Finally, my first trip abroad. I am 29 years old.
Due to restrictions due to the spread of the well-known virus, the choice fell on Istanbul. Definitely, I always wanted to see the ancient city, but also I was always wary of Muslim countries. In the end, fortunately, my fears about religious prohibitions did not justify themselves.

Istanbul is very modern city, at the same time, in which intertwined all ages, from antiquity. This is a very big plus for me and for the rest in general. According to my preference, the hotel was chosen in the very heart of the city, in the ancient Fatih district (it was once the main part of ancient Constantinople / Byzantium). And for good reason.

The hotel I have chosen is located in a very narrow street overlooking the house opposite. A view of the sea or the strait would be more expensive, and besides, I returned to the hotel only to sleep.

As far as I understand, the main historical buildings are houses from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The city is located in an earthquake-active place, so houses were mostly made of wood before. Wooden houses are more resistant to earthquakes, but they have one drawback – susceptibility to fires.

Frequent fires were common, although they are said to be common even now. Traces of earthquakes are still visible today – many collapsed houses or empty spaces between dense historical buildings. I also learned that local residents cannot carry out restoration or renovation of historical buildings without permission. Such restoration is very expensive, and the state is very, very slow in restoring houses. But the process is still going on.

The architecture of the streets of the Beyoglu district. View of the Galata Tower. NEVO 400 film.

The architecture of the streets of the Fatih district. Traces of earthquakes are visible. The middle photo shows a house with a chicken coop right on the ground floor. NEVO 400 film.

I would not say that Istanbul is a city of the poor. There are far fewer beggars and homeless people on the streets than in Moscow, although the climate and the size of the city favor this. Although, maybe I was “looking badly”.

On any day and almost at any time, there are many people in the streets. In narrow places and do not push through at all. NEVO 400 film.

During my entire stay in Istanbul, I tried to bypass as many streets and alleys as possible, to inspect as much as possible.

The city has preserved modernist buildings from the 50s-80s. Unfortunately, I paid little attention to them, since my attention was captured by many even older, even ancient buildings.

My attempts to look into some shops and workshops in the old districts. Further streets in b/w.

Due to the mountainous terrain. Mopeds/scooters are very popular in the city, there are not so many bicycles. All monochrome photographs were taken on Russian A-125 film.

Here are some street shots that focus on people:

The last shot was taken inside the Grand Bazaar. I would not recommend buying anything there – the prices are too high. The market / bazaar, which is classic in our understanding, is located in the neighboring streets outside the historical building of the bazaar. There is real life and trade. NEVO 400 film.

Eminonu embankment in Fatih district.

Ortakoy embankment in the district of the same name, a view of the mosque of the same name and a huge bridge across the Bosphorus. The last shot from the ship carrying people to other embankments / marinas. The bridge was renamed in honor of one political event, but it is easier to call it as before – Bosphorus bridge.

The last shot is Yildiz Park. Further, he is:

The Bosphorus coastline is built up with palaces and other historical buildings. The entrance to the palaces is expensive, and for me the interior decoration is not so interesting in connection with the then fashion for everything European. So I didn’t go in. Below is an example of Turkish Baroque:

Building with scaffolding – historic Sirkeci train station. The final stop of the famous Orient Express. At the station itself there is an interesting free railway museum. Vertical shot – the gate to the former palace of the Ottoman sultans Dolmabahce. The first frame is the mosque of the same name.

It was the same antique shop – they sell old maps, books and prints.

The road to Yildiz Park overlooking the Bosphorus Bridge and an undefined abandoned building with cannons on Palanga Street. Last picture – I`m in metrobus on this bridge.

Also in Istanbul, the local analogue of the Moscow Central Circle & Moscow Central Diameters – the Marmaray project – is designated in a single scheme with the metro. In fact, Marmaray is the suburban electric train to link the European and Asian parts of Istanbul. The route of the train stretches along the coast of the Sea of Marmara and goes into a tunnel under the Bosphorus.

The classic metro in the city has several lines. I rode mainly on the “green” line, which runs under the historic districts. One of the metro stations is located on the bridge over the Golden Horn Bay. There is an observation deck above the station.

Inside and outside the former church of St. Sophia. Admission is free now, as it is now a mosque again, not a museum. I understand the nagging about museums needing to feed themselves, but due to current prices for visits and serious taxes on citizens, in my opinion, museums should moderate their appetite. This applies to any country.

The first photo is a free-of-charge surviving cistern used to store water in ancient Constantinople / Byzantium. The second photo is inside the Catholic Church of St. Anthony of Padua at the beginning of the 20th century. The third photo is an evening view of a cat resting on the platform of the Sirkeci station.

Fishing cats. They have their own atmosphere.

Evening views of Istanbul. And then early morning on the shore of the strait and the statue of Ataturk – he looking at his possessions.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is loved in Turkey, even though he made the country secular and abolished the sultanate – Turkey has not lost its “spirituality” because of this. I think the main difference between Ataturk and Lenin is that the former did not touch the bourgeoisie. But I hope that they will be “touched” once more.

That’s all!