KYQ4: Istanbul Modern Museum, Galatasaray and Egyptian Market

Bosphorus Days

By the third day, I was anxious to relax a little so I headed for the Istanbul Modern Museum at Karakoy on the shores of the Bosphorus below Galatasary, the affluent and bohemian sector of the city wedged between the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. It was a good choice, the tram took me to the door and I was more or less the first to enter. The large three-story building designed by Renzo Piano accentuated the x-axis, unlike the Shard. It looked out over the Bosphorus and was a berthing place for cruise ships.

The first-floor exhibition spaces were given over to two exhibitions. The first was by a Japanese artist, Chiharu Shiota, who had installed the entire space with what looked like a red spider's web which you could tunnel your way around, abandoned suitcases are randomly scattered betwixt the tunnels and are meant to provide memories of travelling 'between worlds'. I was staggered at the work involved in the installation and surprised when one of the curators told me that it had been erected in two weeks. It was a three-dimensional yarn bombing that you could sashay through in time and space.

Next up was a wonderful exhibition of 125 photographs by Turkish Photographer Izzet Keribar. They covered Istanbul from the 1950s to the 1980s and also a staggering collection of photographs from his world travels. Several of these brought back strong memories of visiting places in India, Namibia, Cambodia, and Vietnam with Aileen. There was also a superb photograph of the Lofoten Islands in Norway, a place Aileen always wanted to visit. We had planned a trip there just before COVID struck.

On the next floor was a selection of permanent exhibits of Turkish modern art installations called Floating Islands. They included large canvases, videos and spaces to 'turn off your mind, relax and float downstream'. (see video) After this, I climbed the stairs to the rooftop space with a shallow pond crowded with birds that gave a fine viewpoint over the Bosphorus and the nearby Nusretiye Mosque. Quite a few students were enjoying themselves and beyond the roof pond, the buildings clawed their way up the hill to Galatasaray. After a coffee and cake in the museum cafe, my compulsive inclination to climb hills kicked in and I began the lung-bursting ascent towards Istiklal Caddesi, the principal shopping street in Galatasaray and Istanbul.

As I reached Istikal Cad, I entered a stream of happy shoppers on a pedestrianised street that was definitely European, even Marks and Spencer and Decathlon were present. The only interruption to the swarms of shoppers were old tramcars that dinged and donged down the street every 10 minutes. I headed uphill towards Taksim Square where the new Taksim Mosque, Republic Monument and cavernous underground Metro Station are the attractions perched on the periphery of the massive public square. I was asked to take some photos of a young family from Iran. They were enthralled by Istanbul and they had a global perspective, humanity and intelligence that reprised my respect for Iranian people first inspired by an Iranian colleague when at University.

I descended into the brutal concrete bowels of Galatasaray, the Metro station, and hopped down to the next stop, Shishane. It overlooked the Golden Horn and the streets provided a route to the waterfront and the Galata Bridge. Dozens of fishermen were dangling their lines into the Halic estuary once renowned for sparkling with silver fish. Today the sea has been polluted by years of diesel vessels but still provides buckets of small fish. The next objective was a long trip on the Bosphorus to the entrance of the Black Sea. My timing was bad and there was only the short trip available which I had already done by riding the ferries on Day 1. I jumped on the next ferry to Uskadar in Asia instead, a repeat excursion but the glorious weather, seabirds and a pizza in a piazza made the trip worthwhile. I should probably have taken a ferry up the Golden Horn instead.

I arrived back at 5pm and visited the New Mosque before sauntering through the Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar. Like the Grand Bazaar, it was bustling with visitors. Each shop seemed to post a couple of well-fed, grey-stubbled men who attempted to entice you to sample the delights of their store. I remembered the advice from the video Markets of Britain, "keep walking, keep walking". I did, to the tram and back to the hotel. I collected a beer and some food at a local store for an evening snack in the hotel. After another long day with 25,000 steps and the invigoration of museums, mosques, ferries and bazaars, I could not be bothered running the gauntlet of the restaurant greeters.