Harlan Dickson (DD 708) - Naval Cruise Book

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Inside A Sultan's Palace UPPER LEFT- Arms of Sulfan's soldiers. LOWER LEFT- Armor of a Medieval Turkish soldier. MIDDLE- Chanclelier in Dolmabahce Palace UPPER RIGHT- Vases of a bygone age. LOWER RIGHT- Eqoipment EI' for the Sulfan's service

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INSTANBUI., TURKEY R One highlight of the cruise was our visit to Istanbul. Located on the eastern side of the presents a picturesque skyline, with the domes and minarets of her many mosques standing out backdrop of the city. One cannot help but be impressed with the setting of the Near East when city from its seaward approach. 1 However, many of us were surprised to find that a large part of Istanbul is a very modern city with cars, busses, trolleys, large buildings, and well-paved, wide streets. A favorable comparison could be with many of our own large cities. However, along her wide avenues and well kept parks, she retains a ity of the old as well as the new, and if you cross the Golden Horn, you find ancient cobblestone streets and overhanging buildings just as they were centuries ago. The picture is completed with the mosques and obelisks, bazaars and peddlers creating an atmosphere of an entirely different world. Thus the paradox of combined Eastern and Western cultures is the most remarkable attribute of this unique and historic city. Before 1924- Istanbul was known for centuries as Constantinople, named for Emperor Constantine, who took the city for the Roman Empire. Since that time, Constantinople has been the cause of many wars due to its strategic location at the gateway of the Black Sea. With the rise of the Ottoman Empire in the 18th Century, the city fell into Turkish hands and has been under Turkish rule ever since. In 1924, when the Turk- ish government was reformed and the old Sultan rule abandoned, Constantinople was renamed Istanbul. The last 25 years has seen Istanbul develop into the mode rn city it is today, due largely to the reforms of the new and democratic form of government and the progressive spirit of the Turkish people. The most interesting places we saw in Istanbul were: the Blue Mosque noted for its beautiful interior of blue porcelain mosaic, the Sultan's Palace, which has on display much of the accumulated treasure of many sul- tansg the Egyptian Bazaar where one can buy anything imaginable and at the most extraordinary prices, and St. Sophia, the third largest church in the world. Open to all Naval personnel during our visit was the YMCA Canteen, which provided music and refresh- ments for all. Much of the night life was centered at the canteen for that reason, however many branched out to take in the more well known night-spots along Pera Street, the center of Istanbul's night life. UPPER LEFT Prayer Tower lmmarefj of a Moslem mosque ' LOWER LEFT- Courtyard of Turkish palace. LOWER RIGHT Turkish danger. I

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Entrance to a Turkish palace. Inside the SuItan's Quarters- samples of ornate furnishings