Second Day in Istanbul

On my second day, I spent most of the day at the Istanbul Archeological Museum[*] complex. This is really three museums, the Archeological Museum itself, the Tiled Kiosk, and the Museum of the Ancient Orient. (As I came to expect, part was closed for renovation; this time it was only the area around the outdoor cafe.)

The two museums contain artifacts from much of Turkey's past, from Sumerian time up through Greek and Roman times. Probably the biggest single collection is the Sarcophagus collection. Its centerpiece is the Alexander Sarcophagus, and no, it does not contain the remains of Alexander the Great. It gets that name from the scenes carved on it.

 
Being a librarian, I was also very interested in the examples of early writing. These two clay tablets (one in each of the museums) represent some of the earliest known examples of writing.

Odd fact:
The one on the left is an incantation against impotence. Click it to see a translation.

 
The Tiled Kiosk (like the Rüstem Paşa Mosque) is known for it's beautiful blue tilework. It also contains a collection of other tilework and ceramics.

Cats (and Dogs) of Istanbul

Istanbul is a city of cats and dogs. I found them almost everywhere. I was told that they "belong to the city" - they are cared for and fed. The dogs are even tagged, but they do not belong to anyone. They seem to have the run of the city, but only in outdoor areas. (In other parts of Turkey, I saw lots of cats, but it was only in Istanbul that I saw so many dogs.)


Basilica Cistern

I had no idea what to expect when I entered the Basilica Cistern[*]. I was told it was something I should see, but that was all I knew about it. Odd fact:
The Medusa head at the base of the pillar is turned sideways so that she won't turn people to stone with her glance.) "A cistern, hmmm, okay, that's a place they stored water; but everybody says I shouldn't miss it, so I guess I'll go in." Wow, what a surprise! It was as big as two football fields (just a guess) and reminded me more than anything of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Disneyland, just without the pirates or boats.

According to the information plaque, there are 336 support columns, each 9 meters high. Wow. I never heard an estimate of how much water it could hold, but it was a lot. It boggles the mind! I agree, this is something you shouldn't miss.

Street food

There is a great variety of street food available in Istanbul. Some of the more popular are: simit (see the "word of the day"), watermelon slices, orange juice, pomegranate juice, something similar to a crepe filled with cheese or nutella, corn on the cob (not very good - it tasted more like field corn than sweet corn), and this very interesting candy.

The vendor has a pot filled with five different flavors. I thought at first you would choose one, but that wasn't the case. The candy is soft and chewy, like saltwater taffy, but softer. Usually they are all fruit flavors, but one vendor claimed that one of his was chocolate. I didn't try that one, though. He dips his spreader into one of the five flavors and winds it around the stick. He repeats this with each of the five flavors and when he is done, he squeezes lemon juice on it. Yummy. I had already eaten the top of mine before I thought to take the picture, but you can still get the idea.