather jackets made of fine goat skin are a bargain here.
Beautiful ceramics.
More evil eye pendants.
Tea set and fragrance.
Outside the walkway.
All sorts of apparels.
Alvin bought some stuff at a bargain.
So is Joanne.
Streets of Istanbul old town.
A walk around the old city area reveals some fascinating and colourful street scenes and homes.
Colourful building at Yerebatan Street.
Nice striking colour.
It's nice walking pass these buildings.
Walking pass Hotel Medusa.
Looks like a nice chic boutique hotel.
Carpet shop.
Building opposite the Cistern.
Another colourful building.
Alvin at the Hippodrome.
The obelisk behind us has an intriguing history in itself. It was transported all the way from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi in the 5th century.
Another outstanding building.
And another one.
Nice al fresco cafes
Dubb Indian Restaurant.
Hotel across the road.
We had a nice Indian curry lunch here,turn out to be our best meal since we arrived.
The signage outside the restaurant.
Having Turkish tea after lunch.
Cosy neighbourhood.
Evil eye at one of the building.
It's very common to see this at every house, office or business outlet.
Cruising along the Bosphorus.
A trip to Istanbul cannot be complete without a cruise on the Bosphorus. It was fitting for us to host a Gala Dinner on board a private cruise that is exclusive to our use. The evening without doubt is one our most memorable evening in Istanbul.
Before boarding.
That's the welcome for all the delegates. I had to take a photo here.
Justin feeling romantic here.
Some of the delegates enjoying the sea breeze.
With Ganesan who is having a fun time thus far.
Richard and Tee getting along very well.
With David and Joanne.
Lai happy in the company of ladies.
Toh with his agent.
With Lee, Mun and Hui Ling.
A panorama photo using iphone 5s.
Sia, flanked by Justin and Richard.
The tour guide having fun as well.
Lai Sim and Donald.
Fanny enjoying the attention of the guys.
Brothers.
David is full of energy.
With Pediman, Liew and Toh.
Zamani with Lai and Peh.
Steven and Tee.
Well, have to take one solo shot.
A young man and three ladies.
Beers starts to flow here.
Enjoying the evening.
Pat having a fun evening.
Eugene soaking it in.
and keeping up with the ladies.
The southern gang.
Hans having a beer chat with Toh.
Lai and Meng Wah having a chat.
What better way to spend the evening then with Chernade.
That's the bridge over the Bosphorus as seen from the cruise.
It's time to go below deck for the dinner.
Pat in her resplendent self with Richard and Sia.
David the host ...
...doing his welcome bit.
Fantastic dinner table layout
A view from the back.
Below are pictures all our VIPs seated at their tables.
Then, to the delight of everyone, things began to sizzle.
What better way to kick off the party..
than the reknown Belly Dancers
from Turkey itself.
It got Steven off his feet in an instant.
Hip dancing if you wish to put it mildly.
Liew cannot restrain himself.
Wow, such graceful dancers.
yet appealing with Middle Eastern mysticism.
You cannot have enough of them.
It's almost impossible to gyrate gracefully with such build..
Yet they whirl and twirl effortlessly.
I do not know how many photos I took,
but I think my 2 gigabit of space was all filled up.
Super trouper
I like this dancer,
She is the most energetic of them all and moves like ... not Jagger.
Another from the audience got on her feet.
and just stay rooted when the dancer moves like this.
Here comes the pro...
And wow, yes, he moves like Jagger !
And the rest joins in.
and starts to party.
Do it like this...
and it goes on and on....
I stepped outside to enjoy the beautiful scene, and I'm glad I did.
I can imagine Byzas who sailed into these waters in search of the "land opposite the blind"more than 2000 years ago,
would not have this beautiful scenery that I am looking at now, especially with the modern day nightlight like this.
God have created this wonder for all to admire.
Back in the dining hall,
the party continues.
When I return home, I shall have fond memories of the Bosphorus and those beautiful belly dancers for a long time.
We disembarked from the cruise after a wonderful unforgettable experience. Without doubt, this has to be the highlight of our tour.
The Prince Islands.
Off the mainland at the Marmara Sea, there are nine islands. During the Byzantine period, princes and other royalty were exiled to the islands. It was the same with the Sultans during the Ottoman era and thereby the islands got the name Princes' Island. In the 19th century, these islands became popular with the wealthy who started building their own Victorian cottage holiday homes there. Of the nine, only four are open to public. The biggest and most popular island is the Buyukada is an area of 2 square miles.
Upon arrival at the jetty of Buyukada.
A short walk to the town center.
The clock tower is the landmark. It is right at the center of the town.
Tour guide giving tips as to what to do on the island.
This is the the lunch venue.
You can choose to take a horse cart and tour the island.
Alvin and I decide to rent a bike to go round the island.
It's an easy ride at first.
Those who took the horse carriage had to content with the smell of the horse shit.
