Michael Powell's Blog, page 117

Istanbul’s April Showers

We’ve had some rough weather for the past couple weeks, but it seems as though spring has finally arrived. As a photographer, the bad weather has had me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster — overcast days are not normally my thing, but somehow the clouds set a melancholic mood which is appropriate to Istanbul. Regardless, we’re definitely eager to enjoy the sun. Let’s hope it’s here to stay!

-Buy One Of Our Istanbul Photos As Framed Art

Do Istanbul’s April Showers Bring May Flowers?

We’ve had some rough weather for the past couple weeks, but it seems as though spring has finally arrived. As a photographer, the bad weather has had me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster — overcast days are not normally my thing, but somehow the clouds set a melancholic mood which is appropriate to Istanbul. Regardless, we’re definitely eager to enjoy the sun. Let’s hope it’s here to stay!

-Buy One Of Our Istanbul Photos As Framed Art

Up the Coast to Kanlıca

After visiting the neo-baroque Küçüksu Pavilion, we walked north along the Asian shore of the Bosphorus to the pleasant town of Kanlıca, where we treated ourselves to yogurt by the seaside, and then lunch at an amazing hilltop restaurant overlooking the strait.

It took almost no time to walk from the Küçüksu Pavilion to the Anadolu Hisarı: a fortress built by the invading Ottoman forces in 1397. By connecting a chain from this fortress to the Rumeli Hisarı across the Bosphorus, the Ottomans we...

The Küçüksu Pavilion

Built in 1857 as a lodge for Sultan Abdülmecid I, the elaborate facade of the Küçüksu Pavilion looks out over the Bosphorus Strait from the Asian side of Istanbul. Though its days as a summer retreat for Ottoman rulers may be a thing of the past, the pavilion has been meticulously preserved and now serves as a museum.

As is evident from the first glance, the pavilion was built during the Ottoman craze for all things European. The architect, Nigoğayos Baylan, had studied in Paris and the pavili...

The Aqueduct of Valens

Somehow, despite the tumult of centuries, the ravages of war, fire and earthquake, and the construction of a megalopolis around, along and even through it, the Aqueduct of Valens is standing tall. Originally constructed by the Roman Emperor Valens in 378 AD, the aqueduct is among Istanbul’s most amazing ancient relics.

Despite its strategic position, the ancient settlement of Byzantium was never able to truly flourish for one very important reason: a lack of drinking water. It’s surrounded on...

The Military Museum and Mehter Band

Whether fighting for the Ottoman Empire or the modern Republic, the Turkish war machine has a long and storied past, and it’s all breathlessly recounted in the Military Museum near Taksim Square. While there, it’s almost compulsory to take in a performance of history’s most famous military musical squad: the Mehter Band.

The Military Museum is huge. That’s the first thing we noticed during our visit — the collection of weapons, paintings, stories, artifacts, and dioramas is overwhelming, and o...

The Kalenderhane & Şehzade Mosques

Within the immediate vicinity of the Aqueduct of Valens are two worthwhile mosques: the small and ancient Kalenderhane, and the enormous Şehzade Mosque, built on the order of Süleyman the Magnificent in 1548.

The Kalenderhane Mosque was originally a Byzantine church built towards the end of the 12th century. After the conquest of Constantinople, it was granted to the Kalender Dervishes as a tekke, or lodge. This sect’s beliefs demand a life of endless wandering, so it’s unsurprising that they...

Two Turkish Delights: Rakı and Boza

Perhaps my favorite part of visiting new countries is discovering new sorts of drinking. Whether it’s soju in Korea or arrack in Sri Lanka, the existence of a new kind of alcohol provides a wonderful reason to imbibe. It’s work! Research, I tell you! So let’s have a toast to the miracle of convenient excuses!

We’ll start the evening slow… very slow. Although it does contain alcohol and was once banned in Turkey under anti-drinking ordinances, Boza would probably be safe enough to give a child....

Laleli: Istanbul’s Little Moscow

Despite being in the center of the city, the neighborhood of Laleli just doesn’t feel like the rest of Istanbul. Maybe it’s the curious absence of döner joints. It could be the shops with names like “XXL Женская одежда” and “красивый мужчина”, or the giant blonde women shouldering past with icy attitudes more befitting the tundra than Turkey. But when you’re in Laleli, there’s no mistaking that you’ve arrived in Istanbul’s Russia Town.

Laleli isn’t going to win any awards for its striking hist...

Easter Sunday on Burgazada

Burgazada is the third-largest of the popular Princes Islands, found just off Istanbul’s southern coast in the Sea of Marmara. Around 2000 people live there permanently, but its population swells considerably in the summer… and on sunny Sundays, like the one we chose for our visit.

While boarding the ferry at Kabataş, we were shocked by the crowd. When the sun is shining, a single idea pops into the collective mind of Istanbul: “Princes Islands!” This was the first truly warm weekend of the ye...