Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
13
he Fifth
and Sixth Hills
Our present tour takes us from the Fatih district on a circuit around
the Fifth and Sixth Hills of Stamboul. Here we escape from almost
all indications of a modern city and stroll through districts that have
changed far less than in the tourist centres of Istanbul. Tourists rarely
come here, for with one or two exceptions the monuments, though
often interesting historically and architecturally, are not of the first
importance. We come upon colourful street-markets, picturesque
byways and plane-tree-shaded squares reminiscent of Ottoman
Istanbul. An exploration of this out-of-the-way part of the town is
rewarding as much for its village-like atmosphere as for the occasional
Ottoman mosque or Byzantine church that lies hidden away down
its back streets, or perches grandly on some terrace overlooking the
Golden Horn.
Our starting-point will be the outer courtyard of Fatih Camii,
from where the first part of our stroll will take us along the southern
slopes of the Fifth and Sixth Hills, after which we will circle back
in a clockwise loop. We leave through the gate to the right at the
western end of the courtyard. This brings us to Darüşşafaka Caddesi,
which extends north-west towards the Fifth Hill. This avenue takes
us through the lively district of Çarşamba, which takes its name from
the bustling open market that throngs its streets on that day. This
is a travelling market that sets up its stalls and barrows in diferent
parts of the town on diferent days; thus there are neighbourhoods in
Istanbul named after almost all of the days in the week.
A few hundred metres along Darüşşafaka Caddesi we see of on
the right the famous institution from which the avenue takes its
name, the Darüşşafaka Lisesi. Darüşşafaka, founded in 1855, is an
orphanage which has one of the finest secondary schools in Turkey.
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