A 4am Earthquake in Istanbul
We reached Istanbul late the previous night after travelling on the speed train from Ankara. Parth was still operating at India time and we were up at 3 am entertaining him. We were all drifting off to sleep when we woke up to the sound of knocking at around 4 am.
I went to check if someone was at the door and saw that it was not the main door – it was the wardrobe door opening and shutting. And it kept swinging back and forth. We also realised that our bed and the entire building was swinging like a pendulum. It was an earthquake! And we were stuck on the 20th floor of the hotel!
I opened the main door and checked if people were evacuating – but everyone seemed to be fast asleep! I went to the window to check the status outside, but no one was coming out on the streets. Digging back memories of what to do in such a situation, we found the strongest table in the room and hid under it. We were hoping that the building was strong enough to hold together.
The rocking motion continued for at least 5 more minutes – what felt like an eternity! The weird part was that it was not a simple vibration – everything was swinging back and forth (with significant “amplitude”).
When everything came to a standstill, in our heads, we could still feel the rocking motion. It was similar to how you feel the swinging motion of a train after having travelled for a day or two in one. We wondered if it was in our heads or actual aftershocks. We couldn’t go back to sleep – so we got ready for the day.
I kept checking the news and saw that there was a strong earthquake with its epicenter midway between Ankara and Istanbul (where we were the previous day). Over 2500 buildings were damaged but luckily, there was no direct loss of life. It was a terrifying experience, to say the least!
Our Last Day: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi & the Bosphorus
Our first stop for the day was the Hagia Sophia mosque. It is called “Ayasofya” in Turkish. The structure has the strangest history – especially because of its location on the crossroads of civilizations. I won’t get too much into the details (you can Google it) but essentially, it was first built as a church by the Byzantines in 537 AD.
Then, the Ottomans took over in 1453 and converted it to a mosque. It stayed that way till 1935 when it was made into a museum and finally (at least till now) in 2020, it went back to being a mosque.
This has resulted in the main structure inside looking like a church with a dome and vast columns. Outside, there are minarets that are characteristic of Ottoman architecture.
The Christian paintings inside have been plastered over in many parts and covered with black screens in others. Since it is a mosque now, you need to ensure that you are dressed appropriately.
Parth had the most fun inside – the whole place was carpeted and beautifully lit. And since it was huge, he had a lot of space to run around without any worries.
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We then walked over to the Topkapı palace (pronounced “Topkape” – hope you remember the Turkish pronunciation lesson from last time). It served as the administrative and residential center for the Ottoman sultans. Most buildings in Istanbul had to be rebuilt and renovated after the 1509 earthquake – this palace was one of them. The museum inside had jewellery, armor, weapons and examples of Ottoman clothing.
We also visited the Blue mosque – right opposite Hagia Sophia. We moved through it very quickly – the insides were being renovated and all we could see were ladders and scaffolds which were installed to renovate it.
On the square outside the Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet Meydani, we saw an obelisk. Could it possibly be part of the collection? When we had visited Egypt (blog coming soon), we had been to the Karnak temple in Luxor. There we got to know that 3 of the main obelisks from Luxor had been shipped out to other countries as gifts.
We had already seen one at Vatican city, one at Place de la Concorde in Paris and now one in Istanbul. The rest were in their original place in Luxor itself. Unknowingly, we completed the entire collection of Luxor obelisks!
After lunch, we headed to the Grand Bazaar. It was huge but not a lot of fun – we’re not big on shopping! And the sad part was that we didn’t get any good souvenirs here!
Till now, we had been travelling with a group in typical group trip style – on a bus, going from place to place. We decided to take my parents out for the rest of the day – Fridgemagnet Tales style! We took a tram from Grand Bazaar and went to Karaköy.
We wanted to take them to the baklava place from our first day – it was a must-visit and we wanted to pack some to take back to India. We walked along the neighbourhoods and travelled like locals. They loved it!
We walked along the narrow paths and reached the fish sandwich place that we had missed last time – Balık ekmek of Mehmet Utsa – a tiny hole-in-the-wall. It had started drizzling and we stuffed ourselves into the tiny shop. We watched as they grilled the fresh fish and made our rolls. Delicious! We were super grateful that we got to come back and eat this!
