Of Istanbul and Crciket

Zuban yaar e man Turki wa man Turkey na mi danam
This time the destinationa was ex Constantinople to date the comoploatin Istanbul.I decided to visit the place after reading a real LOT about the place which was simply Washington DC during its glory days. The capital of Ottomon Turk empire spread in three continents that flourshed for more than five hundred years, a much better time period than described by Tyen B. And even before that, Constantinople was the capital of Byzantin ( Eastern branch of roman empire ) that existed for more than 1000 years as compared to its Western branch.
My first impression of the city, honestly, was of a an old woman who has passed her glorious days. An old gracefull aunty :). This impression lasted well for six days but literally changed on my final night when I watched a tornedo of lights,splendour,youthfullness and optimism.....
My stay was in the SultanAhmed district, an extraveganza of history,nostalgia and myth. As soon as I dropped from the traum station, there were numerous chapetrs of history opened in my mind. Right from the burnt column uptill the Topkopi palace, the distance was not less than 2000 years or perhaps more. I started from the palace , the white house of Ottomans..... A ticket of 20 YTL and here you go. A splendid enterance with Arabic Ayats written on the top. I took the audio add ons and saw the map of the palace, a huge monster building. I went through the nice courtyard to eneter the Sultan's official room. It didnt appeal me much honestly. Then there was treasury rooms, some 4 big halls where they show you the precious items of those time. All sorts of utensils,body armours,candles,swords,gold,silver and diammods. I found two very interesting items from the sub continent origin. First was a rose sprinkler gifted to the Tomb by Begum Nawab Bahalpur and second was the throne presented to Turk sultan by Nadir Shah. I seriously doubt if its the " Takht e Taoos " !!! Hang on, let me google it. So here we go:
"The Peacock Throne also known as Takht-e-Tavous or "Mor Sinhasan" (UrduUrdu
is an Indo-European languages of the Indo-Aryan languages that developed under Persian language, Turkish language, Pashto Language, Arabic Language, Hindi language, and Sanskrit language influence in South Asia during the Delhi Sultanate and ...
: ??? ????? HindiHindi
Hindi , an Indo-European languages spoken mainly in North India and Central India India, is the official language of the central government of India ....
: ??? ??????? PersianPersian language
Persian is an Indo-European languages language spoken in Iran , Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia , Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere....
: ??? ?????) was made for the Mughal Emperor Shah JahanShah Jahan
Shahbuddin Mohammed Shah Jahan , January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) was the ruler of the Mughal Empire in India from 1628 until 1658....
in the 17th century. The Peacock Throne was yet another example of Shah Jahan's aesthetic sense and artistic character. It was used as the Mughal Imperial throne for a period of about one century. After the decline of the Mughal EmpireMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire, was an empire that at its greatest territorial extent ruled most of the Indian subcontinent, then known as Hindustan, and parts of what is now Afghanistan and western Pakistan, between 1526 and 1707....
the Peacock throne was taken from DelhiDelhi
Delhi is a metropolis in Northern India India. The name Delhi also refers to the National Capital Territory of Delhi , which is a special union territory jointly administered by the Government of India, the NCT elected government a...
by Nadir Shah of PersiaPersian Empire
The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Greater Iran and beyond....
during his invasion of the Mughal Empire in 1739.

The French traveller, Jean-Baptiste TavernierJean-Baptiste Tavernier
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, France traveller and pioneer of trade with India, was born in 1605 at Paris, where his father Gabriel and uncle Melchior, Protestants from Antwerp, pursued the profession of geographers and engravers....
, who saw Delhi in 1665, described the throne as of the shape of a bed (a "takhta" i.e. platform), 6 ft. by 4 ft., supported by four golden feet, 20 to 25 in. high, from the bars above which rose twelve columns to support the canopy; the bars were decorated with crosses of rubies and emeralds, and also with diamonds and pearls. In all there were 108 large rubies on the throne, and 116 emeralds, but many of the latter had flaws. The twelve columns supporting the canopy were decorated with rows of splendid pearls, and Tavernier considered these to be the most valuable part of the throne. Estimates of its value varied: Rs. 4 croreCrore
A crore is a unit in the Indian numbering system, still widely used in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka....
(Bernier) and Rs. 10 crore (Tavernier). According to The History ChannelThe History Channel
The History Channel is a mainstream cable television television television channel, which presents programming related to historical events and persons—often with observations and explanations by noted historians as well as historical ree...
, the throneThrone
A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions....
would be worth $1 billion1000000000 (number)
One thousand million is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001. In English, it is usually called a billion.....
today. .

It was believed that in the civil war following Nadir’s assassination in 1747, the throne was destroyed. However it is now believed that the throne with Indian craftsmanship in the Topkapi PalaceTopkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace, located in Istanbul, was the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1465 to 1853....
may be the legendary Peacock Throne. "
So its still a guess like mine :)
Funny were the bowls made of gold used to fed the Ottoman princess before their suhaag raat. They might have mixed some kinda viagra in their food as well, who knows.
Another striking thing was the heavy sword supposedly belonging to Osman Ghazi, the founder of Ottoman empire in 14th century.
Wait untill the next episode....
And yes, ICC eithermust withdraw the refferel system or put her confidence on technology..