The Istanbul Puzzle

by Laurence OBryan

  I decided to be patient. I had enough to be thankful for.

  Isabel had requested a swift transfer back to the UK which had been granted almost immediately. And we were trying out living together for a while.

  I’d recently decided to put my house up for sale.

  It was time to move on.

  In Istanbul there’d been a sensational opening of the cavern under Hagia Sophia in front of TV crews. It had been on the main evening news in England. There was no mention of our involvement, or that Alek had died there.

  I still thought a lot about him, and every time I did I knew how lucky we were to be alive. The world is a strange place. If Alek hadn’t died I wouldn’t have met Isabel.

  I heard a sound, turned.

  She was coming out onto the balcony, smiling at me. I held my hand out. She took it.

  As mentioned on pp.288–289. Low spectroscopy image revealing seven connecting lines and four Byzantine double-headed eagles. The top eagle in the original is black, the bottom white, the right one green, the left red. There was a riddle beneath it.

  A day in old Istanbul

  Laurence O’Bryan

  Hagia Sophia.

  Before I first visited this city, almost twenty years ago, I imagined Istanbul as a dour colourless metropolis. What I encountered was something spectacular. Old Istanbul in particular was a revelation. Its ancient Byzantine and Ottoman sites, their beauty, power and historical significance stunned me then. They still do today. The Istanbul Puzzle was born from my amazement at the beauty of Istanbul.

  Before deciding to spend a day in old Istanbul, and there are many modern sites and shopping experiences to occupy a more extended stay, please carefully consider the time of year you’ll travel. I can now survive the 29° C average high in August, but a more enjoyable experience will be had if you go in October (20° C average high) or May (20° C average high) or during any intervening month, if you’re not suited to high daytime temperatures.

  If your hotel is overlooking the Golden Horn or the Bosphorus, and it has a restaurant with a view, a good way to start a day in old Istanbul is with a leisurely breakfast with an outlook that Ottoman and Byzantine Emperors would have enjoyed. I have always loved breakfasts in Istanbul. Sizzling fried salami, a selection of white cheeses, sweet jams and soft bread are enough to keep me at the table for far longer than I should. So don’t rush your breakfast, relish it.

  View from Zeyrekhane Restaurant, overlooking the Golden Horn, with the Galata Tower on the horizon.

  The following hotels are worth considering if you want to do this. First, at the more expensive end, the Hotel Nena, Klodfarer Cad (info@istanbulhotelnena.com around £250 a night), a stunning boutique hotel within walking distance of the historical sites. The Hotel Nena features an excellent open buffet breakfast on a terrace and rooms with air conditioning and free WiFi. At the more affordable end The Star Holiday Hotel, Divanyolu Street (info@hotelstarholiday.com around £75 a night), in the same area, features breakfast on a terrace (in front of the Blue Mosque) and rooms with air conditioning too.

  If your hotel is in Sultanahmet, the old part of Istanbul where the above hotels are located, the spit of land where Constantine created his new Rome, you won’t be far from Hagia Sophia, our next stop. Hagia Sophia was the largest Christian cathedral in the world for a thousand years. It opens from 9-16:30, except on Mondays.

  Domes of Hagia Sophia and Hagia Eirene. Taken from a rear window in Hagia Sophia looking towards the dome of Hagia Eirene.

  The building was opened with a lavish ceremony by the Roman Emperor, Justinian the Great, on the 27th December 536. Hagia Sophia features an unprecedented saucer-like dome. When it was built no similar structure had ever been constructed. Its glittering mosaics and unrivalled size were considered a miracle for many centuries.

  The dome of Hagia Sophia is a hundred feet in diameter. The gorgeous interior of the dome features on the cover of The Istanbul Puzzle. The dome uses forty stone ribs to support itself. Forty windows set between the lowest parts of these ribs give the dome its light, floating feeling.

  This building was, in effect, the Greek Orthodox Vatican for most of the period from 536 to 1453, a Catholic Cathedral during the Latin Empire from 1204 to 1261, and a great mosque and the seat of the Sunni Islamic Caliphate from 1453 until 1935, when Atatürk and the Turkish Parliament turned Hagia Sophia into a museum. No other building has had such an illustrious history.

  A passage inside Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. Passages such as this one on the north side of Hagia Sophia most likely date back to the 7th century, when the structure was constructed.

  If you get there early in the morning you will miss the twenty-minute queue for an entrance ticket that I encountered on my last visit in the middle of the day. The entrance fee was modest. I didn’t bother with any of the offers of a guided tour that I was assailed with during my wait. That was in the summer of 2011. When you finally get inside, stop in the narthex, the long outer entrance hall. It features modern wall panels describing, in multiple languages, the history of Hagia Sophia, including details about its unprecedented conversion into a museum.

  View of ground floor of Hagia Sophia from upper gallery above main entrance.