Alvin on the way back.
No sweat.
We only cycled 1.5 Km and turn back because the chain gave way.
Taking a break at the cafe near the clock tower.
Joanne with the view of the clock tower behind her.
The lunch venue.
Fishes from the Marmara Sea
Some are not the ones you see often.
Alvin, the gentleman.
The Bollywood gang.
plus two.
Toh and his Southern gang.
Oon with Meng Wah.
The Northern gang.
Pediman and the East Malaysian group.
Lai Sim with Jason.
All glad that it's lunch time.
The ever photogenic Lai and Yang.
The Gen X, or Y ?
Bubbly Fanny waving.
All enjoying the lunch, island style.
Taksim Square and Ulker Street.
This being the main area where visitors throng, we spent a fair bit of time here. Moreover, our hotel is right at the vicinity. There is never a dull moment on this street.
Alvin at the mid point of Ulker Street.
I too enjoy this busy thoroughfare
Alvin and I wondered off the main road into an alley where less people go to.
I bought some souvenirs from this guys and never bargain with him. Just gave him what he asked for and he is really happy. He gave me an extra Evil Eye pendant after I bought this big one and a dozen smaller ones. Makes him happy, makes my day to see him happy.
View of the Marmara Sea from the hotel restaurant at the highest floor.
Having Turkish tea and sampling some Turkish delights at Hafiz Mustafa.
These are the delights, extremely sweet.
Nice relaxed place for a chat in a typical local environment.
Outside at Ulker Street.
The tram ferries the people up and down the kilometer long stretch.
The children jumps on it for a free ride. Theses are kids of illegal immigrants and it's their "fun fair".
Crowds builds up as the sun is setting.
Kasap Doner Restaurant.
Yes, that's me and my building!
This is a Muslim country.
Dogs are one of their favourite pet.
It's not something you see back home.
Flower stand, wide variety of flowers.
At the lower end of Ulker.
We went back to the same alley for some drinks.
This time we got a bigger sisha.
And got everybody smoking it.
It can cause dizziness as you need to suck through the long pipe.
Even Jeslyn have a go at it..
Air is cool at 13 degree.
There are lots of alleys like these around here.
This is our last day. The view of Taksim Square from the restaurant.
Alvin and I only found out this nice outdoor balcony on our last day.
One last look at the square.
There is an underground train service here, right below the square.
The Monument of the Republic crafted by an Italian sculptor, Pietro Canonica.
Signage showing the Unesco Heritage Sites of Istanbul.
The monument is commissioned by Kemal Atarturk in 1923.
It depict him in different period of his rule.
The square was also the site of the government protest in 2013,
This was the demonstration in 2013 at Taksim Square.
Nisantasi
Nisantasi is an upmarket area of Istanbul. It is the place where the rich and famous of Istanbul go to for their shopping. We had stopped there on our last day to satisfy our shopping curiosity.
Had bought a Zilli jacket earlier, but not from here.
Stopping for a bite at Nathan Burger stand.
City's Shopping Mall.
Only a few of us bought some stuff here.
The Spice Market.
On the way, saw this guy selling Simit along one of the busy main street.
He is totally oblivious to the traffic.
There are more than 82,000 mosque in Turkey!
Istanbul alone has more than 3,000 mosques.
Election is due in two weeks.A political party is having their "ceramah" next to the Spice Market.
Here we are at the Spice Market.
A few centuries ago, it was a market place for goods brought from Egypt, and it is sometimes called the Egyptian Market.
The guide recommended this shop.
Badawi, Kuan Yew and a host of personalities shop at this little outlet.
Me and Fanny again.
Some of the spices sold here.
Souvenirs.
The personality that visit this stall.
It's a crowded place.
There are more than 1000 stalls at this market.
Mineral water seller.
The number of visitors here is crazy.
Dried chillies.
Trade is brisk.
Mix spice sold here.
and all other spices.
Saffron is an expensive stuff.
On the way to the airport, we stop by Gelik Atakoy Restaurant for early dinner.
Toh and Alvin sharing some pictures.
All waiting for food to be served.
This tree is grown from inside the restaurant.
We are early and have enough time before our flight.
In between food, brousing through some nice photos.
Fresh bread for starters.
Chicken, lamb, rice and wedges. It does not look good in picture, but is does taste good. we like it.
Kunefe. This dessert is super sweet.
It's a busy kitchen.
The fast food section.
Traffic was heavy on the way to the airport.
For those who think our petrol is expensive, think again I lire is about 1.5 RM.
Our holiday finally came to an end.
We were early and was at the front of the queue.
Milling around while waiting to check in.
This whisky caught my eye at the duty free shop.
Would you buy for the price?
