Istanbul in the Movies: This Fall

Istanbul

I love when Istanbul gets spotlighted in a film, and this fall, the city is the star in several movies. The streets have been busy, bustling with film crews and top actors. There are some specific locations that film directors seem to love - like the rooftops of the Grand Bazaar.

(That scene is getting old for me. Remember when Clive Owen did it in The International? )

I digress. Here are the trailers:

Taken 2, with Liam Neeson.

In the movie, his daughter runs across the rooftops of the grand bazaar. (Does she always have to be barely dressed?) Of course, I would have preferred if there were some good guys from the city too, but this film seems to get off the roofs and into the streets of today's Istanbul. I give lots of points for that.




Then there's the latest James Bond, Skyfall, where Daniel Craig falls off a bridge in Adana, and yet somehow ends up riding a motorbike on top of the grand bazaar. (Well, I love the bridge scene anyway.)




And lastly, Argo with Ben Affleck, which has scenes set in Iran that were actually filmed in Turkey. I'll actually have to watch this one to see if I recognize anything but the mosque in the trailer.

Here's hoping there are no scenes on the Grand Bazaar rooftops.

Lanterns

Announcement: I have crossed a new threshold. I'm guest blogging today for Tracy Marchini. (Formerly of Curtis Brown and Taconic Press - Check out her writing prompts on Mondays - sometimes with crit prizes!) So I say away with all those Dunning-Kruger moments dragging me down....Today I am a torchbearer for aspiring fantasy writers and my beloved Turkiye!

Speaking of torches, today is Tuesday and I have to write something about Turkish style.  I thought I'd go with lanterns. You know, those pretty ones you can't find a place for in your house (I've tried) and which don't actually hang in most Turkish homes either.  They're usually made of colorful glass or pierced metal. The best place to find one is at the Grand Bazaar (see pic). Somehow they seem to be a decor prerequisite for Middle Eastern ecclectic. 

Djinn tie-in *Ahem* Aladdin's genie may come out of a lamp. However, my djinn prefer lanterns. They don't live in them, but they can control the light within (think "the clapper" ). Fire and energy respond to their whim. As I work on my revision and start to collect my thoughts for the second installment (my NaNoWriMo project), I'm finding there really are no limits to what I can do with that power.

Suggestions, anyone?

I try keeping to things like cultural anomalies, especially ones which can be explained away scientifically, but sometimes I get the best ideas from off the wall things. For example, tomorrow I stare at goats... Psychokinesis, you know :)

Bazaar

Image via WikipediaSince we sort of visited on Tuesday with perfumes, I thought we's stop into the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul today. Bring your wallet!

The real name is Kapalı Çarşı (covered market). "Market" is Souk in Arabic so where the name Grand Bazaar came from, I'm not sure.  It could be because the vegetable market is called the Pazar.  The farmers bring in their goods on market day which must have originally been Sunday, which is also "Pazar". 

I don't even know where to start myself, so this is where I pull out my Luxe Istanbul city guide. They recommend Nur Carpets and Kilims, just outside the Nuruosmaniye Gate (pic left).  Their list also includes Koç leather, Kirgiz jewellers, and Etno for handicrafts, but don't stop there. Wander the arched halls in search of colorful art glass, lustrous silver, copper or whatever else strikes your fancy.  Lots of the things I've previously written about can be bought there, like porcelain wares and evil eye charms.   

The best way to go about it is to find the section where they sell what you're looking for. Then you can't get distracted from the task at hand as easily (good luck with that).

A lá Assassin's Creed, Clive Owen scrambled around on the rooftops in The International and I realized for the first time just how massive it really is (see the pic below).  He also visited my Secret Cistern and the Blue Mosque. 

There's another, less famous bazaar I like to visit is the Mısır Çarşı. It translates to Egyptian Marketplace and you can find it down by the water at the tip of the Golden Horn peninsula. It's basically a very fancy spice market.  There you can sample dried fruits, nuts (hazelnuts come from Turkey mostly), and every imaginable kind of Turkish delight (try the pistachio). Unfortunately, you have to eat it all on the plane if you're coming back to the states because customs won't let you back in. You can buy perfume from the merchants lined up there, though. 

If you can't afford the time or the plane ticket, you can still get Turkish things stateside (with an upcharge, of course).  Try my favorite online retailer, Tulumba.com.

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