- Night Fishermen -
After a wonderful night out in Istanbul, I was walking home from Galata and I have dwelt on the Galata Bridge connecting the city's norther part with the ancient heart of Sultanahmet. The mosques are lit with golden colors and stand out against the black sky, On the bridge few fishermen are trying to catch some fish before returning home, most of them are chating and drinking hot tea.
Istanbul - Turkey
October 2015
Turkey
Istanbul: historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople, was the capital of four of the greatest empires of the past. The current urban area covers both sides of the Bosphorus, the strait that divides Europe from Asia and links the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea, making it the only metropolis in the world that belongs to two continents. The "Golden Horn" (in Turkish 'Halic') is the name of the natural harbor in the European part and the mouth of the Bosphorus overlooking the old town.
- Istanbul -
Historically also known as Constantinople and Byzantium, is the most populous city in Turkey and the country's cultural, and historic center. Istanbul is a transcontinental city in Eurasia, straddling the Bosphorus strait between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Sultanahmet is the heart of the Old-Town, being a peninsula bounded by bodies of water to north, east and south (the Golden Horn, Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara, respectively) and by the old city walls to west, this part of the city is essentially what used to be called Constantinople, as the rest of what is today Istanbul was part of independent cities, towns, villages, fields or even complete wilderness later absorbed by the city. This process is still going on as Istanbul grows with increasing speed.Istanbul, or Byzantium as it was called then, was first settled by Greek colonists from Megara in Greek mainland in 667 BC. However, recent discoveries in a metro construction site in Yenikapı (on the southern coast of the peninsula) dates the very first date of Istanbul's settlement back to about 8000 years ago, which makes the city one of the oldest still-inhabited spots of the world. This peninsula was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. Sultanahmet, walking distance to the all historical sights of Istanbul named old city.
Istanbul - Turkey October 2015
- Inside Hagia -
Today I decided to visit the majestic Hagia Sophia. It's not my first time, in 2010 I was able to visit Istanbul with a few friends. So I knew that the Hagia Sophia is a beautiful subject to photograph. Unfortunately this time for some restoration work has been erected a giant scaffold, ruining the symmetry and the vastness of the interior spaces. It was not at all easy to find original and interesting shots trying to cut off the scaffolding.
Istanbul -Turkey
October 2015
- The Selfie Girl -
I am inside the amazing Blue Mosque in the heart of Istanbul. Right now there are no prayer sessions, then the mosque is open to tourists. The magnificent architecture catches the eye upward, the tall columns and decorated domes. Tripods are not allowed inside the complex, I have to come up with a good alternative, use directly on the floor. While supporting the camera with my backpack I can position it at different angles so that I am able to have in the same frame, the crowd of people and the top of the mosque.
With a long exposure I got the movement of people, except a young woman committed to taking a selfie.
Istanbul - Turkey October 2015
- At the Bazar -
Istanbul is plastered with markets, from small groups of stalls in the corners of the streets, to the great bazaar, famous for not having never changed location for centuries. There is something magical in the bazaars of this city: the smell of spices, tea, the glint of silver. A world detached from the chaos in the modern city.
Istanbul - Turkey October 2015
- Istanbul Underground -
This is the Basilica Cistern, the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. The cistern, located 150 m southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
Istanbul - Turkey October 2015
- The Sketch -
In the gigantic spaces of the Hagia Sophia a man leaning on a balustrade upstairs, draws the beautiful interior of this extraordinary structure.
Istanbul - Turkey
October 2015
- Constantinople by Night -
Beautiful night view of the north of the Golden Horn, I took this picture from the Galata Bridge.
Istanbul - Turkey
October 2015
- Yeni Cami -
The Yeni Cami, meaning New Mosque; originally named the Valide Sultan Mosque and later New Valide Sultan Mosque after its partial reconstruction and completion between 1660 and 1665; is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Eminönü quarter of Istanbul. It is situated on the Golden Horn, at the southern end of the Galata Bridge, and is one of the famous architectural landmarks of Istanbul.
Istanbul - Turkey October 2015
- Empty Square -
It is very late, the city is almost deserted, and it is cold. I decide to walk past the Hagia Sophia, which remains on the path to reach my hostel. A small cart illuminates the empty square, is a seller of corn cobs.
Istanbul - Turkey
October 2015
- The Great Hagia Sophia -
Hagia Sophia, from the Greek "Holy Wisdom", is a former Christian patriarchal basilica, later an imperial mosque, and now a museum, The Ayasofya Müzesi. From the date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as a Greek Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935. The Hagia Sophia is famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture". It remained the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520.
Istanbul- Turkey October 2015
- The Blue Mosque -
This is the inside of one of the magnificent temples İstanbul's most photogenic building was the grand project of Sultan Ahmet I, whose tomb is located on the north side of the site. The mosque's wonderfully curvaceous exterior features a cascade of domes and six slender minarets. Blue İznik tiles adorn the interior and give the building its unofficial but commonly used name. The interior has a similarly grand scale: the İznik tiles number in the tens of thousands, there are 260 windows and the central prayer space is huge.To best appreciate the mosque's design, enter the complex via the Hippodrome rather than from Sultanahmet Park. Once inside the courtyard, which is the same size as the mosque's interior, you'll appreciate the building's perfect proportions.
Istanbul - Turkey October 2015
- Rooftop Sunset -
Around Sultanahmet Square there are many restaurant terraces on the top floor of buildings. There is nothing better after a day out in the city that relax with a cup of hot apple tea and enjoy the last hours of daylight. The sounds of the city is lost in the wind, the sea in the distance reflecting the low sunlight, and many seagulls flying over "Constantinople".
Istanbul - Turkey
October 2015