東洋と西洋が出会う街

　ボスポラス海峡の両側にまたがり、東洋と西洋が出会う街 ― トルコのイスタンブールが今回の旅の行き先です。ローマ帝国、ビザンチン（東ローマ）帝国、そしてオスマン帝国の首都として1600年にわたって栄えたこの街には、歴史的な見どころが数多く残されています。

　筆者が訪ねた旧市街のスルタン・アフメット地区はその中心で、ビザンチン建築の最高傑作とされるハギアソフィア（アヤソフィア）博物館があります。西暦360年に完成した後、ギリシャ正教の大本山としてあがめられていましたが、1453年、当時はコンスタンチノープルと呼ばれていたこの都はオスマン帝国によって陥落。イスラム教のモスクに改修されました。モザイクは漆喰（しっくい）で塗りつぶされ、20世紀に米国人の調査隊によって発見されるまでひっそりと眠っていたという背景があります。

　迷路のように入り組んだ広大な屋内市場、グランドバザールも欠かせない見どころのひとつ。香辛料や金細工、絨毯（じゅうたん）、ランプ、魔よけなど、ありとあらゆる物が並び、そこここから客引きの声が響きます。さて、歩き疲れたら、リフレッシュが必要です。筆者はトルコの伝統的な蒸し風呂「ハマム」に向かいました。その暑さと湿度に最初は戸惑ったようですが、慣れてくると背中のあかすりマッサージも気持ち良く、極楽だった様子。

　筆者が訪ねたハマムとは別ですが、エステも備えたゴージャスな高級ハマムも昨年、イスタンブールに登場しました。元々は1556年にハマムとして建てられ、長らく絨毯博物館として使われていた歴史的建造物を改修したもので、新たな名所になっているようです。（あ）

　Cities all over the world are defined by their location, but this is especially true in the case of Istanbul. Located at the intersection of Europe and central Asia, as soon as you arrive you feel like you're in a Middle Eastern city as much as you can sense the beat and rhythm of Europe.

　As I headed toward Sultan Ahmet, where the most emblematic mosques in Istanbul are located, I heard the morning call to prayer from the minarets as women made their way to work wearing skimpy tops and tight jeans. It soon became clear that this combination of East and West was not just the result of history and location, but also part of the Turkish culture and modern traditions.

　First built as an Orthodox basilica, later a mosque and nowadays a museum, Hagia Sophia is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. During high school, I studied the building in art history lessons. I could still recall the astonishing images in my textbook, but even those paled in comparison to what I saw before me.

　As soon as I entered, I was so impressed with the beauty of the building and its spectacular mosaics that I couldn't take my eyes away from the ceiling and walls. I am not a big fan of gilt mosaics but the composition, balance and the details were magnificent, even better than expected. I had to be careful not to bump into one of the many tourists who, like me, were staring upward, mouths agape in an amazement.

　Only when I reached the second floor and I saw the main dome with more perspective, was I able to relax and enjoy the visit without the pressure of feeling I needed to see it all.

教科書で見たアラビア語の円盤

　The eight round medallions with Arabic inscriptions located in the corners of the main chamber remained as enigmatic as when I first saw them in my school textbook. They had always caught my eye and it was only after listening to a tour guide did I learn that they were actually covering the heads of angels that remained from the days the structure was a basilica.

　I have always found it fascinating and encouraging that Hagia Sophia has been respected as a place of worship by two religions and the latecomers didn't destroy the previous works. Unfortunately, this is quite unusual in the history of art.

　When I left three hours later, I was starting to feel hungry so I took the tram and went to the Grand Bazaar for some of the best snacks in the city. The tram gave the city a strong Western feeling, but as soon as I entered the labyrinth of covered streets in the Grand Bazaar I knew I was back in the East.

　Beautifully arranged spices and all kinds of nuts were available in the shops. And nearby were colorful Turkish sweets so delightful to a person with a sweet tooth like me.

　But it was not all about food: I soon realized that each street in the bazaar specialized in a different item. Nearly everything seemed to be represented. There were gold jewelry, carpets, lamps and home decoration items, clothes, leather goods, tiles and many other items.

どこにでもある青い目の魔よけ

　As I passed a carpet dealer, he said, "Madam, tell me what are you looking for ... in the Grand Bazaar we have everything." I'm not sure how true that was, but there was one item that seemed to be everywhere: The nazar, an eye-shaped blue amulet believed to ward off the evil eye, could be seen guarding each shop.

　I entered the bazaar in the morning but time seemed to move at its own pace in Istanbul. When I left the bazaar it was already late afternoon, so I went to the hamam, the famous Turkish bath to recover from so much walking.

　Surrounded by tourists all day, it felt nice to see local Turkish women, family members and friends chatting and enjoying themselves in the hamam. At first, the heat and humidity felt a bit uncomfortable. But I was soon used to it as a bath assistant scratched and massaged my back. I had heard Turkish massages could be painful, but in my case, it was delightful and invigorating.

　As my day in Istanbul neared its end, I understood why this city has enchanted so many travelers over the centuries. In addition to its Eastern and Western influences, Istanbul has a magical relaxing atmosphere combined with a modernity that is difficult to beat anywhere else.