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You can readily see most of the major sites in Istanbul on foot. The large red building (below left) is the famous Haghia Sophia (Aya Sofya). This building took only 5 years to complete (532-537AD) and is unique in construction and size, given the technology of that period. The dome alone is more than 100 feet across. Subsequent generations actually thought it to be a product of supernatural intervention.. The drawing (above centre) features the Karakoy bridge at dusk. I sat at the foot of a mosque that must have had about one million pigeons milling about. When they all flew up at once a shower of dust would settle down upon you. Its hard to be comfortable and concentrate at the same time. The tall structure in the top centre is the Galata Tower. From this tower is where the panorama (top right) of Istanbul was drawn. I remember standing up to draw this remarkable vista. There isn't much room at the circular tower to sit or lean. The whole sketch probably too about half an hour to complete.
Traveling by bus is probably the best option in moving through Turkey. The two sketches (above left) were drawn whilst sitting on the bus. I coloured in the drawings later.
The theatre at ancient Ephesus. A marvelous place to visit.
A Turkish bathhouse and the temple of Apollo at Didyma.
Copyright Frank Gapinski 1998
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