Our second day in Istanbul was spent meandering through the piazzas and pavilions of the splendid Topkapı Palace, epicentre of the imperial Ottoman court for 400 years. The unheralded highlight was chancing upon relics of the Prophet (yes, The Prophet). We gazed incredulously upon bits of His beard, tooth, sword, bow, a heap of soil used for ritual ablution and a clay impression of His foot – all allegedly genuine. Slightly less credible are the rod of Moses (of the plagues of Egypt fame), King David’s skull, Abraham’s cookware, and Joseph’s turban (though sadly not his coat of many colours). We were most disappointed not to see the Ark of the Covenant and a charred twig from the Burning Bush. Naturally we remained suitably deferential to avoid stoning by the Faithful. I suppose it’s no less fantastic than the implausible holy artefacts revered by the old ladies of Christendom.
In the extensive grounds we encountered the phenomenon known as ‘Islamic Chic’. Gaggles of giggling girls wandering about their Ottoman heritage adorned in exquisitely tailored dark hued, figure-hugging maxi coats garnished with sumptuous silk scarves of vivid primary colours. The head coverings, moulded at the forehead into a shallow peek as if hiding a baseball cap beneath, framed their painted faces. Modest and modern, I suspect the look is more a sign of wealth and status than of piety. We finished the day with a flourish by ambling around the excellent archeological museum.
Ol’ Constantinople is simply sublime and just gets better each time I visit. We travelled home that evening wanting more and vowing to return.
Perking the Pansies 
This is one of the freshest pieces of writing about Istanbul that I have read for a while. I am new to your blog and am looking forward to exploring more . Superb.
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If you haven’t seen the “Basilica Cistern” right across the Hagia Sophia, please do. It has a magical atmosphere!
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We have and, yes, it’s just stunning!
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Since both the Black Sea and most of the Mediterranean were “Ottoman Lakes” a few hundred years ago, it is not surprising you see relics displayed which strain the credibility. The Ottomans ruled the “holy land” for several hundred years and they brought booty from everywhere they ruled. Since the prophet was in Mecca/Medina (now Saudi) and the Ottomans ruled that area, they brought back what was considered, in the Arab regions, to be holy. I doubt any wood chips from the true cross really survive anywhere in the world but they are “holy” none the less. St Nicholas’ bones reportedly lie in Italy, but that does not stop Russian orthodox from making a pilgrimage to Demre every year. Thanks for sharing your trip, my only complaint is that your might have told us more 🙂
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Thanks for the comment. I will write more on my next trip.
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I miss Istanbul Jack. Had my honeymoon in the Sultan Ahmet area. Hotel was c**** like but I saw all the sights that you mention here and loved every minute of it.
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Why not persuade your husband to take you on romantic weekend to relive the moment?
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