Modern trailblazers can tour İstanbul in historic travel writer Evliya Çelebi’s footsteps

One of the most important of all are the cultural tours labeled “İstanbul on the Trail of Evliya Çelebi,” established by the İstanbul City Culture and Tourism Directorate. These tours, coordinated by city historian Süleyman Faruk Göncüoğlu, aim to guide people through the city of İstanbul as if they were being accompanied by the Ottoman travel writer himself, Evliya Çelebi. In short, these tours will see people walking down the very roads traversed by Çelebi and of course described in his famous travel journals.

We tagged along on one of the first of these tours, accompanied by historian Süleyman Faruk Göncüoğlu, so that we could describe the experience to you, our readers. With great excitement, we were prepared to view the mosques, hans (the urban equivalents of rural caravanserais) and shopping streets that we had traversed countless times before, but this time would be seeing through the eyes of Çelebi, as if for the first time. Let me state this first and foremost: For those who love to walk and to learn, for those who want to feel enveloped in the atmosphere exuded by the memory of Çelebi, these “İstanbul On the Trail of Evliya Çelebi” tours are very enticing. So let us begin, if you are ready…

First stop: The tour, which winds up at the Küçük Ayasofya, starts off in the neighborhood near Unkapanı where Çelebi was born, in Küçükpazar. These streets where Çelebi spent his childhood are steeped in stories told about his life and times. This small neighborhood lies along the banks of the Golden Horn, and the final stop in this neighborhood is the mosque built by Çelebi’s great grandfather, Yavuz Er Sinan. The mosque was built in the year of the Hijri 884 (A.D. 1479), but is not normally open, except at prayer times. This is why it’s impossible to get to know this mosque very well. Nevertheless, it is interesting to think that it was at this very mosque that Çelebi read his first words and memorized his first prayers.

Second stop: After exploring the neighborhood where Çelebi grew up, our next stop is the Ahi Çelebi Mosque, where he first decided to write his 10-volume Books of Travels. For those who don’t know, let me explain: Çelebi, on Aug. 19, 1630, fell asleep at this mosque following the evening prayers. In his dreams that evening, he saw the Prophet Mohammed. By mistake, instead of asking the Prophet for “şefaat” (forgiveness and mercy), he said, “Seyahat Ya Resulullah” (Travel, Oh Prophet). When Çelebi awoke, he told Kasımpasha Sheikh Abdullah Efendi about his dream. The sheikh’s response was to tell Çelebi to start traveling. In any case, the first part of his journey started in İstanbul, and he went on to spend exactly 10 years traveling the city. This event which triggered his travels is actually explained at the start of his travel books. That is why this small mosque, which is still open to prayers and visits, is an important stopping point for travelers. The steps of this special tour after this will be shaped by the points visited and later explained by Çelebi. Which is why our tour really starts, just as it did for him, after the Ahi Çelebi Mosque.

Third stop: Our next stop is the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, one of Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan’s great masterpieces. But as we said, the routes taken in this tour are meant to bring people to locations in the city that Çelebi wrote about and described for others. So before we go to the mosque, we stop by the hasırcılar çarsısı, or mat-makers market. We also visit the famous bit pazarı, or flea market. As it turns out, as Çelebi described in his writing, this market has been here for 2,700 years in this Eminönü neighborhood. Although nowadays it is largely run by Turks who hail from Bingöl, it used to be the domain of the Karay Jewish people. The part of the tour that takes us through some of the old hans, or trade houses, of İstanbul, but it certainly does not end with the Bit Pazarı. After we visit the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, we see the han that sheltered the soap and coffee makers of İstanbul for many years. Excerpts from the original travel volumes by Çelebi are read to us here, and a little later, we all take a break from the tour and enjoy some tea.

Fourth stop: The next part of this tour takes us through places whose names we are all quite familiar with; for example, the Mısır Çarşısı or Spice Bazaar. Evliya Çelebi saw this market being built; it was constructed in 1660 with funds from the Hatice Turhan Valide Sultan Foundation in Egypt. Çelebi’s writings draw our attention to the Dua Hutbesi (sermon prayer) in the Spice Bazaar, which we might not have otherwise noticed. As it turns out, until recently, merchants in this bazaar would gather here to pray at the start of the day, praying that the day ahead would be prosperous. As the day progresses we head towards many other spots in the historic peninsula of İstanbul -- although not on empty stomachs, I should note. We do stop to eat lunch at one of İstanbul’s famous lokanta.

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Evliya Çelebi ‘Seyyahları’ (Travels)

This is not the only project planned by the İstanbul City Culture and Tourism Directorate in relation to Evliya Çelebi. The directorate is also involved in producing special Evliya Çelebi guides for those who would like to either join the tour or do some exploring on their own.