Istanbul, 17 - 28 December 2009
I am enchanted by this city. It is the perfect blend of east meets west. It has the infrastructure and workability of any European city, with the vibrant, chaotic street markets one finds in the east.
I can't get enough of Istanbul. After nine days I started to feel sad that I was leaving, which is my strongest indication that I did the city right.
Each morning around 6:30am the first call to prayer of the day reverberates through the old town from the mighty Blue Mosque. I can hear it from my bunkbed at the Agora Hostel - one of the best hostels I have ever stayed at. I hear three more calls to prayer each day, all at full volume from whichever mosque I am near. From the terrace at the Topakl palace I can hear the calls from all the mosques across Istanbul. It's not a beautiful sound, but it is compelling.
The Topakl Palace was home to the Sultanate of the Ottoman Empire for more than 600 years. It holds many wonders, including an 86 karat diamond, the exquisitely decorated harem of the Sultan, and the Sacred Safekeeping Rooms. These rooms house relics important to Islam - the beard and tooth of Mohammed, the arm bone of St. John, and two drain spouts from the holy Kaa'ba in Mecca, dating from the 1600's (to name just a few of the wonders). The only way to understand the beauty of this palace is to be there yourself. Just go, really, you won't be dissappointed!
I spent Christmas Eve in a very non-traditional, non-Christian way, by attending a sema ceremony of the Whirling Dervishes at a proper monastery. The Dervishes are a sect of the Sufi order or Islam. The ceremony is reverent and full of symbolism, but the only thing to really know about this sect is that their core values are love, tolerance, brotherhood, and Divine Love. Women are identified as equals, and both men and women participate in the ceremony.
It takes several years to become a dervish. In order to qualify to participate publicly in a sema ceremony, a dervish must be able to spin 1000 times without incident. One thousand revolutions takes about an hour. Check out this website if you are interested in seeing the dervishes whirl: http://www.linktv.org/globalspirit/Ecstasy. The talk show (of sorts) is hosted by Phil Cousineau, author of one of my favorite books, The Art of Pilgramage. The episode is about Ecstasy, so if you watch it you will learn about more than just the dervishes!
Istanbul: Baklava, hand-painted tiles, carpets, tea, bazaars, mosques, mosaics, apricots, nargileh (water pipe; yes, I tried it), backgammon, Turkish Delight, clean restrooms with soap and paper towels; this is my new favorite city!!!
I can't get enough of Istanbul. After nine days I started to feel sad that I was leaving, which is my strongest indication that I did the city right.
Each morning around 6:30am the first call to prayer of the day reverberates through the old town from the mighty Blue Mosque. I can hear it from my bunkbed at the Agora Hostel - one of the best hostels I have ever stayed at. I hear three more calls to prayer each day, all at full volume from whichever mosque I am near. From the terrace at the Topakl palace I can hear the calls from all the mosques across Istanbul. It's not a beautiful sound, but it is compelling.
The Topakl Palace was home to the Sultanate of the Ottoman Empire for more than 600 years. It holds many wonders, including an 86 karat diamond, the exquisitely decorated harem of the Sultan, and the Sacred Safekeeping Rooms. These rooms house relics important to Islam - the beard and tooth of Mohammed, the arm bone of St. John, and two drain spouts from the holy Kaa'ba in Mecca, dating from the 1600's (to name just a few of the wonders). The only way to understand the beauty of this palace is to be there yourself. Just go, really, you won't be dissappointed!
I spent Christmas Eve in a very non-traditional, non-Christian way, by attending a sema ceremony of the Whirling Dervishes at a proper monastery. The Dervishes are a sect of the Sufi order or Islam. The ceremony is reverent and full of symbolism, but the only thing to really know about this sect is that their core values are love, tolerance, brotherhood, and Divine Love. Women are identified as equals, and both men and women participate in the ceremony.
It takes several years to become a dervish. In order to qualify to participate publicly in a sema ceremony, a dervish must be able to spin 1000 times without incident. One thousand revolutions takes about an hour. Check out this website if you are interested in seeing the dervishes whirl: http://www.linktv.org/globalspirit/Ecstasy. The talk show (of sorts) is hosted by Phil Cousineau, author of one of my favorite books, The Art of Pilgramage. The episode is about Ecstasy, so if you watch it you will learn about more than just the dervishes!
Istanbul: Baklava, hand-painted tiles, carpets, tea, bazaars, mosques, mosaics, apricots, nargileh (water pipe; yes, I tried it), backgammon, Turkish Delight, clean restrooms with soap and paper towels; this is my new favorite city!!!
posted by No Day But Today | 3:44 AM
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