  After that, enjoy the stunning nave and the beautiful interior of the dome high above. Look out for the mosaics – many of the best ever made are here – and the views from the upper gallery. You can almost get lost in Hagia Sophia. Bring water and a good guide book.

  A quick visit to Hagia Eirene nearby could also be fitted in before lunch. Hagia Eirene is in the outer courtyard of Topkapi Palace, which you might also want to visit. Hagia Eirene and Topkapi are both entered through a monumental gate at the back of Hagia Sophia. This gate leads into the park-like outer courtyard of Topkapi, the palace of the Ottoman sultans until 1853. Topkapi contains enough items of interest to fill another day. If harems, treasures, and relics of Mohammad interest you do not miss Topkapi Palace.

  Entrance way and ramp down to main floor of Hagia Eirene July 2011.

  Another place of interest in the outer courtyard of Topkapi is the Archaeological Museum. It features a superb collection of Greek and Roman sculptures, artefacts and tombs going back to the foundation of the first settlements in the area.

  Hagia Eirene, which features in The Istanbul Puzzle, is only open to the public during occasional evening concerts. I have no idea why. The interior would be of great interest to many. The fact that its walls have none of the grandeur of Hagia Sophia would only add to its interest, in my opinion. It was one of the very few Orthodox churches not to be converted into a mosque by Mehmed the Conqueror, when the city was finally taken by his Ottoman army in 1453.

  Hagia Sophia with ruins of Constantine I’s Great Palace in foreground.

  Hagia Eirene’s magnificent outer walls, the amazing open ruins on its south side, and its grandeur alone were enough to keep me entertained for twenty minutes at least the last time I was there.

  View of distant Blue Mosque from upper gallery window in Hagia Sophia July 2011.

  Lunch will now be calling. Hot meatballs, delicious salads, natural lemon drinks all have their own distinctive voices in Istanbul. A visit to a nearby café with a roof terrace, perhaps at the Sultan Pub (sultanpub@sultanpub.com.tr) across the tram tracks beside Hagia Sophia and then to the left (at the beginning of Divanyolu Cad) might be considered if your budget allows. The views from its rooftop terrace restaurant are spectacular. Or you might just go for an afternoon coffee there, if you’re on a tight budget, and enjoy your lunch at any of the other tourist restaurants nearby. The Doy-Doy restaurant not far away on Sifa Hamam Sok (doydoymusa@hotmail.com) has a roof terrace, a busy atmosphere and reasonably priced meals.

  In the afternoon you could then walk a few hundred yards to the nearby site of the largest Roman hippodrome ever built. It’s directly in front of Hagia Sophia. This was where dedicated city factions followed the whites or the blues (if you were an aristocrat or a landowner) or
the reds or the greens (if you were an artisan or a merchant). These guys were the prototype of the football hooligan.

  In early January of 532, the Nike revolt started in the Hippodrome. It was organised by rival colours. After five days half the city of Constantinople had been burnt down, including the old church of Hagia Sophia. This was at a time when Constantinople’s city walls encompassed one hundred and fifteen square miles and Florence’s enclosed only two.

  The riots came about partly because the Hippodrome was an outlet for the frustrations of the people. Some of the factions were supported by aristocratic families who thought they had more claim to the throne than Justinian. It is said that Justinian’s wife, the Empress Theodora, persuaded him to stand up to the rioters. You can read more about Theodora in The Istanbul Puzzle.

  After a week of vacillation the gates of the Hippodrome were closed and Belisarius, Justinian’s general, massacred 30,000 rioters, bringing the rebellion to a bloody close. Hagia Sophia was rebuilt after that in the form we see today.

  All you will see of the Hippodrome though, is the course of the racetrack and some large items from its central spine, an obelisk from ancient Egypt, the serpent column from Delphi and the Column of Constantine. These are believed to be still in their original locations, from when the Hippodrome was in use for chariot races.

  Proceed further and you will find the Mosaic Museum behind the incredible Blue Mosque with its beautiful six minarets and 20,000 blue faiences from Iznik.

  The Mosaic Museum is located under a typical Ottoman-style shopping arcade. It contains original mosaics from the Imperial Roman palace, which occupied much of the area and was the seat of what we call the Byzantine Empire, until the city was sacked by the Venetians and Crusaders in the Fourth Crusade, in 1204. The Byzantines never called themselves that though. They saw themselves as citizens of the Roman Empire.

  The Imperial palace had its own port, the Bucoleon, grand stairways, pavilions, gardens, towers and courtyards spread out over that first hill of Istanbul, which looks out over the entrance of the Sea of Marmara into the Bosphorus. This complex of palaces was the wonder of the medieval world. It had separate palaces for the Empress, whose walls were covered in purple marble brought from Rome, and for relatives and favourites of the Emperor.

