Sultan for the Day

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  Istanbul, Turkey
Sunday, October 12, 2008

We made it down to Sultanamet with our friends Rachel and Peter. It was a journey of five modes of transportation. We took a Mini-bus, Autobus, metro, Finucular (a type of underground tram used for steep inclines) and a tramway in our journey. We got off the tram in front of the Topkapi Palace where up until the mid-19th century the Sultan lived. Grandiose would be a gross understatement. The whole place is full of grand complex mosaics, decadent ceilings laced with gold, vivid murals, open courtyards, and countless buildings. Construction for the palace began in 1459 and has been added to by various Sultans over the centuries. At the height of its existence as a royal residence, the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people (thank you wikipedia).
The palace is also home to two museums. The first one we went to was an armory museum which had armor and weapons from the 8th century to present. Most of the swords had clearly seen battle, as they had dents, rivets, and chunks taken out of them. The armor varied throughout the centuries, but it was all intricately produced. Also on display were many Crusader and Templar armaments. It is easy to see how Crusaders would have a tough time in a warm climate. Often they wore a leather shirt, ring or plate mail, coverings for their legs, arms, neck and a helmet. This could all way upwards of 100 pounds. I would not want to walk in that, let alone fight. I would be the guy getting dressed right before the battle. No need to march in it. Actually, I would be the guy who goes fishing instead of war. Much safer.
The other museum is of religious relics, one of the largest collections in the world. I was able to see the staff of Moses, The arm and skull of ......... , the shoes of Mohamed, His sisters tunic, keys to the Kabala, and various other religious wonders. It was amazing. I do hold some skepticism for certain relics such as the staff of mosses and the cup Mohamed drank from. I wonder how they would know. Either way, it is still awesome.
We then went to the kitchen area where they used to daily make over 6,000 meals. I saw the largest iron pot I have ever seen. It was probably 3 or 4 feet deep with a diameter of 5 feet: that's some serious cooking. They are so heavy they never actually move. They are standing on two slabs of stone and fires can be made under them. I would not want to be the person in charge of clean-up at this place. After that we went to the Blue Mosque which will have to wait until tomorrow for I grow tired.

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