istanbul - C2C

istanbul
where small fish swim, and the wooden platforms
built just above the water level, lead the visitors
to the most attractive feature of the cistern – the
head of Medusa, which is rumoured to turn the
unwary gazer into stone if directly looked at in the
eye. The medusa heads were used as the base
of columns, and it was believed that they were
brought here to protect the city from evil. That was
why they were placed upside down or sideways.
You may be reluctant to leave behind the cool and
refreshing air of the cistern; but there is more to
see above ground. First is the Haseki Hürrem
Hammam, the public bathhouse commissioned
by Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent for his love,
Hürrem Sultan (Roxelana). Built by Mimar Sinan,
this bathhouse is situated between Ayasofya
and Sultan Ahmet Mosque. Hürrem Sultan
was brought to the palace to be trained as a
concubine in the harem (the sacrosanct female
quarters of the royal household). She managed to
attract the attention of Sultan Süleyman with her
smartness and beauty in quite a short space of
time. Hürrem Sultan commissioned many public
works bearing her name, and so takes her place
of glory in Ottoman history. Her tomb is next to the
tomb of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent in the
courtyard of Süleymaniye Mosque, considered as
one of the city’s most treasured buildings.
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