From the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire to Istanbul, there should be no place in the world that has experienced 2700 years of political, military and religious struggles like Istanbul. After all the disputes have settled and the prosperity has faded, Istanbul has become a charming city with super vitality, multiple elements and multicultural tolerance with its amazing self-healing ability.
What comes to mind when you mention Istanbul?
Are they famous landmarks: Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque?
Or unique human life: Bosphorus, Grand Bazaar, black tea, barbecue, tapestry?
Rich and diverse Turkey, I believe that everyone who has been there will have their own understanding and cognition. So Istanbul talks about it from different angles.
This article first looks at the famous landmark buildings, several mosques in the old city and Independence Street and Galapagos in the new city.
Blue Mosque Sultan Ahem Kamil
It was built more than 400 years ago in the period of Sultan Ahmed I, and is called "Blue Mosque" because of the extensive use of Iznik blue tiles inside the building. Blue glaze is attached to porcelain, and the white background is engraved with rich patterns. Almost all the interior of the mosque is painted blue. The Blue Mosque is also the largest dome in Istanbul, surrounded by six performance towers. It is the only mosque with six towers in the world and one of the top ten mosques in the world.
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia Museum
Passing through the gate of the Blue Mosque is another landmark of Istanbul: Hagia Sophia.
It comes from a church, half Muslim and half Christian. Built in 532 AD, it was changed into a mosque in15th century. 1453, Ottoman Turkish troops captured Constantinople, and Sultan Muhammad Ⅱ ordered the collection of all Christian holy objects and covered the mosaics with plaster, thus changing Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Ironically, this practice objectively protects ancient murals. After World War I, it became a history museum, and many murals buried under gypsum were rediscovered.
Successive Byzantine monarchs were crowned here, and Hagia Sophia Cathedral, with its magnificent royal gate and numerous mosaics, is a master of Byzantine culture. As a style transition between classical and medieval times, it inherited 65,438+007 marble columns in Roman times and the huge dome in imperial times. There are also exquisite mosaics that began to shine in Byzantine times. The wall is printed with Jesus' blessing: Peace is with you, and I am the light of the world. It begins with piety and ends with art.
Underground Water Palace basilica Reservoir
The underground palace is located next to Hagia Sophia. Although underground, it has now become one of the most mysterious and romantic places in the whole city. It has a history of 1500 years and it took 200 years to build it. It was originally intended to alleviate the demand for drinking water during the war. It is said that it can store 654.38 million tons of water for the whole city of Istanbul to drink for one month.
The underground water palace, supported by 336 Corinthian stone pillars with a height of 9 meters, has a huge vault structure and a strong film exploration color. Like the two stone pillars inside, there are different opinions. One is "Medusa's head column", with one head down and one side, which has not been solved yet; The second is the "pillar of tears", as the name implies, a teardrop-shaped and beautifully patterned pillar with a cave on it. It is said that putting your thumb into the hole and turning it completely can realize your wish. (There is a similar place inside Hagia Sophia, which has been given the same interpretation. Many people lined up to make a wish. I want to say that legends are just legends. )
Topkapa Palace, Topkapa Palace
Every country has palaces to be proud of, such as the Forbidden City in China and the Topkapa Palace in Turkey. From 15 to 19 century, it has been the main residence and work place of Turkey and Sudan for nearly 400 years.
Topkapa Palace consists of four courtyards, harem and other low buildings, which seems to be a city within a city. The "Royal Treasure House" located in the Third Hospital is the essence of the whole palace, in which the "Sword of Topkapa" is inlaid with three huge emeralds. In addition, there is an 86-carat teardrop diamond in the treasure house, which is the fifth largest diamond in the world. Muhammad IV once took this diamond to the enthronement ceremony.
Suleiman mosque asuleymaniye mosque
The unique geographical location overlooks the entire Galata Bridge and the beautiful bay. The 500-year-old mosque has the story of Suleiman dynasty. If Hagia Sophia, standing in the church, is shocked by its grandeur; The blue mosque adds some elegant and noble Leng Yan temperament; However, Suleiman Mosque is quiet, meticulous and magnificent. Standing in the church or sitting outside, a few people in twos and threes may be able to perceive its history and even some cultures of this nation with their hearts.
Independence boulevard
Known as the Champs Elysé es in Istanbul, it starts from Galata Bridge and ends at Taksin Square. The century-old buildings on Independence Street are full of fashionable brands, such as dessert shops, barbecue shops, fresh fruit stalls, retro trams, churches of various colors, consulates of various countries, and people come and go in an endless stream. In the alley next to the main street, there are many small shops with local characteristics, such as a cup of black tea, an ancient cake shop, and kittens lying leisurely on the street. When walking, I turned around unconsciously, and my style suddenly changed. I met the music shops, bookstores, art galleries and theaters of fashion pioneers. Perhaps the collision between the old and the new is the charm of Independence Street.
Galata
Galapagos Tower is a lighthouse built by Byzantine emperor Anastasius in 507. Originally built of wood, it was burned down during the Crusades, and was rebuilt and resurrected with stones by Genoese in 1348. This ancient pagoda has many functions: guarding the tower, prison and observatory.
Now, the Galatia Tower observation deck overlooking the whole Istanbul from different angles, especially the sunset glow in the evening, is a romantic place where couples prefer to punch in. Because of this, the queue of tourists at this time is really spectacular. In order to avoid the crowded crowd, I went up and sat in the cafe on the tower in the afternoon, overlooking the city scenery, basking in the sun, and the light refracted in, which was another kind of laziness and romance.
No country or city has ever integrated different nationalities, religions, histories and cultures from Europe, Asia and Africa. The warm temperament of the local people constantly impacts you and makes you subvert many preconceived ideas. ......
Istanbul, it will immerse you in a kind of beauty and separation.
This place is full of love and hate,
Gain and loss,
Vicissitudes and prosperity,
Lively and quiet,
Let you understand the meaning of survival in this intertwined collision.
Istanbul, a city with a history of 2,700 years, left everything on the stained glass of the palace, and it was spread all over the streets.
... the end of the play ...
If the world is a country, its capital must be Istanbul. -Napoleon