We continued walking along the pier and showed them the skyline view of the mosques from the other side.
Next, we took the funicular up to Beyoğlu and then the metro to Taksim square. Two more modes of local transportation – check! The best part was that we could use the same Istanbulkart for all 4 of us! So, no hassle of buying separate tickets.
The rain had started pouring by now. We had one umbrella but that was not enough. We bought one from a guy on the street and walked along Istiklal street.
Our next stop was Lades Menemen – another place we had missed last time. Menemen is a version of cheesy scrambled eggs and the one we had here was excellent! Finally, we had completed our entire list of places to eat at Istanbul! If you have more recommendations, put them down in the comments.
The last stop was Hafiz Mustafa for Kunefe. Parth was sleeping by now and he missed the kunefe yet again! We were running late by now, so we quickly wrapped up and took the funicular from Taksim to Kabataş, where we had to catch our dinner cruise. In true Fridgemagnet Tales style, the evening had a bit of everything – lot of walking, local transport, plenty of local food and a bit of rush towards the end!
The cruise was fun – there was dinner and dance and cultural performances. The boat went along the Bosphorus strait, expertly navigating the choppy waters.
Our final day in Istanbul came to a close and we headed back to our hotel. Next morning, we would take our flight back to India. We got some of the best experiences in this trip – even an unforgettable earthquake!
Turkey, you were amazing and we cannot wait to come back!
If you’re going: practical notes
- Getting around: Funicular, tram and metro, all on one shared Istanbulkart – worked for all 4 of us on one card.
- Food: Baklava at Karaköy Güllüoğlu, balık ekmek (fish sandwich) at Mehmet Utsa, Menemen at Lades Menemen, kunefe at Hafiz Mustafa.
- Watch out for: Turkey sits in an active earthquake zone – even a high hotel floor can feel strong shaking. Know your room’s sturdiest table or safe spot in advance.
Istanbul Earthquake Travel Story: Quick Answers
Did an earthquake really hit Istanbul in November 2022? What was it like?
Yes – a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck with its epicenter between Ankara and Istanbul while we were on the 20th floor of our hotel. The building swung like a pendulum for what felt like several minutes; we hid under the sturdiest table in the room until it stopped. Officially, over 2,500 buildings were damaged, though thankfully there was no direct loss of life.
Is Hagia Sophia a mosque or a museum right now?
It’s a mosque again – it was built as a Byzantine church in 537 AD, converted to a mosque by the Ottomans in 1453, turned into a museum in 1935, and reverted back to a mosque in 2020. That history is visible inside: it still looks like a church with its dome and columns, while the Christian paintings are now covered or plastered over in places.
Where else in the world can you see obelisks originally from Luxor/Egypt?
We ended up completing the set without planning to – we’d already seen one at the Vatican and one at Place de la Concorde in Paris, and finding the third in Sultanahmet Meydani outside the Blue Mosque meant we’d seen every obelisk that had left Luxor, alongside the ones still standing there.
Is the Bosphorus dinner cruise worth doing?
We enjoyed it – dinner, dance, cultural performances, and the boat navigating the choppy waters of the strait made for a fun way to close out our final evening in Istanbul.
What’s it like doing Istanbul as a multi-generational group with a toddler?
We spent our final day breaking off from the group tour to take my parents around at our own pace – trams, the funicular, and one shared Istanbulkart for all 4 of us. It let us revisit our favourite food spots (baklava, fish sandwich, kunefe) with them, at a much more relaxed rhythm than the bus-to-bus group schedule.
Want the Istanbul day-2 spots – Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, the obelisk hunt and our favourite food stops – pinned on a map? Subscribe for the Turkey Magnet Map and pre-trip checklist.
Check out the other Turkey blogs here:
- The Turkey Itinerary – planning a perfect trip to the crossroads of Asia and Europe
- Lahmacun, Pide and Kunefe – Eating our way through Istanbul
- Troy, a giant horse and forgotten Greek cities in Turkey – travelling in western Turkey via Çanakkale, Asklepion and Ephesus
- Cotton Castles and Whirling Dervishes – exploring the towns of Pamukkale, Konya and Sultanhanı Caravanserai
- Fairy Chimneys, Windy Days and Atatürk – the fascinating world of Cappadocia, a salt lake and the capital city of Ankara
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