Istanbul ’17 | Day 3: If You Seek Treasure..

24th July ’17. Day 3 of 9.

It’s been an exhilarating day, and one which has surpassed our every expectation of this city. We started out with Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia in the late morning. Roaming through the grounds of Topkapi Palace, you pass by lush greenery, trees, budding roses and soothing fountains set perfectly in the wide spacious grounds. Standing at one of the balconies, we adopted the perspective of an Ottoman Sultan overlooking his space; it truly is worthy of royalty. And we hadn’t even gone inside yet.

The museum inside Topkapi Palace is intriguing, with historical artefacts leading up to the religious chamber in which was stored sacred belongings from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his Companions, his Family and other Prophets. At this point, we put away our phone cameras and were instead standing awestruck in the presence of our heritage.

We did have tickets for the Harem i.e. the Sultan’s private quarters, but unfortunately our schedule didn’t allow enough time for it today. We’d made plans to meet a friend that afternoon after Hagia Sophia, and the clock was ticking.

Hagia Sophia was spellbinding. Upon entrance, your eyes lift to the medieval architecture and the incredible fusion of Christian and Muslim design. It seems they’re currently restoring some parts, but it didn’t take away from the experience. After a few minutes, we walked up the ancient staircase to the upper floor – and the view did not disappoint.

Late afternoon, we met a friend who wanted to show us around the many sacred tombs of Companions in Istanbul. We were blessed to have such an excellent host, since many of these are tucked away in more residential parts of the city. We walked for most of the trip, trekking up hills and across neighbourhoods until sunset, stopping at various key points to pay our respects. Our aim was to visit as many as possible en route to Eyup Sultan Camii (one of the largest tombs in Istanbul, belongs to the great Companion of the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Ayyub al Ansari).

In the more rundown areas, we encountered many Syrian refugee children – their small hands outstretched for alms – as well as the most chic elderly women enjoying a brew with their neighbours outdoors, kindly yelling directions to us in Turkish (we asked for them) as we walked ahead.

Today, perhaps for the best, my phone battery died in the early portion of our ziyarah (visiting sacred sites) and I still don’t have a memory card for my DSLR. I was slightly gutted but realised there’s a wisdom to it; at least I could now be focused in the moment.

By the time we reached Eyup Sultan, nightfall began to set in and we’d visited 13/14 of the sacred tombs on our journey. Alhamdulillah. Some of my fondest memories will be of the undeniable and absolute tranquillity at every sacred resting place – and kittens! So many kittens. Particularly the fur baby at the tomb of Sayyidina Ka’b who followed us around and loved being cradled like a baby!

The serenity at Eyup Sultan is unparalleled. We paid our respects in the quarters of the sacred resting place, and sat for a while, contentment and blessing unbounded. The entire room is bejewelled in traditional style iznik tiles, with a small niche in the wall with belongings of the Prophet ﷺ. I couldn’t do it justice with a phone camera today, but hopefully I’ll have my DSLR next time.