Today, the Brother Rice Global Debate Team went on its scheduled excursion into Istanbul: Ortaköy on the Bosporus-Dolmabahçe Palace-Taksim Square. These destinations were located in the European side of Istanbul, in the Ortaköy, Beşiktaş, Beyoğlu, and Karaköy neighborhoods. We first travelled by bus to the Bosporus shore in the Ortaköy neighborhood, which offered excellent views of the Old Town (Sultanahmet), the Bosporus, and the Bosporus Bridge. Many cafes and nargile bars are clustered in quaint Ottoman buildings along narrow cobblestone streets along the Bosporus coast. We then proceeded to Dolmabahçe Palace, about a hour long walk from Ortaköy. The Palace, built in 1843 in the Baroque style was the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire between 1856-1922; when the modern Republic of Turkey was founded, Atatürk used the Palace as a summer residence. He died in the Palace in 1938. Topkapı Palace, on the contrary, was not inhabited by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, but was used as the primary and official residence of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years (1465, when Sultan Mehmed II built the Palace, to 1856). From 1856 to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, it housed ranked Ottoman officers. Since then, it has been a musuem. Unfortunately, Dolmabahçe Palace was closed today, so we then proceeded to Taksim Square, a large public area built atop a hill in Beyoğlu. Surrounding the bustling square are many shops and restaurants; higher-end stores and restaurants can be found along İstiklal Caddesi (Independence Avenue), a large avenue extending south from Taksim Square. The tour split up from here, and we proceeded by cab to Galata Tower, an ancient tower standing in Karaköy dating from the 500s. The tower has had many purposes over its existence, but offers a superb panoramic view of the city of Istanbul. After taking in the city from Galata Tower, we proceeded back to Taskim via cab, and walked around the Square and İstiklal Caddesi. We stopped in a 5-story modern mall (boasting higher-end Western stores) the opens up right onto İstiklal Caddesi. This is an another one of the wonderful peculiarities of Istanbul: the avenue is lined with late Ottoman buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries, but contains a modern shopping mall (built in the shell of a old Ottoman building). The avenue also has a historic tram running down the center of it from Taksim Square. We met up with tour at Taksim Square, and then returned to the hotel.
Pictures are posted below:
Rough order of the pictures: Ortaköy, Dolmabahçe Palace, Taksim Square, Galata Tower and views of Istanbul from Galata Tower, İstiklal Caddesi, and Taksim Square.
Post: Alex
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