Published in Time Out Istanbul

September 2006

This week: the Haliç hurricane, the Western whirlwind: the number 87, from Taksim to Edirnekapı.

Forget the Bosphorus ferries or the overpriced tourist coaches: the new hip way to see the city is by good old reliable bus. You’ll be amazed at the rich sightseeing experience one bus journey can bring, and there’s something for everyone along the way; Vanessa Able charges up her akbil, switches off her phone, and tries to remember to give her seat up to the elderly…All aboard!

Kick off from Taksim, and if it’s a hot day, try and get onto one of the new green air-conditioned buses for a smoother, nicer and generally more fragrant ride through the city.

Baldies, trannies and good time girls: if it’s a wig you’re after, then go no further than the 87’s first stop at •Tarlabaşı, where, if you look up, you’ll see a whole range of shops selling fake and fun barnets on the first and second floors of the buildings to accommodate that much-needed change of identity.

A little bit further down the road, is •Ömer Hayyam Caddesi, where if you head down the hill, you’ll find a great Sunday market selling mostly food and kitchenware. Follow on to •Tepebaşı, and a fantastic view of Prime Minister Erdoğan’s original neighbourhood of Kasımpaşa, all the way down to the Golden Horn. The next two stops are bizarrely both named •Şişhane, and hold nothing of interest other than mangled motorways. However, you might want to disembark at the second stop in order to pick your way through the concrete assault course to the Atatürk bridge, as the views of the Golden Horn and the Western Districts are magnificent from here, and there is much less pedestrian traffic, with the added bonus of the Azapkapı Çeşmesi and the Azapkapı Sokullu Mosque just before the bridge to the left.

Over the bridge, past the relatively non-descript •Unkapanı, to the •Müze stop, where you should hop off to get a good look at the Valens Aqueduct that straddles the traffic coming to and from the Ataürk bridge. Built in 368AD, the two-tiered, 26.5-metre-high structure, still in excellent nick, used to channel water from Belgrade forest to the Great Palace near the old Hippodrome in Sultanahmet. Next to the aqueduct is the little medrese of Gazanfer Ağa, now the Cartoon Museum, which houses a permanent the history of caricatures dating back to the 1870s, as well as offering workshops in screen printing and engraving.

After the aqueduct, trusty old 87 takes a turn onto Fevzi Paşa Caddesi, past •İtfaiye, on its way into the centre of Fatih. Get off at •Fatih to explore this, one of Istanbul’s most fascinating neighbourhoods. More conservative than other parts of town, Fatih is host to one of the city’s most impressive mosques, built by Mehmet II Fatih (the Conqueror) after he brought his Ottoman army raging into Greek-owned Constantinople in 1453. The mosque complex is on the other side of the wall, behind the bus stop, and it’s worth going for a wander in the surrounding side streets, that host a bazaar every Wednesday.

Ladies: if you’re getting married any time soon and are in need of a wedding dress, then be sure to get yourself to •Yavuzselim, the shopping street that continues on from Fatih, and that has more bridal shops than you could shake a box of confetti at. Window after window offers up dresses in all shapes and sizes, though they do all tend towards the cream-puffy. Onward, past the beautifully housed health centre at •Karagümrük, to the giant sports arena and the Vefa Stadium at •Acı Çeşme, home ground of the somewhat obscure second division team Karagümrük.

The penultimate stop is at •Edirnekapı, Edirne gate, where Mehmet the Conqueror (of Fatih Mosque fame) made his triumphal march into Constantinople. You can see the ancient city walls from the bus stop, and there’s a plaque on the south side that commemorates the conquest. Just south of the wall is the Mihrimah Mosque, built by Sinan in honour of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent’s daughter Mihrimah. From here, leave the main road and head towards the sign-posted Kariye Müzesi, or the Church of St. Saviour in Chora, the city’s treasure-trove of Byzantine mosaics. While you’re here, pop next door to the Asithane restaurant situated inside the Kariye hotel: if the weather’s nice you can sit outside in their beautiful garden and enjoy some of the best authentic Ottoman Palace cuisine around, including veal kebab and stuffed melon; dishes , it’ll whet your appetite to know, that were originally served at the circumcision feasts of Süleyman the Magnificent’s two sons, Beyazid and Cihangir.

The final stop is the bus station at •Edirnekapı, just off the speeding main road and outside of the city walls, where you’ll receive the usual quizzical looks from lounging bus drivers and stray dogs, as you wait for the next 87 to rev up its engine and take you back where you came from.