Saturday 3 June 2023

My mystery friend revealed at last

             Who ? Where?  Why ?

     
[ picture courtesy of sultan-kayiklari-ile-bogaz-turu.com ]




                    Where ?

                           The place --- 

Istanbul Naval Museum
[picture courtesy of Wikipedia]


            Why - ?

    -  to see the elegant gondola-like caiques used by the Ottoman sultans. These lavishly ornamented boats were the favoured means of transport for travelling into the main city. 



                                                             A few imperial caiques
[picure By CeeGee - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,]


When the Court went on a visit from one palace to another, the spectacle of a flotilla of these caiques gliding along in procession was breath-taking, according to a 17th Century French Ambassador. 



            Who ? 

                   He was impressive in his uniform, and his sash made me smile.

                        -  the Sultan's chief Boat Master





                   For more pictures see    Istanbul_Naval_Museum



2 comments:

  1. Your photographs made me think I must have missed out on something while I was there all these years :D

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    1. The Naval Museum moved into this new building recently, so maybe it wasn't there during your time in Istanbul. It's now much bigger, covering a lot of history. Very well worth a visit.

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