April 13 - Süleymaniye Mosque and Dolmabahçe Palace

On our way out today we drove through a very old aqueduct.  Only a bit of it remains.

We also managed to get into a massive neighborhood traffic jam.  As in GRIDLOCK.  For quite some time.  But eventually the traffic started moving.

Our first stop is at the Sulemaniye Mosque, built in the mid 1500’s by Suleyman the Magnificent.  It is larger than the Hagia Sofia with four minarets and has a beautiful interior. 

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More Sulemaniye Mosque
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It is on a hill with great views overlooking Istanbul.

Adjacent to the mosque is a cemetery dating to the time of construction.

Süleymaniye and his wife (Roxelane) are buried in tombs in the cemetery.

We passed a massive soccer stadium on our way to our next stop…the Dolmabahçe Palace.  This is a 19^th century rococo palace that was the residence of several of the last Ottoman sultans.  No photos were allowed inside so we had to settle for photographing the great exterior.

(Interesting historical note…Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, died here on November 10, 1938 at 9:05 am.  All the clocks in the palace are set to 9:05.)

We had lunch at a kabob place on Takim Street.  

Waiting for a handout.

This statue of Ataturk and his soldiers were in the massive square at the end of the street. 

After lunch we walked back to our hotel.  It wasn’t too far away. 

Demonstration in Support of Ukraine

When we got to the hotel there was a massive line out the door.  Turns out the hotel suite directly adjacent to ours was used by Ataturk when they were setting up the new republic.  The suite is now a museum and the hotel was having open house for the viewing.  So we dropped off our stuff in our room and joined the cue to see the room.

That evening we walked back to Takim Street and found dinner at a sidewalk café that Erdal had recommended.