Overnight a storm has been raging and I awake early enough to recap on my three nights here in this city where East meets West. Today I am leaving and my cycling journey gets underway.
The relaxed atmosphere of this area of the city named Sultanhamet is memorable. The fascinating history of it becoming the capital of the Roman Empire in the 4th century BC and its Christian founder the Emperor Constantine the Great naming it Constantinople. The Roman hippodrome with oberlisks brought from Egypt, now incredibly over three and a half thousand years old, the underground water cisterns providing fresh water to the city and very importantly the Aya Sofya with its history of 900 years as a Christian place of worship followed by 500 years as an Islamic one. The mosaics uncovered are superb in the sunshine, glittering pieces, thankfully plastered over respectfully by the Muslim Ottoman leaders rather than destroyed.
A picture of the Million stone which is what's left of an arched structure which marked the point from which all Eastern Roman/Byzantine cities were neasured. My end point some years ago cycling from Rome and now my starting point heading Eastwards.
The Blue Mosque built in the Ottoman period to rival the Aya Sofya stands facing it. I understand there are now over three thousand mosques in the city. The satisfying blend of East and West is inspiring
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