[HN Gopher] Istanbul's blue tile paradise
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Istanbul's blue tile paradise
Author : keiferski
Score : 72 points
Date : 2023-07-12 10:39 UTC (12 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (onthearts.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (onthearts.com)
| DrJokepu wrote:
| Interesting thing about these tiles: the earliest ones were
| trying to imitate tiles from China, but Ottoman artisans didn't
| have access to the same dyes, which is why they have this
| distinctive blue color.
| sithadmin wrote:
| The Rustem Pasha mosque is truly a gem, and much less frequently
| trafficked than many other tourist-destination mosques. I always
| advise people visiting Istanbul to stop in, but almost feel bad
| about it because too much traffic would sort of kill its 'hole in
| the wall' charm.
| arbuge wrote:
| Traditional handmade Maltese tiles, believed to be inspired by
| the Turkish ones, might also be of interest in this context.
|
| Wikipedia doesn't have an entry but Googling gets you some good
| pictures.
| fatihpense wrote:
| A bit tangential, but while choosing a logo idea for Rust
| Istanbul community, I went with something that resembles blue
| tile tulip motif. As another commenter noted there are so many
| objects/animals/historical artifacts to choose from...
|
| https://rustistanbul.org/
|
| If you are a Rust developer and planning to visit Istanbul let us
| know! (We know good kebap/baklava places ;) )
| thriftwy wrote:
| Saint Petersburg mosque is decorated with blue tiles on its
| exterior. It is also built in Art Nouveau style. Local Buddhist
| temple also got built in it, though.
| earino wrote:
| I was in Istanbul recently, and what surprised me was the
| absolute depth of the cities attractions. I stayed in the Kadikoy
| and Sultanahmet districts, and it was so incredible to walk
| through a society which had been Monkey Patched through
| millennia. The runtime behavior of the objects, streets,
| buildings and the city had been adapted time and time again.
| Roman temples becoming Churches becoming Mosques becoming
| Museums, sometimes simply with some new tiles or a freshly laid
| down carpet. Each layer rich in artifacts. My favorite attraction
| was the Great Palace Mosaics Museum, some of the most detailed
| and vibrant mosaics I had ever seen. I hope to return soon.
| mkoubaa wrote:
| "the runtime behavior of the objects" took me from Istanbul
| right back to my day job which I thought I was taking a break
| from on HN
| Lacerda69 wrote:
| You can take a break but you can never leave
| mrtksn wrote:
| Istanbul is in the same league with London, Paris, Rome and
| probably nothing else.
|
| Not only the endless layers of multi-millennial history, even
| the current state of the inhabitants is extremely diverse. It's
| also surprisingly safe.
|
| IMHO the city got ruined in so many ways during the Turkish
| economic boom the last 5 decades and yet you can tell that the
| city "still got it". In your runtime analogy, the current state
| of the modern istanbul is like everything new being like
| bloated Electron app.
|
| The current mayor is from the secular Turks with western values
| and he is doing some great things to reduce the bloatware and
| re-surface the hidden gems through full rewrites.
|
| But sometimes he encounters unexpected behaviour. Just
| recently, he converted Feshane(old factory where they used to
| produce Fez style hats during the Ottoman times) into an art
| gallery but due to some undocumented API the islamist started
| protesting him for not respecting their values.
|
| Here is the Feshane after the conversion:
| https://twitter.com/ekrem_imamoglu/status/167157892814888143...
|
| Here is the protest:
| https://twitter.com/tcbuyuksehir/status/1678147852453683206
|
| Note: Before the conversion, Feshane was used for food markets
| and such.
| objektif wrote:
| You are doing Istanbul and Rome a disservice by putting them
| in the same league with London and Paris.
| ChainOfFools wrote:
| Seconding this, these cities have a rich history but it's
| hardly a footnote compared to the chronology baked in to
| the stratigraphy of Rome and even more so, Istanbul. The
| latter city bridges two continents, and it shows it and
| feels it in every respect.
|
| plus, cats. In what city can you double your entertainment
| just by carrying a small laser pointer with you everywhere.
| objektif wrote:
| Istanbul is an incredibly complex city with endless
| things to do. However, it is just that I have never had
| this feeling of being in an ancient metropolis in any
| other city other than Istanbul. It may be the huge
| mosques on the hills combined with the natural beauty of
| the Bosphorus strait.
| goodbyesf wrote:
| > Istanbul is in the same league with London, Paris, Rome
|
| London and Paris do not belong on that list. Rome is on
| another level. Paris and London are a few levels below
| somewhere. Heck I'd say istanbul is a level above rome since
| the turks added onto constantinople and added a richness and
| extra layer that rome never got. Not to mention that the
| eastern roman empire was far more impressive that than the
| western roman empire.
|
| > and probably nothing else.
|
| No, it is in the same league with many of the ancient cities
| in the region and elsewhere around the world. Cities tend to
| be built on top of each other not just today but throughout
| history.
|
| > the islamist started protesting him for not respecting
| their values.
|
| Good. Considering turkey isn't a western nation, why should
| their mayor peddle 'western values' as you stated. Last I
| checked, turkey is a muslim turkic nation and lets hope they
| hold onto their values.
