Istanbul is often described as magical because of its history and scenery. It is also magical in more ordinary ways, especially when disappointments turn into pleasant surprises. The bad tempered taxi driver uncomplainingly carries heavy luggage up the stairs, the harassed check-out lady gives enthusiastic directions and the ferry passengers stop arguing to laugh at the greedy seagulls.
I took my visiting friends to the Blue Mosque on a hot August to find that the dome was still under renovation and it was prayer time. Since the mosque was closed, we opted to go to the Grand Bazaar instead. We meandered through the bazaar and exited into a street where all the shops seemed to be selling buttons. Thankfully, I remembered that the Süleymaniye Mosque was nearby and after walking throught the streets behind Istanbul University, we were soon standing above the Bosphorus. We were hot and tired, but pleased that we had ended up at Istanbul’s fourth imperial mosque. There are around 3000 mosques in the city, but this one is special because it was commissioned by Sultan Süleyman I (known as ‘the Magnificent’) and designed by Mimar Sinan, the famous architect who began work on its construction in 1550.
As I said, Istanbul has lots of surprises. One of these is that visiting children seem to like mosques. Maybe it is the awe inspiring interiorsor perhaps it has something to do with the atmosphere, but the children contentedly sat themselves down on the floor and listened to the volunteer guide who explained aspects of the architecture and answered questions about the Islamic faith. The volunteer guides, were a nice surprise too. Most are students, who are fluent in foreign languages and very happy to share their knowledge of history.
I had never noticed this before, but mosque chandeliers sometimes contain ostrich eggs! There were originally 300 ostrich eggs in the Süleymaniye Mosque but only around 30 remain. The guide explained that the eggs are thought to prevent spiders from spinning webs along the chandeliers. I wondered if the ostrich eggs were decorative and the guide was trying to keep the children interested, but it turns out that this really is the case and that ostrich eggs emit an odour, which repels insects. Another surprise!