Shopping over, it’s good to stroll through the streets where more wonders, large and small, await on every corner. Here’s Süleymaniye, another magnificent mosque, ‘as light as a feather’, there a statue of Atatürk, founder of the Republic, the shrine of a holy man, the remains of a Roman aqueduct and more museums than you could see in a week. There are tea gardens and secluded squares and parks where roses and tulips bloom along meandering paths. A cool promenade lines the eastern shore of the peninsula, offering glimpses of the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace and on a clear day, the idyllic Princes’ Islands on the horizon.
But the ultimate treat in Istanbul is sailing on the Bosphorus, gazing at myriad historical buildings on both sides of the strait. Cool sea breezes and verdant hills, this beautiful place was a magnet for sultans and pashas and when the channel was fully secured, palaces and pavilions popped up all around.
Favourites include Aynali Kavak, adorned in Venetian mirrors, Beylerbeyi on the Asian side where sultans hosted their guests and perhaps the most glorious of all, Dolmabahçe, an intriguing blend of Ottoman and Western decor and principal residence of the sultans from 1856 onwards. But beyond the glamour, the Bosphorus is full of simple delights, gardens festooned in magnolia and oleander, humble mosques, waterside villas in pastel colours, now a Venetian scene, now an Arabian dream or a 21st century call as an ocean liner approaches the suspension bridge stretching for 1.5 km across the strait.
Cargo vessels, galleons, luxury yachts, fishing boats, ferries, it’s a busy channel yet totally enchanting. The old fortress still guards the narrowest point while scenic bays and seafood restaurants beckon along the shores. Regular ferries and tourist boats offer a variety of trips from the Eminönü docks.
For the people of Istanbul, Eminönü is the heart and soul of the city, ferry boats, anglers, street vendors, the double-decked Galata bridge spanning the Golden Horn, the iconic tower with splendid views over the Bosphorus, the floating kitchens bobbing near the shore, garlanded in lights as dusk falls over a skyline bristling with minarets and domes. In 1923, the capital was moved to Ankara but the magic did not fade: ‘The best thing about Ankara,’ said a Turkish poet, ‘is the way back to Istanbul.’
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