| mrtksn wrote:
| Turkey is not a muslim turkic nation at all, Turkey is an
| ethnically diverse nation where almost all the population
| claims to be muslims but they all practice at different
| levels and the devote muslims are a small minority of the
| population. The country itself is the legacy of the Ottoman
| empire which was partly in Europe for centuries, thus was
| influenced by western values for hundreds of years already.
|
| Also, an old hat factory which was used as a market is not
| something islamic. The mayor wasn't paddling any western
| values to islamists, the mayor was elected by the popular
| vote and he is still very popular. He does what the
| electorate demands and significant portion of the
| electorate demands art galleries.
|
| I think you need to update your understanding of Turkey,
| it's very lacking and almost offensively shallow. Are you
| taking any red pills by any chance? Anyway, don't form your
| opinions from James Bond movies.
| cpursley wrote:
| It was blown away by Istanbul. Highly recommend that city.
| Qahlel wrote:
| I recently visited Istanbul as well. Too my surprise, I ate the
| best burger I had in my lifetime. It was a smash burger joint in
| Emirgan district. Forgot the name. but remember finding it on
| google maps. Give it a try if you are passing by.
| fsniper wrote:
| In Istanbul you can possibly find best examples of many if not
| all of international cousines. It is a city for the all types
| of foodies.
| objektif wrote:
| I would definitely disagree with this. Apart from Turkish
| food you will probably only find good American, French and
| Italian ( may be few more) food in Turkiye.
|
| But the good news is you really do not need anything other
| that Turkish food because it is just amazing.
| treesciencebot wrote:
| Especially true for south / far-east Asian cuisines. Unlike
| many other major western metropolises, Istanbul simply
| lacks any authentic chinese, indian, vietnamese or japanese
| places. I wish (as a resident) we had more exposure to
| those cultures through better / relaxed immigration
| policies in the past.
| m00dy wrote:
| that's right. Turkish food is the best one Ive experienced
| so far.
| luuurker wrote:
| You'll find similar tiles in Portugal, usually inside old
| churches. Probably not exactly the same, but similar style at
| least.
| pirate787 wrote:
| The Hagia Sophia "mosque" was a Christian orthodox church that
| dates from Roman times and was a secular museum from the 1930s
| until 2020. That decision to reclassify as a mosque is widely
| condemned by historians and others.
| resolutebat wrote:
| It was an actual scare quote free mosque from 1453 to 1934, so
| if anything the secular museum phase was out of character.
| ChainOfFools wrote:
| They will never fully convert back to a mosque, absolutely no
| way they want the loss of tourism that will result from making
| probably the most iconic draw for tourism to the city a place
| that isn't open to the public in all respects.
|
| Last time I was there a few years ago I recall there's a small
| section near one of the lower galleries off to the side that
| has been reopened for use as a sort-of-mosque but it's the size
| of a couple double wide trailers and not really part of the
| main structure as people think of it. It might be a test of the
| waters to see how far they can go but I promise you, money will
| trump religion in this case no question about it.
| njpwerner wrote:
| They have changed it since you last visited. It is now
| primarily used as a mosque instead of a museum. The old
| floors have been covered by a carpet and it hosts several
| prayers a day.
|
| https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/istanbul/istanbuls-
| reverte...
| twelve40 wrote:
| the floor is now covered, the upper levels are closed off to
| visitors. it seems to be working just like any other mosque,
| which you can also visit (like the one in the article, for
| example)
| nashashmi wrote:
| A tidbit info: Today's Hagia Sophia is version three of the
| original church. The original was made of wood and burned down.
| The second version was of stone and collapsed in an earthquake.
| The third version took 20+ years to build.
|
| Another tidbit: Hagia Sophia can be translated to english as
| Saint Sofia. It is pronounced in Turkish as Aya Sofia. Aya is
| from an arabic word that means "sign" like sign of god (similar
| to "aya"-tullah in Iran). The similarity between "Hagia" and
| "Aya" is so strong as though it follows the concept of changing
| the "j" sound to "h" or "y" sound. When applying that same rule
| to "Ayatollah", you could basically translate the word to
| "Saint of God". Every time I think of this, it gives me the
| jitters.
| pazimzadeh wrote:
| > What makes the mosque truly special, however, isn't simply that
| it's hidden. It is the balance between its understated view from
| the street and an extravagant, richly adorned interior
|
| This is the exact same feeling you get when visiting Iran. Except
| for Isfahan, which is also beautiful on the outside
| m00dy wrote:
| Just got back from Istanbul and let me tell you, the city's
| attractions blew me away! I stayed in Kadikoy and Sultanahmet,
| and it was mind-blowing to walk around a place that has seen so
| many changes throughout history. I mean, we're talking Roman
| temples turned into churches, then mosques, and now some cool
| museums. They just keep adding new stuff like tiles and carpets,
| giving the city a whole new vibe each time. And the best part?
| The Great Palace Mosaics Museum! Seriously, those mosaics were
| next level--so detailed and vibrant. I'm already planning my next
| trip back. Istanbul, you've got me hooked!
| egello wrote:
| Is this a paraphrased copy of the top comment on the page or am
| I tripping?
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(page generated 2023-07-12 23:00 UTC)