07.20.09
Finally...Istanbul!
The Kapali Carsi (Grand Bazaar) was probably the most overwhelming shopping experience that I've ever had. The covered bazaar is so large that it's split into regions of jewelry, denim and leather, antiques, ceramics and lights, and textiles. It was built in the 1470s under Mehmet the conqueror. As my friends and I walked past the shops the shop keepers would say anything they thought would get us to look at their merchandise. They were all very friendly and not demanding at all, but we definitely got some really interesting entreaties. "So cheap...it's almost free!" "Come into my store and make me rich." "I'll help you spend all of your money." "Want scarves? Want boyfriends?" My favorite attempt to loosen our lyra (Turkish currency) came when we were in the Antiques section of the bazaar from a stringy Turkish man with grey-streaked hair. In a syrupy voice, that immediately called to mind the lamp-seller from Aladdin, he said "Come in please. I will help you make all of your dreams come true. Whatever you desire, I can help you find that." The bazaar was interesting because although it spans several blocks of the city, most of the goods were very similar. The ceramic tableware looked identical in every ceramic shop. The beautiful hanging glass light covers shone with similar multi-colored brilliance outside of the lighting shops, their storefronts covered with a virtual rainbow of light. None of the prices were posted on the merchandise filling this miniature shopping-city, all sales were made by friendly haggling between the customer and the seller. I must say, I am terrible at haggling; after my first attempt Megan took pity on me and haggled for me afterwards. I'm glad that we went for the experience, but I think I'll keep to my more peaceful shopping habits.
Leaving the Grand Bazaar we walked through one of the numerous gates leading back into the city to find ourselves in the Sahaflar Carsisi, the open-air book market. The stores were bursting with their literature, overflowing their books onto tables in the walking street. There were families of stray cats living in market and out on the streets, a nice change from the wild dogs that filled the streets of Greece. The kittens were so cute!
In the afternoon Kate and I put on our conservative clothing and went into the Old City to try to visit some famous Islamic religious sites. We found the Blue Mosque first, after removing our shoes and securing our headcoverings we entered the tall domed building. It was constructed in 1606 and was immediately surrounded in convtroversy over its six minarets which are considered to be more for decoration than for their functional purpose of announcing the call to worship. The inside of the mosque is covered in beautiful ceramic tiles in all shades of Blue. There are small lights hanging down from the tall ceiling. We spent some time relaxing on the floor of the mosque before returning to the street to buy some dondurma (Turkish ice cream) from a street vendor. We got chocolate, and it had the texture of taffy-marshmallow-pudding. It was definitely a cultural experience.
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