Istanbul
Friday, 07 February 2003
By Peterjon Cresswell
Straddling Europe and Asia, capital of two major empires - the East Rome and the Ottoman - Istanbul is nothing if not grand. Surrounded by sea, set on seven hills with a panoramic profile of spiky minarets and cascading domes, Istanbul is breathtakingly gorgeous. In footballing terms, it is an intimidating place for a foreign team to visit. Support is passionate for the three main clubs - Besiktas JK, Fenerbahçe SK and Galatasaray SK - who all play in intimate grounds of 40,000 capacities or less. Unable to stage European finals in a major arena, Istanbul is nonetheless a major footballing city and one well worth spending some time in.
Attractions
Most of Istanbul's sights are concentrated around Sultanahmet, the historic imperial centre, developed under centuries of emperors and sultans. Here you will find the former Byzantine cathedral of Aya Sofya, the Topkapi Place, and the Blue Mosque. All are surrounded by an elaborate system of throne rooms, harems and tombs, with small museums dotted around each. Adjacent to Sultanahmet is the Bazaar Quarter, a thriving marketplace of hundreds of merchants selling everything from clocks to carpets. Over the impressive Galata Bridge is the 19th-century city, with bars, restaurants and shops, linked by the main tram-blessed street of Istiklal Caddesi. At the end is the focal square of Taksim, where celebrations take place after major football victories.
Club guide
Istanbul's triumvirate of big clubs all emerged at the turn of the last century. Besiktas were founded in 1903. Under the patronage of prominent statesman Osman Pasha, they were provided with cars for matchday travel - and thus earned the nickname the Car Men. Always fighting for recognition with the big two, Besiktas sneaked three league titles in the 1960s, but it was not until the club brought in foreign coaches (Gordon Milne, Christoph Daum) and players (Stefan Kuntz and Daniel Amokachi) that they began to win championships on a more regular basis. Now under Romanian boss Mircea Lucescu, Besiktas have come back to life, enjoying a UEFA Cup run and a position at the top of the Turkish league. It is Galatasaray who have tasted most success in the modern era. UEFA Cup winners in 2000 and regular competitors in the UEFA Champions League, 'Cim-Bom-Bom' have taken the lion's share of league titles since the mid-1980s. Most famously, they thrived under the partnership of Gheorghe Hagi in midfield and Hakan Sükür up front, although they continue to supply many players to the Turkish national side which has flourished since an appearance at EURO 96. Fenerbahçe are the country's most popular club. Although their most successful era was in the 1960s, they were promised a return to glory by outspoken club president Ali Sen - although the pressure put on coaches employed to do so has not always brought results.
Stadium guide
Few settings can match that of the Inönü, home ground of Besiktas. Set against the expanse of the Bosphorus, in verdant surroundings on a slope leading to Istanbul's commercial district, the stadium was built in the mid-1940s - although it was then called the Pasha. Renamed after another statesman, Ismet Inönü, 30 years later, the 35,000-capacity stadium is a bowl, with two main stands and two curves of open seating behind each goal. Near Besiktas bus station is the Kazan beer hall, a popular meeting place for fans. Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen stadium is the most passionate in town. Set in the downtown district of Mecidiyekoy, the ground is intimate - intimidating, sometimes. Built in the 1960s, the 25,000-capacity stadium has become a bit of a conundrum for the management - various expansion schemes have been put forward, none have yet come to fruition. Fenerbahçe play in Kadikoy, across the Bosphorus. Accessed by the regular boat crossing to Eminonu harbour, the ground is officially in Asia. Gradually built through the 1970s on the site of their old ground, the Sükrü Saraçoglu stadium is, with a capacity of 30,000, comfortable but intimate.
Accommodation
These days Istanbul does a nice line in fashionable Ottoman-style boutique hotels in converted old houses. The most impressive is Yesil Ev (Kabasakal Cad 5, Sultanahmet, 0212 517 6795, 120-160), located between the city's two grandest mosques. Nearby is the more charming, and cheaper, Empress Zoe (Adliye Sok 10, Sultanahmet, 0212 518 2504, 55-75), with an old bathhouse in the sunken reception area. Around is a wealth of budget accommodation, but for luxury you cannot beat the Ciragan Palace Kempinski (Ciragan Cad 84, Besiktas, 0212 258 3377,
www.ciraganpalace.com, 300-750) set in old royal quarters.
Nightlife
A typical local bar is a meyhane, or birahane, which sells Efes beer and strong raki spirit. You will find these all over Istanbul, and they are very much male dominated. However, around Taksim and Etiler are fashionable, western-style bars and clubs which would not look out of place in Milan or Munich. Dulcinea (Meselik Sok 18/20) is one such example near Taksim; Isis (Kadife Sok 26, Kadikoy) attracts a dance crowd, and in the James Joyce (Taralabasi Cad/Dernek Sok) there is televised football aplenty.
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