Today our group took a ride to tour the city gates of old Constantinople. The Byzantines had built a formidable 30km wall surrounding the city that succesfully kept invaders out for centuries. When the Seljuks and then the Ottomans overcame all of Anatolia and into southeastern Europe, the only area they couldn't penetrate was that inside the city walls of Constantinople. It wasn't until 1453 that the great city was finally invaded, making the Ottoman empire complete and indomitable for centuries to come. The Sultan responsible for this conquest, Mehmet II or Mehmet Fatih, soon moved its capital from Bursa to Constantinople (renamed Istanbul).
The old city wall
We then proceeded to a mosque commemorating the warrior sultan, Sultan Mehmet Mosque. This mosque had been restored in the sixteenth century in the aftermath of a collapse, proably due to an earthquake. Today, the neighborhood surrounding the mosque is resided by people from several conservative denominations, and as such it is regularly frequented by these communities not only on Fridays, but on each day of the week for all kinds of religious events. Fortunately it was early morning when we arrived, so it was pretty desolate then.
Photos of the Mosque's courtyard and one of its glass windows.
We then proceeded to a hilltop that enabled us to admire the view of Istanbul's Golden Horn. A cafe greeted us at the lookout point, which for the first time, revealed to us the extensiveness of the city, home to 18 million people.At the overlook, we met a young couple with a five or six-year-old boy all dressed up in very smart and elegant traditional Turkish costume. I asked our guide Ali, what's the occasion. He responded "don't tell me you don't know..didn't you go through it?" "Through what" I asked? He replied "in a few days time ...circumcision!" Oh boy, I don't know whether the kid fully grasped what exactly awaited him, he seemed so happy and proud taking photos with tourists. I was told that the boy, like any other in his "position," would be treated like a king by his parents in the coming days in order to allay any anxiety he may have about his day with the traditional surgeon. Unfortunately we don't have a photo of the boy. Didn't want to prolong his parents' exit from the area.
At the foot of the lookout, sits a holy shrine. Legend has it that a comrade of the late prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, by the name of Eyup was buried at that spot. I tried to put together the year of the Arab invasion of southern Anatolia under Omar in the late 600s and the capture of Istanbul by the Ottoman, and it just didn't add up. In any case, the story was that when the Ottoman troops couldn't penetrate the walls of Byzantium Constantinople, Mehmet II motivated his soldiers saying that Eyup's burial site was located at that spot, which successfully of course inspired his soldiers to crash into the gates of the Byzantine city. Now it makes sense. The mosque functions as a holy shrine for devotees of several sects in Istanbul, who go to the gated "grave of Eyup" to ask for blessings, good fortunes, and good health. A long sheet of paper was plastered acros the wall and filled with personal requests from the scores of pilgrims already there. There was holy water to drink as well, which some in our group did consume - not sure because of thirst or hoping to get better grades in school. The most interesting part of the visit there was actually taking place outside of the mosque compound. There was marching-type music being performed by a group of actors in regal Ottoman Janissary uniforms that attracted our attention. The Turks sure are proud of their history, and understandably so. It was fascinating to watch, and the tune still sticks in my head. I'm sure the military boys in our group could relate to the occasion.
Holy Shrine of Eyup
The Ottoman Janissaries Band
We made our way through the Golden Horn via the Galata Bridge. We weaved through an upscale Istanbul neighborhood which resembled a blend of London's West End and Paris's Rive Gauche. There lived the famous and relatively wealthy Istanbulite personalities and families, including writer Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel Prize winner and author of the much-lauded book "My name is Red." On the streets we saw very nicely-dressed young people and private school students in uniforms, who could easily be mistaken for a Londoner or Parisien, making their way up and down the plush sidewalks. We got off at the hip Taksim Square, and had lunch and shopped (I hate shopping but thought it nice to keep Astrid company). Taksim Square is a pretty trendy pedestrian mall, where all the latest and most talked about restaurants, stores, and bars are located. At night the place is a hive of activity.
Pedestrian Mall at Taksim Square
Later that night, we took the city tram to a theater in the Sirkecy district to watch a Sufi performance - - The Mevlevi Cema Ceremony. It was wonderful. The aesthetics of the swirling dervishes can only be appreciated if one has read extensively Jalaluddin Rumi's poetries and writings as well as the historical origins of the Sufi orders and the role they have played in the development of Islam throughout Turkey, Central Asia, and even China and India. Unity of God and oneness with God is the theme of every movement of their trance-like dance..."The East and West Belong to God, and everywhere you turn, you are faced with Him. He is all-knowing and all embracing.."
Azlan
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