“Come on, let’s catch up,” urges Dario, as the others forge ahead, already disappearing out of sight up the hill. I hurriedly snap one last shot of the view, before putting the camera away to tackle the climb.
We’re heading towards Istanbul’s largest mosque, Sleymaniye, perched on top of the city’s tallest hill. In the distance, its minarets and bulbous curves poke out proudly behind rundown houses and neglected ruins.
Just two miles west of central Istanbul, this is the scenic route up, through the historic neighbourhoods of Kumkap and Fatih. Street vendors are pushing carts of plump grapes along cobbled streets as grizzled men banter outside shop fronts that are piled high with cheap luggage and fast fashion.
Kumkap, historically the area where Armenian immigrants settled, may be a poor neighbourhood but the sense of communal life here feels a world away from the typical postcard scenes of Sultanahmet, or glossy Beyoglu, with its rooftop bars and modern art galleries. Few visitors get this far. And the only reason I’m seeing it is because I’m on a bike.
“On a bike, you get to see a side of Istanbul that you’re not normally supposed to see if you’re a tourist,” says Dario, one of the guides leading our tour of Istanbul’s classic sights.
Continued –
A bicycle tour of Istanbul and other unlikely city rides
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