The Istanbul Puzzle (30 page)

The riots came about partly because the Hippodrome was an outlet for the frustrations of the people. Some of the factions were supported by aristocratic families who thought they had more claim to the throne than Justinian. It is said that Justinian’s wife, the Empress Theodora, persuaded him to stand up to the rioters. You can read more about Theodora in
The Istanbul Puzzle
.

After a week of vacillation the gates of the Hippodrome were closed and Belisarius, Justinian’s general, massacred 30,000 rioters, bringing the rebellion to a bloody close. Hagia Sophia was rebuilt after that in the form we see today.

All you will see of the Hippodrome though, is the course of the racetrack and some large items from its central spine, an obelisk from ancient Egypt, the serpent column from Delphi and the Column of Constantine. These are believed to be still in their original locations, from when the Hippodrome was in use for chariot races.

Proceed further and you will find the Mosaic Museum behind the incredible Blue Mosque with its beautiful six minarets and 20,000 blue faiences from Iznik.

The Mosaic Museum is located under a typical Ottoman-style shopping arcade. It contains original mosaics from the Imperial Roman palace, which occupied much of the area and was the seat of what we call the Byzantine Empire, until the city was sacked by the Venetians and Crusaders in the Fourth Crusade, in 1204. The Byzantines never called themselves that though. They saw themselves as citizens of the Roman Empire.

The Imperial palace had its own port, the Bucoleon, grand stairways, pavilions, gardens, towers and courtyards spread out over that first hill of Istanbul, which looks out over the entrance of the Sea of Marmara into the Bosphorus. This complex of palaces was the wonder of the medieval world. It had separate palaces for the Empress, whose walls were covered in purple marble brought from Rome, and for relatives and favourites of the Emperor.

It is a short walk from the Mosaic Museum back to Hagia Sophia from where the city’s growing tram and underground network can take you to your hotel or to other parts of the city including the Grand Bazaar, Galata Tower, Taksim Square and the ultra modern shopping facilities that now dot Istanbul. If you finish your day in one of the hotels or restaurants recommended earlier you will enjoy some of the best eating in Europe in spectacular surroundings unmatched anywhere in the world.

Further ancient sights are expected to be opened near Hagia Sophia soon.

Constantine the Great created an extraordinary city here. It survived siege, plague, capture and famine until a new empire was created by the Ottomans, taking over its legacy. Now a modern republican city stands here, the largest in Europe, with a population fast approaching 14 million.

Lastly, be aware, as in all cities, of heading down dark alleys at night. And don’t go along with the street scammers who try to get you to go to a bar or a shop. Just keep walking. Overpriced drinks are common at nightclubs. And in crowded places be wary of pickpockets.

I do hope you’ve enjoyed your day in old Istanbul. Let me know how you got on: [email protected].

I would like, first of all, to acknowledge the wonderful cities of Istanbul and London and all the warm and friendly people who live there. The many historical sites in these cities and the people who work in them are a great source of inspiration. I would like to acknowledge the fine work of all employees in the many sites mentioned in the book.

The underground and other locations I have created, under Hagia Sophia, Hagia Eirene and near St Paul’s are entirely fictional however. No such sites exist, except in my imagination, and in
The Istanbul Puzzle
.

I would like to also acknowledge the assistance of Dr Antony Eastmond, Reader in the History of Byzantine Art at The Courtauld Institute, London and Dr Ken Dark, Director, Research Centre for Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, University of Reading, for their assistance, but I must point out that all historical errors and inaccuracies are mine alone and entirely.

For assistance in editing I would like to acknowledge the great help of my editor at Harper Collins, Claire Bord, who helped me shape the novel. I would also like to thank all the other writing professionals and friends who read early copies of
The Istanbul Puzzle
and helped me with their comments. Jean Jenkins in California was one. Pam Ahearn in New Orleans was another. Thank you all for your encouragement and support.

I have been lucky to attend some wonderful writing classes in the UK and Ireland and The Irish Writing Centre in particular provided a number of valuable courses. In addition, I am a member of two writing groups in Dublin, the Rathmines and Wednesday groups. Both helped me greatly. A big thank you to all the members.

My wonderful wife, Zen, my Turkish Princess, her family and mine, have all played a vital part in this book’s creation. I wish also to thank my children, Isabel and Robert, for putting up with my disappearances and being told to leave the room when I was working on too many occasions to count.

Finally, I would also like to acknowledge lost friends, Noel and Jimmy, who have gone before me to a better place. They listened to my stories long ago.

Keep up to date with the Puzzle story –visit:

www.lpobryan.wordpress.com

You’ll find details of many aspects of
The Istanbul Puzzle
on the site and information on the journey the book took to publication.

There will also be early details of the next instalment of Isabel and Sean’s adventures,
The Jerusalem Puzzle
, due for publication in January 2013.

There are also photos, videos and links to a Twitter feed (@lpobryan) and Facebook fan page you can sign up to follow. You can find me on Goodreads and LinkedIn too.

Laurence O’Bryan was born in Dublin. He studied Business, then IT at Oxford University. After going to England he paid for his own courses and began rising at four AM so he could study and work at the same time. One early job was as a kitchen porter near the Bank of England cleaning the plates of the well-connected. He struggled for years. Laurence was first published by a school newspaper when he was ten, for a short story about aliens getting lost. Thirty-five years later, he attended a writers’ workshop and not long after was offered a publishing contract for three books. The first,
The Istanbul Puzzle
, won the Outstanding Novel award at the Southern California Writers’ Conference in 2007. Laurence is currently working on his second novel
The Jerusalem Puzzle
.

To find out more about Laurence and
The Istanbul Puzzle
please visit his blog at lpobryan.wordpress.com or on Twitter @LPOBryan.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

1

First published in Great Britain by
HarperCollins
Publishers
2011

Copyright © Laurence O’Bryan 2011

Laurence O’Bryan asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-84756-288-3

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub Edition © JANUARY 2012 ISBN: 9780007453269