Istanbul is certainly a great place to visit. It is rich in history and it's past is well preserved. Turkey is a progressive Muslim society. Islam is the official religion but it's not used in the state administration. It is separate because it is a secular state. 95% of the people are Muslim, but they have freedom of thoughts and expression and do not have the "holier than thou" attitude. You do not even see very much veiled women in this country. This is one Muslim country that draws huge number of tourist every year. It is easy to see why they are a progressive nation.
It had been a long day, during the long midnight flight, most did not have much sleep. Upon arrival, everyone just wanted to get into the hotel to catch their 40 winks.
The next day, our itinerary was to stop by a leather shop after breakfast. Tol and Ar Leather is popular with tourist and claim to be the contract manufacturer and supplier for famous brands. There are sheepskins wear, but the popular ones are the lambskin jacket that was shaved to 0,4 mm and they called it silk leather which is wrinkled free.
The Topkapi Palace.
We left the leather shop and head towards Istanbul's popular landmark, The Topkapi Palace. This palace was built after the Ottoman conquer Constatinople. It was constructed between 1466 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II for his new palace that was used as an administrative center.
The Blue Mosque.
Hagia Sophia was built in 537 AD and served as a Greek Orthodox Church. When the Ottoman Empire took over the city, Sultan Ahmet II had to build mosque at the same ground directly opposite Hagia Sophia. Every part of the Blue Mosque had to be greater than Hagia Sophia.
Outside at the compound is a modest sign board.
One for the memory.
And one for Hans.
It's a great backdrop for a group photo which we took the next day when we visit Hagia Sophia.
The Sophia Hagia.
Whilst The Hagia Sophia was constructed even before Muslim started, it was however converted to a mosque in 1453 when the Ottomans Empire came into being. It was only in 1953 when the first Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk converted it into a museum, as it stands today.
It was not until 1545, a researcher called Petrus Gyllius who was researching Byzantine antiques was told by local residents that they could miraculously obtain water if they lower their bucket into the dark space below the basement floors. Some could even catch fish that way. Gyllius explored the neighbourhood and finally access the cistern through one of the basements. Even after the great discovery, the Ottomans did not treat the underground palace with the respect it deserved and treat it as a dumping ground throwing all sorts of junks including corpses. It was only in 1985, the cistern was cleaned and renovated by the Istanbul Municipality and opened to public two years later. It now became one of the main tourists attraction in the city. It is noteworthy that some of the Hollywood movies were shot here, including the 1963 James Bond "From Russia with Love".
The Grand Bazaar.
For any tourist, Istanbul is not complete if you did not include Kapalicarsi in your itinerary. This is the famous Grand Bazaar that has 4,000 shops and spread over 60 covered streets. Kapalicarsi means covered market and is one of the largest and oldest covered market in the world. Every day, it attracts between 250,000 to 400,000 visitors and is listed as the world's number 1 most visited tourist attraction with 91.250.000 visitors annually. Yes, this is the place to be for your shopping in Istanbul.
Streets of Istanbul old town.
A walk around the old city area reveals some fascinating and colourful street scenes and homes.
Cruising along the Bosphorus.
A trip to Istanbul cannot be complete without a cruise on the Bosphorus. It was fitting for us to host a Gala Dinner on board a private cruise that is exclusive to our use. The evening without doubt is one our most memorable evening in Istanbul.
It's time to go below deck for the dinner.
Below are pictures all our VIPs seated at their tables.
The Prince Islands.
Off the mainland at the Marmara Sea, there are nine islands. During the Byzantine period, princes and other royalty were exiled to the islands. It was the same with the Sultans during the Ottoman era and thereby the islands got the name Princes' Island. In the 19th century, these islands became popular with the wealthy who started building their own Victorian cottage holiday homes there. Of the nine, only four are open to public. The biggest and most popular island is the Buyukada is an area of 2 square miles.
Taksim Square and Ulker Street.
This being the main area where visitors throng, we spent a fair bit of time here. Moreover, our hotel is right at the vicinity. There is never a dull moment on this street.
Right in the main thoroughfare adjacent to Taksim Square.
Pediman had to put his Sabah stamp in this place with his traditional headgear.
Nisantasi
Nisantasi is an upmarket area of Istanbul. It is the place where the rich and famous of Istanbul go to for their shopping. We had stopped there on our last day to satisfy our shopping curiosity.
The Spice Market.
Aside from the modern day stuff, many spices since the old days are still sold.
On the way to the airport, we stop by Gelik Atakoy Restaurant for early dinner.
It is located midway between city and airport.
Istanbul is certainly a great place to visit. It is rich in history and it's past is well preserved. Turkey is a progressive Muslim society. Islam is the official religion but it's not used in the state administration. It is separate because it is a secular state. 95% of the people are Muslim, but they have freedom of thoughts and expression and do not have the "holier than thou" attitude. You do not even see very much veiled women in this country. This is one Muslim country that draws huge number of tourist every year. It is easy to see why they are a progressive nation.
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