HJ ZULHEIMY - DOWN MEMORY LANE: DOWN MEMORY LANE > 19 FEBRUARY 2018

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

27 April 2024

My wife Hjh Norziah Ahmad and her friend Hjh Noraini Abu Bakar, who had been with her on the 2017 European tour, left for Turkey on 18 February 2018 with the Andalusia Holidays 2018 Package.

They boarded Turkish Airline flight TK 61 departing from KLIA at 11.55pm and arriving in Turkey at 06.20am.

Turkish Airlines began operating on May 20, 1933. In April 2010, Turkish Airline was renamed TURKAIR.

INFO ABOUT TURKIYE

Turkey is an Eurasian country located between Europe and Asia. Most of Turkey is located on the Anatolian Peninsula in Asia, and a small part of its territory is in the Northwestern Balkans of the European Continent.

Turkey is a country bordered by 8 countries, namely Bulgaria in the Northwest, Greece in the West, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan in the Northeast, Iran in the East, Iraq and Syria in the Southeast. The border of Europe and Asia is marked at the Sea of Marmara.

Turkey is a country that occupies a unique geographic position, lying partly in Asia and partly in Europe. Throughout its history it has acted as both a barrier and a bridge between the two continents. Turkey is situated at the crossroads of the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East, and eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey has been through the reign of several kingdoms since before Christ, namely the Hittite Empire, the Lydians, the Persian (Iranian) Kingdom, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and finally the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Turkey became a Republic in 1923 after the fall of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

Rujuk: WIKIPEDIA - TURKIYE

ISTANBUL, TURKIYE

Istanbul was formerly Constantinople, which was controlled by the Byzantine Roman Empire. In fact, Istanbul was once the administrative center of four different major civilizations. It started with the Roman Empire, the Latin, the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Rome), and the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "If the earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital" (If the world was a country, Istanbul would be its capital).

For almost 800 years Muslims tried to capture this city and finally in 1453, Sultan Muhammad Al-Fatih of the Ottoman Turkish Kingdom succeeded in capturing this city from Rome.

During the lifetime of the Prophet s.a.w., he once said, which means, "The city of Constantinople will fall into the hands of Islam. The leader who conquers it is the BEST LEADER, and the team under his command is the BEST TEAM."

(H.R Ahmad bin Hanbal).

The hadith of Rasulullah s.a.w turned out to be a reality when, 800 years later, the Ottoman Turks, under the leadership of Sultan Muhammad Al-Fatih, succeeded in conquering this city in 1453. Before that, many of the Prophet's companions and Muslims had tried to capture this city and tried to become the person intended by the Prophet s.a.w. Among His companions who have tried is Abu Ayub Al-Ansari r.a., but he was martyred during the battle and was buried next to the fort upon his own request. He wanted to be buried next to this city because he wanted so much to hear the footsteps of the soldiers who were about to capture this city.

Do you know?

Istanbul is the only city in the world which meets two continents - Europe and Asia. One part of Istanbul lies in Europe and the other part lies in Asia. Istanbul's European part is separated from its Asian part by the Bosphorus Straits, a 31 km long waterways that connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara and forms a natural boundary between the two continents.

FIRST DAY VISIT - 19 FEBRUARY 2018 (ISTANBUL / BURSA)

HIPPODROME OF CONSTANTINOPLE

The Hippodrome of Constantinople was an arena used for chariot racing throughout the Byzantine period. First built during the reign of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in the early 3rd century CE, the structure was made more grandiose by Emperor Constantine I in the 4th century CE.

The Hippodrome of Constantinople is now Sultanahmet Square consists of historical monuments and a public square outlining the former racetrack.

Located next to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia is the former administrative center of the Roman Byzantine Empire in Constantinople (now Istanbul). Some statues from the 4th century, dating back to the time of Theodosius, can still be found there.

Additionally, there is a Neo-Byzantine Fountain that was a gifted by the German Emperor Wilhelm II to the Sultan of the Ottoman Turkish Kingdom.

THE BLUE MOSQUE

The Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmet Mosque, is another historic mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and was the capital of the Ottoman Turkish Kingdom from 1453 until 1923. It is known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles that decorate the walls inside. It was built between 1606 and 1616 during the reign of Sultan Ahmet I.

The Blue Mosque sits just next to Hagia Sophia Mosque, and attracts many tourists as well.It was listed under the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.

TOPKAPI PALACE
Topkapi Palace, or in Turkish, Topkapi Sarayi, is a palace located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years, from 1465 to 1856. It was built by Sultan Muhammad Al-Fatih after he successfully conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) from the Roman army in 1453.

The first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, ordered that this palace be converted into a museum in 1924. It became a special location to observe the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus, and the Sea of Marmara.

ARASTA BAZAAR

Arasta Bazaar is located near the Blue Mosque. It is worth visiting as there are various interesting items and souvenirs to take home.

After the group's visit on the first day, they were taken to their next destination, which is the city of Bursa, Turkey. The distance from Istanbul to Bursa is 3.2 km.

BURSA, TURKIYE

Bursa is a large city located in northwestern Anatolia, Turkey. The city is famous for its mosques and historical sites from the early days of the Ottoman Empire. It is known as Green Bursa (Yesil Bursa in Turkish) because of its many parks and trees. Here, you can also find "The Great Mosque" (Masjid Besar), which has the characteristics of the 14th century Ulu Cami and a Seljuk-style gate, and features 20 domes.

Bursa served as the first capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1335 to 1413. The tombs of the earliest Ottoman sultans can be found in Bursa.

After completing all the tour schedule for the first day, we were then taken to our hotel accommodation in Tiara Thermal Hotel located at Cekirge Mahallesi 1, Murad CD No. 1, Osmangasi/Bursa. Turkiye.