I have spent a few days in Istanbul. I made a few videos which I’m going to share below. I tried to keep sounds of the city as much as possible. I put music in the background only if there is some noise or my heavy breathing …😛 I hope you will enjoy this digital recording of my memories in Istanbul.
“I have always preferred the winter to the summer in Istanbul. I love the early evenings when autumn is slipping into winter, when the leafless trees are trembling in the north wind and people in the black coats and jackets are rushing home through the darkening streets. I love the overwhelming melancholy when I look at the walls of old apartment buildings and the dark surfaces of neglected, unpainted, fallen-down wooden mansions (…). When I watch the black -and-white crowds rushing through the darkening streets on a winter’s evening, I feel a deep sense of fellowship, almost as if the night has cloaked our lives, our streets, our every belonging in a blanket of darkness, as if once we’re safe in our houses, our bedrooms, our beds, we can return to dreams of our long-gone riches, our legendary past. And likewise, as I watch dusk descend like a poem in the pale light of the street lamps to engulf the city’s poor neighbourhood. (…) To see the city in black and white is to see it through the tarnish of history (…). It is resignation that nourishes Istanbul’s inward -looking soul. To see the city in black and white, to see the haze that sits over it, and breathe in the melancholy its inhabitants have embraced as their common fate.”
– Istanbul, Memories of a City by Orhan Pamuk
ARRIVAL IN ISTANBUL
The video below is a recording of my arrival in Istanbul on the winter evening, travelling across Istanbul and getting to my home in Beyoglu.
SULTANAHMET, SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE, THE GRAND MOSQUE and SAHAFLAR BAZAAR and BLUE MOSQUE
I spent this day visiting the old district of Sultanahmet. I went to Süleymaniye Mosque which is far more peaceful than the Blue Mosque. I then went to The Grand Bazaar followed by the visit to The Sahaflar Bazaar which is the Secondhand Book Bazaar located just next to the Grand Bazaar and beside The Beyazıt Mosque. I then took a tram to visit the Blue Mosque and walked around Sultanahmet. It wasn’t my first visit to Istanbul so I had already visited Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern as well as Topkapi Palace before and this time I skipped these places. However if it’s your first time in Istanbul I’d highly recommend a visit to Basilica Cistern and Hagia Sophia.
BALAT, ORTAKOY MOSQUE and TAKSIM SQUARE
Another video from Istanbul. On this day I visited the colourful neighbourhood of Balat, the Ortakoy Mosque and Taksim Square. I hope this video will give you some insight into a more vibrant side of Istanbul.
KADIKOY, MODA and KUZGUNCUK in USKUDAR
This next recording was taken during my visit to the Asian side of Istanbul. I very much loved the peaceful atmosphere of Kuzguncuk with its many cafes, bookshops and little shops.
BEYOGLU and GALATA BRIDGE
This videos is from my walk around Beyoglu, the district where I lived during my time in Istanbul. I also walked the length of Galata Bridge as it is so often featured in the books by Orhan Pamuk.
LEAVING ISTANBUL
This video is from my last day in Istanbul and it records my way from the flat in Beygolu to crossing the Bosphorus on a ferry to the Asian side and then taking metro to the airport.
