Custom House
On the eastern end of Galata’s shore, near to the many quays and piers of Tophane, sits a building unavoidable to any visitor to Constantinople, the Custom House. Every steamship from Europe docks in Tophane, and Turkish custom officials meet every ship. Passengers are allowed to disembark after their belongings pass inspection or they offer the appropriate bribe (about 3 piastres). If the cargo requires payment of a duty, or if the custom official finds illegal items, their owner is doomed to visit the Custom House.
The Custom House is a large stone warehouse, with a short squat tower of tile-roofed offices on top. Every morning, a crowd of people squeeze onto the walkway separating the Custom House from the water of the Golden Horn. Most hope to reclaim their possessions or buy impounded cargos. In appearance, the Custom House serves the Sultan’s interests, but inwardly it is the most crooked and confusing institution in Constantinople with only a small percentage of its revenue reaching the Imperial Treasury. Its records, storage organization, and bureaucratic procedures are a tangled mess only the officials understand. They commit their larceny with a noble decorum rarely seen in a criminal enterprise.
Church of SS Peter and Paul
Southwest of Galata Tower, an eclectic congregation of Roman Aluminat faithful observe mass at the Church of SS Peter and Paul (or Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church). The majority of the congregants are Levantines, but French clerks, Irish soldiers, Italian shopkeepers, and Armenian merchants fill out the pews.
After Sultan Mehmet II converted their church into a Mosque, a group of Dominican friars moved to a house owned by a wealthy Venetian named Zaccaria and resumed services in his chapel. In 1535, Zaccaria gave his home to the friars in exchange for a monthly burned candle and a weekly mass for the souls of family. Today, the ceremonial mass for the Zaccaria family only happens annually.
The chapel was expanded into the Church of SS Peter and Paul in the early 1600s, and has been destroyed by fire and rebuilt several times in the intervening years. In 1843, the church was rebuilt for the fifth time as a beautiful basilica with neoclassical stonework. Despite the building’s magnificence, Turkish law prohibits courtyards and street-side entrances, allowing only a small entry door in the alleyway.
Although, the church possesses a fine collection of relics, it’s most important artifact is the Hodegetria Icon (a religious painting depicting the Virgin and Child) displayed on the fourth floor. Not merely a symbol of religious instruction, the Icon has become a symbol of French authority in Constantinople, not least because an over-patriotic restorer painted fleur-de-lis into the Virgin’s cloak.
Stampa’s Shop
In the shadow of Galata Tower, a small shop serves as a hub for Europeans in Constantinople. Foreigners come to Stampa’s shop for a taste of home, good advice, and to meet their fellow countrymen for a chat. Few shops sell a greater variety of luxury food and drink even in London or Paris. The owner and proprietor, a gregarious and intelligent Italian halfling named Antonio Stampa, sells a remarkable selection of imported goods, such as, French cognac, Yorkshire bacon, Stilton cheese, Scotch whisky, English port, and Havana cigars, along with the simple staples of civilized life such as cutlery, ink, shaving razors, needles, and soap.
Traveler’s come to Stampa’s shop for more than just his stock. He knows local customs, steamer timetables, and the solutions to the problems common for those new in the city. He speaks most languages like a native, and if a customer cannot find his heart’s desire in his shop, Stampa undoubtedly knows who sells it.
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