| 95 ma, bazari su uvek bili sigurnamesta na koja se ne ulazi pod oružjem. Na prostorugde se Istok sudara saZapadom, jedna stvar oduvek ima primat, a to je trgovina. U trgovini nije bitno odakle dolazite i koje ste vere. Bitno je da znate da trgujete. Iako vam Kapali čaršijamožda deluje kao nemilosrdnomesto, to je samoprivid. Jedno od osnovnih pravila bazara je moral, a poštovanje je iznad profita. Još omamljena od cenkanja, šetnje i gomile ratluka i baklavakojesam probala, dokopala samsemale, zaklonjene, tradicionalne kafanice sa pravomturskomkafom. Unutra je sedeo vlasnik, gospodinugodinamapoimenu Rafael, a ja sambila jedinamušterija, što mi je dalo šansu da degustirampomaloodsvega što imausvojoj kafanici. Tako sam otkrila ajran, tradicionalno tursko piće, koje bih vam opisala kao slani jogurt. Pila sam ga naiskap, uz jaku i gorku kafu, dok je Rafael posmatrao u čudu i iščekivao katastrofu.Vratilasamsei sutradanpo istu kombinaciju, a i dan nakon toga. Moždanisamimpresioniralaistanbulske trgovce, ali Rafaela sam, priznao mi je, ostavilabez teksta. Ostaviti bez teksta čoveka iz grada čuda kroz koji dnevnoprođemilion turista i koji decenijama to sve posmatra nije zanemarljiv poduhvat, zar ne? Iz Istanbula sam se vratila sa torbama punim ratluka i parfema, ali i sa zavisnošću od ajrana i sa gomilom novih ukusa i mirisa. Bila su to tri dana ispunjena čudima, posle kojih sam uverena da je Napoleon odlično znao šta govori kad je Istanbul proglasio prestonicom sveta. Long after I returned from Istanbul, resounding in my head were the words“myfriend”. Friendssurroundedmeas soonas I landedat theairport, and friendly greetings followed me wherever I went. Although the greetings came fromtraders, themost skilful andexperienced I’veever comeacross, I’mnotbeing sarcastic about their friendlygreetings. That’sbecausetradingis for themmorethan merely exchanging formoney, rather it is a centuries-old ritual inwhich I, unfortunately, have never been a worthy competitor. My clumsiness in bartering frustrated the Turkish traders to such an extent that they would, as a rule, givemesomebonuswhen I purchasedgoods, angry that Iwasn’tmore persistent inbartering. However, inmydefence, if you only have three days to visit as many sights as possible, you can forget about traditional bartering and trade, because you have to hurry. Believeitornot, thiscitythatcouldhold seven Belgrades is easiest to tour on foot. That is, of course, if you’re only aiming to tour themain tourist attractions, whichare so conveniently close to each other that a leisurely stroll through Istanbul is themost e ectiveoption for a sightseeing tour. And if you are in Istanbul for the rst time, you simply must visit Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the unavoidable Grand Bazaar. The Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is the only mosque in the whole ofTurkey to have sixminarets. The decision tobuildthemwasunbelievableat the time, because until then only the Great Mosque of Mecca, the largest of all shrines, had six minarets. In order to correct this error, Sultan Ahmed nanced the construction of a seventh minaret for the Great Mosque. Interestingly, oneof thearchitects of theBlue MosquewasMimarHajrudinAga,whoalso built the famous Old Bridge in Mostar. The BlueMosqueistodayamongIstanbul’smost visited sites. It owes its name to its ceramic tiles from Nicaea in blue and white shades – over 20,000 of them, which still mesmerisevisitorswiththeirbeauty.Whenyoustep into themosque, regardless of the fact that you enter directly from the hustle and bustle of the city and the huge crowds that are inevitable at the entrance, youwill be overwhelmed by the absolute tranquillity that reigns here. If you continue straight ahead uponleavingthemosque,yourpathwill lead you directly to Hagia Sophia. Legend has it thatSultanAhmedorderedtheconstruction of the BlueMosque in order to leave somethingbigger thanHagia inhis name. Unlike the Blue Mosque, where you’ll have to remove your shoes and don a headscarf, you canenter Hagia Sohpia casuallydressed, as Grad koji u sebe može da smesti sedam Beograda najlakše je obilaziti peške The city that could hold seven Belgrades is easiest to tour on foot BAZAR / BAZAAR iStock / puhhha iStock / Givaga
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