Istanbul Never Fails To Mesmerize

From the eerie silence of the Basilica Cistern to the city ’s cacophonous celebrations, Istanbul never fails to mesmerize

- Tamsin Cocks

I’m heading back to my hotel after a spectacular Turkish feast at Ali Ocakbasi Gümüssuyu (a great little dining spot overlooking the Bosphorus) when out of nowhere, cars begin streaming past with their horns blaring. Passengers are hanging out the windows shouting, brandishing flags and setting off flares. The traffic lights ahead turn red; one car deliberately swings across all three lanes blocking the highway. Four young men leap out and jump on the roof, chanting at the beeping vehicles behind them and setting off more flares. I’m genuinely quite alarmed – what is going on? An uprising, a protest, a political rally?

As it turns out, it’s a football victory. It’s the end of the Super Lig – the Turkish Premier League. Galatasaray has beaten Goztepe in a tense 1-0 showdown to win the cup, and half the city has erupted in celebration. We crawl past Taksim Square – the central piazza in the heart of “modern” Istanbul – where throngs of jubilant fans have congregated to join the revelry. The riotous celebrations last until the early hours, as evidenced by the continuous shooting outside my hotel room.

It’s the complete opposite of my first impression of Istanbul when I landed almost 48 hours earlier. The drive into the city revealed a peaceful cityscape emerging through a hazy sunrise, a pink wash of ancient buildings dotted with minarets standing astride the peninsula that juts out into the Bosphorus Strait.

A 20-minute drive took us through Constantinople, the ancient capital, and over a large estuary known as the Golden Horn into Beyoglu district, the “European side” formerly known as Pera. Here, much of the architecture dates back to the 1800s, when European merchants created grand embassies, stately homes, and posh boutiques. Today, it’s the art, entertainment and nightlife center of Istanbul.