Michael Powell's Blog, page 118

A Concise History of Istanbul

If ever a city were in a need of a concise recounting of its history, it is Istanbul. Properly told, its story could fill multiple volumes of heavy, academic tomes. But we’re far too busy for detail or nuance, and so have distilled the past of one of the world’s most historic cities into a ridiculous list of easily digestible highlights. Students of Mrs. Dent’s sixth-grade history class: you’re welcome! Learned professors and graduate students: you might want to look elsewhere.

6500 BC
The earl...

After One Month in Istanbul

Wow, that went fast. Our first month in Istanbul flew by way too quickly, leaving us a little nervous about our remaining time. We’ve prepared a gigantic list of things to do and see and, although we’ve accomplished a lot, the list doesn’t appear to be getting any smaller. Still, it’s been an amazing month, which has just left us eager for more. Here are our initial impressions about living in Istanbul.

Most Memorable

Mike: Stepping foot for the first time inside the Hagia Sophia. For a thousan...

Lunchtime in Eminönü

Hungry for lunch? Then join the throngs heading for the semicircular Eminönü Plaza, on the western side of the Galata Bridge. “Why? What’s there to eat?” you might be asking. Well, try not worry about that quite yet!

This plaza between the Galata Bridge and the Bosphorus Ferry Terminal is one of the most popular places in the city to grab a quick and cheap lunch. Three restaurants floating on the riverside offer the exact same thing — fish sandwiches. Just step right up, hand over 5 TL and gra...

The Museum of Energy at Santralİstanbul

After opening in 1914, the Silahtarağa Power Plant was Istanbul’s sole source of electric power for almost forty years. Today, the former plant has been converted into a cultural center called Sintralİstanbul. The original equipment has been refurbished and left in place, and now constitutes the exhibits of the unique Museum of Energy.

Before we even entered, I had suspected that I wouldn’t be seeing a lot of Jürgen in Santralİstanbul. He loves old industrial sites, and here was one guaranteed...

The Archaeology Museum Complex

Set atop a hill in Gülhane Park, just meters from Topkapı Palace, the Archaeology Museum Complex boasts one of the world’s most stunning collections of ancient artifacts. At the height of its power, the Ottoman Empire stretched across major sections of Europe, Asia and Africa, so it’s no surprise that countless treasures have found their way to Istanbul.

The museum was established in the late 1800s, partially to combat the widespread practice of spiriting off archaeological finds to countries...

Shopping Fever in Tahtakale

How much you enjoy the steep, jam-packed streets around the Rüstem Paşa Camii depends entirely on your point of view. Is it an exhilarating and chaotic shopping paradise, or an intolerable maze of pushy, obnoxious vendors? So please, visit only when you’re in a good mood and well-disposed to both noise and hassle. Because it’s not like Tahtakale is going to change for you. Tahtakale ain’t gonna change for nobody.

Luckily, we visited Tahtakale on one of those rare days when Jürgen and I had bot...

Simits, Pide and Künefe: Familiar Turkish Favorites

In the weeks we’ve been here, our taste buds have been exposed to a lot of new foods. But some of our favorite discoveries have been familiar standards, given a slight Turkish twist. Simits are Turkish bagels, a pide is a Turkish pizza, and küfete… well, that’s just Turkish heaven.

Simits are usually purchased from roving street vendors, who are either pushing carts or carefully balancing towering stacks on their heads. But we’ve been lucky enough to eat them in the best way possible: early in...

The Rüstem Paşa Camii

Built on a steep hill in the middle of a bustling market area, the Rüstem Paşa Camii is yet another masterpiece from the ubiquitous master architect Mimar Sinan. If you weren’t carefully looking for the entrance, you would almost certainly miss it: just a narrow set of nondescript stairs leading up from the street. So ascending these steps and emerging into the mosque’s spacious courtyard is quite the surprise.

And the surprises continue as you enter the mosque. The Rüstem Paşa is famed for it...

Sunday Morning in Kumkapı

The neighborhood south of the Grand Bazaar, bordering the Sea of Marmara, goes by the entertaining name of Kumkapı. Although it doesn’t lay claim to any major sights or fabulous mosques, we enjoyed the quiet Sunday morning we spent here, and can now strike “Attend an Armenian Apostolic Mass” from our bucket list. Another childhood dream accomplished!

Despite the (errmm…) rocky historical relationship between Turkey and its landlocked neighbor to the east, Istanbul has always been home to a siz...

The Istanbul Modern

Istanbul’s Museum of Modern Art occupies an old warehouse in Tophane, right on top of the Bosphorus Strait. Downstairs are rotating temporary exhibits, while the upper floor houses the permanent collection along with a stylish cafe that has great-looking food, and an even better looking view.

As is always the case in modern art museums, the quality of the work varies wildly. Some were really cool (how’s that for insightful criticism? “Really cool”, “Sweet”), and many others left us scratching...