Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
total number of columns was 118; evidently Piyale had a passion for
them. Piyale Paşa, son of a Croatian shoemaker, was brought up in
the Palace School and married a daughter of Selim II; he was Lord
High Admiral and conquered the island of Chios as well as repeatedly
harrying the coasts of Italy.
At Kasım Paşa is the famous naval Arsenal
(Tershane),
originally
built by Mehmet the Conqueror. During the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries it made a great impression on foreign travellers, for it could
accommodate 120 ships in drydock and there was nothing like it
in Europe. Now its activities are more modest. At the water's edge
not far beyond the landing stage is a pretty little nineteenth-century
palace for the commandant in charge of the Taşkızak Naval Arsenal.
Farther up the north shore of the Golden Horn, opposite Balat,
we see the former imperial residence known as Aynalı Kavak Kasr,
the Pavilion of the Mirroring Poplars. This handsome building was
probably constructed during the reign of Ahmet III (r. 1703-30),
restored by Selim III (r. 1789-1807), and given its present form
with alterations by Mahmut II (r. 1808-39). Aynalı Kavak figures
in Turkish history as the site of the peace conference which in 1779
ended a war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. The palace was
restored and reopened in 1993 as a museum, housing a fascinating
collection of Turkish musical instruments.
After Kasım Paşa the next ferry stop is at Fener on the south shore
of the Golden Horn. The ferry then crosses over to stop at Hasköy on
the north shore before going on to its last stop at Eyüp. At Hasköy
one might want to break the journey by visiting the very interesting
Rahmi M. Koç Industrial Museum. Part of the museum is housed in
a beautifully restored Ottoman lengerhane, a forge for making ship's
chains and anchors, a structure dating from the reign of Ahmet III.
One of the buildings of the lengerhane has been converted into a very
attractive restaurant called the Café du Levant.
THE MOSQUE AND TÜRBE OF EYÜP
The mosque of Eyüp is the holiest in Istanbul; indeed after Mecca
and Jerusalem it is perhaps the third most sacred place of pilgrimage
in the Islamic world. This is because it is the reputed burial place
Search WWH ::
Custom Search