FishIstanbul

İstanbul Üsküdar Fish Bazaar 1 | October 2009 | Photo by CndFlix © 2009

Fish is one of the indispensable symbols of Istanbul. You will not forget the taste of the fish whether you eat at street sellers at Eminönü Square or at luxurious restaurants at the Bosphorus.

İstanbul Üsküdar Fish Bazaar 2 | October 2009 | Photo by CndFlix © 2009

If you wish the most delicious fish and the freshest mussels of the world are waiting for you at Kavaklar, the end of the Bosphorus towards the Black Sea. Read more...Thank you!

Ramadan at Üsküdar in Istanbul

Ramadan/Ramazan is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and indulging in anything that is in excess or ill-natured; from dawn until sunset.

The people who break their fast with the evening meal given free by Üsküdar Municipality.

Üsküdar Municipality's Free Ramadan Table / Ramazan Sofrası...

The people who wait their turn for getting free meal...

The children who eats their free meals...

Just as Istanbul manages to straddle Europe and Asia, fuse the ancient and the modern, it also manages to balance traditional and contemporary festivities during the blessed month of Ramadan.

Mahya... Be Fair / Adil Ol.

Whilst preparations for the month long celebrations start weeks in advance. A sure sign that Ramadan has started is when the Mahya, a pattern of light bulbs hung high above the minarets of the main mosques, lights up with the message ‘Welcome! Month of Ramadan / Hoş Geldin Ya Şehr-i Ramazan’. The tradition of the Mahya dates back from the Ottoman times and its religious message is changed every few days, each one exhorting and encouraging people toward goodness. With the Istanbul municipality having completed its preparations to turn the city into an entertainment centre during Ramadan, there are lots of activities to keep everyone, the young and the old, entertained from Sahur to İftar.

The City(!) Ramadan is in the City Üsküdar...

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Do You Know How Much Time Had Gone By?

It was probably around 3 000 years ago that people first began making things to help them measure the passage of time. Having observed the shadows move around trees as the sun moves across the sky, someone drew a circle and put a stick in the center.

Time is... It's dove o'clock! Puh hu!!!

Of course, a sundial did not work at night or cloudy days, so men kept inventing other ways to keep track of time. One invention was a striped candle.
A water clock was another way of telling time.
Candless and water clocks helped people know how much time had gone by. But candles had to be remade, and water clocks had to be refilled. So, after glass blowing was invented, the hourglass came into use.

Time is... It's bolt o'clock! Haydee! Çay simiti, çay!

Finally the first clock with a face and an hour hand was made. Watches came into use as soon as clocks were made small enough to be carrried. Read more...Thank you!

Anatolian Side of Bosphorus: Üsküdar

Üsküdar is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus right opposite the heart of the great city, next to Kadıköy. It is home to about half a million people.

Flower sellers.

Landing place for the ferries at Üsküdar.

Üsküdar is Istanbul's oldest-established residential suburb and still fills that role today. It has a more relaxed atmosphere and therefore better quality of life than the overcrowded European side of the city yet is directly opposite the old city of Eminönü and transport across the Bosphorus is easy by boat or bridge. So there are well-established communities here, many retired people, and many residents commute to the European side for work or school (being cheap and central Üsküdar has a large student population). During the rush-hour, the waterfront is bustling with people running from ferryboats and motorboats onto buses and minibuses. Üsküdar also has the smell of the sea, the sound of foghorns, motorboats and seagulls and one of the best views of the city.

As of 2006, the central square is being dug up for a tunnel under the Bosphorus which will carry an underground railway. However, this is predictably continuously running into artefacts of great archaeological value.

The area behind the ferry dock is a busy shopping district, with many restaurants (including the well-known Kanaat Lokantasi serving Ottoman cuisine and olive oil-based dishes, and great ice cream) and a number of important Ottoman mosques. There is, however, a need for more in the way of cafes, cinemas, billiard halls and places for young people to hang out.

The private Istanbul Commerce University, owned by the chamber of commerce, has a site here.

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