Uskudar - Istanbul's Other City
The Asian Suburb of Istanbul - A Glimpse of Everyday Turkish Life
Aug 29, 2008
The Eminonu ferry quay you leave from is in Europe, Uskudar is in Asia. And you'll be leaving the heart of the city for a suburban pace of life.
There's just enough time on the ferry to buy a tulip-shaped glass of sweet black tea from the wandering tea vendor. This isn't a tourist trip – it's a daily commute for many workers.
Uskudar's Fine Fountains are Still in Use
The first sight, just outside the boat station, is a fine fountain, topped by a curved, overhanging roof. Ahmet III put it here in 1728, and you'll still see passers by stop for a mouthful of water; a tin cup hangs invitingly by the spout.
Just opposite is the Mihrimah Sultan mosque, by the great Turkish architect Sinan, facing the water. It was one of his earliest works, built for Sueliyman the Magnificent's favourite daughter, and the complex includes a school, guesthouse and madrasa as well as the mosque itself.
Further inland is the Yeni Valide mosque, built for another royal lady, Gulnus Valide Sultan, mother of Ahmet III who built the fountain you saw earlier. Like most Turkish mosques, it's surrounded by dependencies which either performed a charitable function, like the soup kitchen and water fountain, or helped to pay for them, like the row of market shops nearby.
A Queen's Tomb Open to the Air
But its most touching feature is the mausoleum of white marble built for Gulnus. Because she wanted to be buried in the open air, it's in the form of a bird-cage, with beautiful curving wrought iron screens around the simple marble grave. Neighbourhood cats seem to find it a particularly attractive refuge.
Near here you'll find Sinan's Market baths – now a rather faded shopping centre. Still, its red and white striped walls, and the domes studded with bottle-like glass lights, are impressive, even if the inside has been gutted.
A Waterfront Mosque and Tea Houses
Normally, you'd be able to walk along the quays to the waterfront mosque of Shemsi Pasha – a delightful building, and the only mosque in Istanbul to stand directly on the water. (It's another mosque by Sinan, by the way, built for Suleiyman's vizier.) But currently, the whole area is carved up by works for a great tunnel under the Bosphorous. Even so, it's worth the walk; on a good day, you can sit outside one of the teahouses beside the mosque and drink another glass of tea in the sun. Even when it rains, and the waves smash on to the quayside, the keen fishermen aren't deterred – you'll see them braving all weathers.
Eat a Fish Sandwich at Uskudar's Fish Market
If you've had enough culture, enough mosques, and enough tea, it's time to head back to the centre of Uskudar and its fish market. Stalls off the dark central alleyway are lit by hanging bulbs – one, gloriously, by more than fifty low energy bulbs, their various whirls and spirals decorating as well as lighting the shop. Outside, the nearby streets continue the market; strings of dried peppers and aubergines hang outside spice shops, and vegetables are piled high outside the groceries.
Most tourists head to the Grand Bazaar or the Egyptian Market in Istanbul. But Uskudar's market gives you a better taste of Turkish life; the stallholders are relaxed and humorous, the goods on show real food, not tourist luxuries. Finish off your trip to Uskudar with balik ekmek (fish sandwich) from one of the tiny restaurants by the market, and catch the ferry back to Istanbul.
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