  It is a short walk from the Mosaic Museum back to Hagia Sophia from where the city’s growing tram and underground network can take you to your hotel or to other parts of the city including the Grand Bazaar, Galata Tower, Taksim Square and the ultra modern shopping facilities that now dot Istanbul. If you finish your day in one of the hotels or restaurants recommended earlier you will enjoy some of the best eating in Europe in spectacular surroundings unmatched anywhere in the world.

  Further ancient sights are expected to be opened near Hagia Sophia soon.

  Constantine the Great created an extraordinary city here. It survived siege, plague, capture and famine until a new empire was created by the Ottomans, taking over its legacy. Now a modern republican city stands here, the largest in Europe, with a population fast approaching 14 million.

  Lastly, be aware, as in all cities, of heading down dark alleys at night. And don’t go along with the street scammers who try to get you to go to a bar or a shop. Just keep walking. Overpriced drinks are common at nightclubs. And in crowded places be wary of pickpockets.

  I do hope you’ve enjoyed your day in old Istanbul. Let me know how you got on: lpobryan@googlemail.com.

  Acknowledgements

  I would like, first of all, to acknowledge the wonderful cities of Istanbul and London and all the warm and friendly people who live there. The many historical sites in these cities and the people who work in them are a great source of inspiration. I would like to acknowledge the fine work of all employees in the many sites mentioned in the book.

  The underground and other locations I have created, under Hagia Sophia, Hagia Eirene and near St Paul’s are entirely fictional however. No such sites exist, except in my imagination, and in The Istanbul Puzzle.

  I would like to also acknowledge the assistance of Dr Antony Eastmond, Reader in the History of Byzantine Art at The Courtauld Institute, London and Dr Ken Dark, Director, Research Centre for Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, University of Reading, for their assistance, but I must point out that all historical errors and inaccuracies are mine alone and entirely.

  For assistance in editing I would like to acknowledge the great help of my editor at Harper Collins, Claire Bord, who helped me shape the novel. I would also like to thank all the other writing professionals and friends who read early copies of The Istanbul Puzzle and helped me with their comments. Jean Jenkins in California was one. Pam Ahearn in New Orleans was another. Thank you all for your encouragement and support.

  I have been lucky to attend some wonderful writing classes in the UK and Ireland and The Irish Writing Centre in particular provided a number of valuable courses. In addition, I am a member of two writing groups in Dublin, the Rathmines and Wednesday groups. Both helped me greatly. A big thank you to all the members.

  My wonderful wife, Zen, my Turkish Princess, her family and mine, have all played a vital part in this book’s creation. I wish also to thank my children, Isabel and Robert, for putting up with my disappearances and being told to leave the room when I was working on too many occasions to count.

  Finally, I would also like to acknowledge lost friends, Noel and Jimmy, who have gone before me to a better place. They listened to my stories long ago.

  Keep up to date with the Puzzle story –visit:

  www.lpobryan.wordpress.com

  You’ll find details of many aspects of The Istanbul Puzzle on the site and information on the journey the book took to publication.

  There will also be early details of the next instalment of Isabel and Sean’s adventures, The Jerusalem Puzzle, due for publication in January 2013.

  There are also photos, videos and links to a Twitter feed (@lpobryan) and Facebook fan page you can sign up to follow. You can find me on Goodreads and LinkedIn too.

  About the Author

  Laurence O’Bryan was born in Dublin. He studied Business, then IT at Oxford University. After going to England he paid for his own courses and began rising at four AM so he could study and work at the same time. One early job was as a kitchen porter near the Bank of England cleaning the plates of the well-connected. He struggled for years. Laurence was first published by a school newspaper when he was ten, for a short story about aliens getting lost. Thirty-five years later, he attended a writers’ workshop and not long after was offered a publishing contract for three books. The first, The Istanbul Puzzle, won the Outstanding Novel award at the Southern California Writers’ Conference in 2007. Laurence is currently working on his second novel The Jerusalem Puzzle.

  To find out more about Laurence and The Istanbul Puzzle please visit his blog at lpobryan.wordpress.com or on Twitter @LPOBryan.

  Copyright

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  1

  First published in Great Britain by

  HarperCollinsPublishers 2011

  Copyright © Laurence O’Bryan 2011

  Laurence O’Bryan asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  ISBN: 978-1-84756-288-3

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinaf
ter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  EPub Edition © JANUARY 2012 ISBN: 9780007453269

  About the Publisher

  Australia

  HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

  25 Ryde Road (P.O. Box 321)

  Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia

  www.harpercollins.com.au/ebooks

  Canada

  HarperCollins Canada

  2 Bloor Street East -20th Floor

  Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada

  http://www.harpercollins.ca

  New Zealand

  HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited

  P.O. Box 1

  Auckland, New Zealand

  http://www.harpercollins.co.nz

  United Kingdom

  HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

  77-85 Fulham Palace Road

  London, W6 8JB, UK

  http://www.harpercollins.co.uk

  United States

  HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

  10 East 53rd Street

  New York, NY 10022

  http://www.harpercollins.com