Revelry

Where we left off in Turkey....

Its Tuesday! And since our fearless leader Jakob loves showing religious diversity everywhere we go (I have my migration and identity class with this guy, and he led me through Bulgaria as well) we went to the the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, an old Synagogue, and an old Mosque. The Greek Orthodox church is the home of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and Istanbul itself has been the center of Eastern Orthodoxy since the Roman capital was established there in 330 AD. We were shown all the mosaics on the ceiling by a guide who joined us for the day, and the walls told the story of the New Testament. For some reason a woman named Elizabeth had a central role through most of the story, a character I have NEVER heard of. The synagogue dated back to the 15th century, but was mostly unimpressive. The mosque, Eyup Sultan Kulliye, is considered the fourth most sacred place for muslims in the world, afer Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. The complex apparently holds the remains and is the burial site of Euyp Ensari, a friend of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, and a revered member of Islam's early leadership.

After a much needed lunch (quince stew), we had coffee, tea, hookah, and time with turkish students in a nice little patio full of bean bag chairs. My student particularly fascinated me considering she came from Armenian descent, and there was a purging of Armenians from the Ottoman empire during the first world war. While the Turkish government does not regard it a genocide, the rest of the world does, and over 1 million Armenian community leaders, men, women, and children were exterminated or sent on death marches. Today there is still alot of anti-Armenian sentiment and people with Armenian heritage are automatically assumed to be inferior. Exploring the extent of this with a student was really interesting and shocking simultaneously.

Wednesday was the big touristy day, and fellow traveller slash Copenhagen Wesleyan resident Sarah Brown decided to join up with us for the day from her own travels in Greece. We started the day off at the Hagia Sophia, a place of Christian worship for 916 years, then converted to a mosque and served Muslims for 481 years. It is full of amazing Byzantine architecture and represents a synthesis between the East and West. If the epic Hagia Sophia can be shadowed by anything, it is by our next sight, the Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmet. It is called the Blue Mosque by the predominantly blue coloring of paintwork inside the mosque. It was built between 1609 and 1616 by the order of Sultan Ahmed I, and designed by a student of the architect who designed the Taj Mahal. The building is absolutely incredible; intricate artwork everywhere, vast beautiful carpets, and 16 foot diameter columns holding up a massive stone dome. One of the most impressives peices of classic architecture I have seen, besides perhaps the Taj itself.

After an epically long wait for a mexican food lunch, and a welcome break from the absence of guacamole from my life, we visited the Topkapi Palace and Harem. The palace was the official and primary residence for the Ottoman Sultans from 1465 to 1853. Comprised of 4 main courtyards and many buildings, this is perhaps the most relaxing placees I have ever been. Beautiful green lawns, long hedges of blooming pastel tulips, and a breeze coming off the Bhosphorus river, which the complex overlooks, this place oozes relaxation. It also houses the treasury, where you could see the sultans throne, flask, armor, and many relics, all of which are studded by some of the largest jewels I have ever seen. Within the grounds is the housing for the Sultan's 400 women. Who had access to all these women, you may ask? Just the Sultan and his son; talk about some intense family bonding.

Our last day in Turkey was both amazing and melancholy, for none of us wanted to leave. We had an interesting lecture at Bilgi University about past and present Turkey-EU relations, back to back with a lecture on religion, state, and society in Turkey. We were then shipped back to the central area of Istanbul, and had free time in the Grand Bazaar. The largest market I have ever seen, it is covered, and you are bound to get lost among the thousands of shops selling jewelry, carpets, hookahs, spices, and antiques. After a few hours of consumerist-driven wandering, a few of us decided to go get an authentic turkish bath experience.

Built in 1584, the Cemberlitas Hamam is right next to the grand bazaar. The main male chamber contains a large heated marble platform that you lie on where you perspire and relax. The stone dome overhead sheds natural light through the holes in the roof. Eventually a large mustached turkish man wearing only a waist rag comes over and scrubs all the dead skin off your body using a luffa. Then he soaps you up an scrubs you down again, and really works your body into a limp state. While having an older turkish man pay specific detail to your contours can seem a little invading, this was probably one of the most enjoyable moments of the entire week. AFter rinsing off and sweating some more, going upstairs to your little dorm room where you lay down in the dark is hypnotizing and even more relaxing, if possible. After resting for 40 minutes, I got dressed, came downstairs and had some fresh squeezed orange juice while reading the newspaper. I really dreaded leaving this place, but dinner was just as epic.

Our resturant was on the top floor of a six story building on a hill overlooking all of Istanbul. The glass walled dinner room showed us the nighttime skyline of the city, and the little patio allowed us to have some fresh air to enjoy it as well. Besides being one of the nicer resturants I have ever dined in, the dance floor, DJed by a loft overhead, was clear glass and overlooked the lobby multiple stories underneath. After 4 amazing courses and red wine (and a toast conducted by yours truly), we got up to dance and mingle. We thought we were going to go see the nightlife of the city one last time, but this place was too epic and memorable to leave, and we all boogied ourselves to exhaustion before dragging ourselves into bed.

The next morning was spent on a satisfied note. We had a wrap up session evaluating our academic and tourist visits and spending a couple of last hours together. On this trip we truly saw a cosmopolitan 21st century Istanbul, full of relics from its centuries-old history.

While the following week was great (read catching up with friends and boatloads of work), I left Thursday night for Budapest, where I met up with high school friend Mitch Alva. That adventure, which I am just back from now, will have to wait however.........